# Opinion on article re female training



## Sagemacd (Jul 4, 2012)

I have been back at the gym lately beasting it lol I will post my new routine on another post to get opinions but the problem is I've been doing a decent amount of ab work but I would really like to still keep my small waist. After reading this article I'm scared to do too much ab work :-(

I know it's a long article but if you scroll down to the bit titled the britney spears syndrome and tell me what you think?

Is it still possible to do a lot of ab work and get a six pack but keep a small waist?

http://www.t-nation.com/free_online_article/sports_body_training_performance/sexy_female_training


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## EXTREME (Aug 5, 2005)

Sage, I think that article is a load of pants.

All that "train at 85% of your 1RM" stuff is crap in my mind. I took my girlfriend from never having trained to natural miss britain in 11 months and she trained exactly as I did.

Human physiology is pretty similar when it comes to building muscle and losing fat, it doesn't matter if you are male or female. If you take the hormonal differences out the equation the rest is the same.

What he says about Britney is as he admits, his opinion. He didn't train her, doesn't seem to know who did and fails to mention that in the second pictures she was about 10 years older and a mother of 2!

A thick waist is more likely to come from squats, bent rows, deadlifts or oblique work. A good ab section can be built indirectly by keeping your core tense during all movements like curls, shoulder and back work as well as crunches or leg raises.

That article is to me, someone who has to write an article making a meal of a topic to fulfil his obligations.


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## Sagemacd (Jul 4, 2012)

Extreme said:


> Sage, I think that article is a load of pants.
> 
> All that "train at 85% of your 1RM" stuff is crap in my mind. I took my girlfriend from never having trained to natural miss britain in 11 months and she trained exactly as I did.
> 
> ...


Thanks Extreme, I thought it couldn't be quite right I've seen lots of women with fantastic abs and tiny waists. I can't believe that nearly scared me into stopping my ab work. I want a six pack lol


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## EXTREME (Aug 5, 2005)

Sage, we're in Wiltshire, if you fancy a session and aren't too far away let me know. I work with more females than males now, mens ego's tend to get in the way of them being coached!


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## Sagemacd (Jul 4, 2012)

Extreme said:


> Sage, we're in Wiltshire, if you fancy a session and aren't too far away let me know. I work with more females than males now, mens ego's tend to get in the way of them being coached!


Thanks, that would have been great but sadly I'm in Falkirk, Scotland. I'll keep that in mind if I'm ever down that way on business.


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## Sagemacd (Jul 4, 2012)

Extreme said:


> Sage, we're in Wiltshire, if you fancy a session and aren't too far away let me know. I work with more females than males now, mens ego's tend to get in the way of them being coached!


Thanks, that would have been great but sadly I'm in Falkirk, Scotland. I'll keep that in mind if I'm ever down that way on business.


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## gingernut (Dec 11, 2006)

I like the way in which he states several times that serum hormone levels are more or less the same, then the numbers are so obviously quite different.

Agree re the heavy work and abs. I keep being told to trim my midsection (which is where I tend to store fat) I should be doing loads of ab work, my experience is quite the opposite.

A 6-pack is mostly diet and overall bodyfat/muscle mass related, thousands of crunches will not reveal it.


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## pixiesillycat (Jul 5, 2012)

i thought it was interesting, tbh what he said was similar to what i was told on here when i first joined- which had really surprised me; that training abs every day would be counter-productive. i certainly thought that training obliques lots and lots daily would "tighten" them up and pinch my waist in! and wondered why i have a thick boyish waist haha. it does seem to be true as well, i am hardly focusing on abs at all any more and increased cardio instead and started improving my diet and my waist and abs look better now than when i was training them lots every day


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## EXTREME (Aug 5, 2005)

Sage, I'm originally from Bathgate!

The Better Bodies store in Falkirk was originally mine.


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## AChappell (Jun 1, 2011)

The thing you have to realise about T-nation is that it's just an online magazine and should be regarded as such. This particular article like most on T-nation is based largely on opinion and personal experience of the trainer in question and on case study rather than any real evidence. Again like most articles it's pepper'd with buzz words and profanities to grab your attention and hook the reader. I'd be inclined to agree with Extreme on this one, I think Dorian put it best when he said " you can only leave a muscle too small" rather than making it to big obviously.


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## EXTREME (Aug 5, 2005)

I think T-Nation sucks, like a lot of these online info sites or magazines, they MUST keep putting up new articles no matter how good, honest, accurate, applicable, relevant or easy to follow they are.

They confuse people and regularly contradict themselves on numerous things and if people flick from site to site it's possible they will never increase their knowledge due to the inconsistencies in different people's thoughts on training, diet, pharmacology, supplements, supplement and pharmaceutical brands.

I believe you need to find someone you trust, whose opinion you trust and who can explain EVERYTHING they tell you to do and why they are telling you to do that. If you find that person, stick with them and follow their advice because this sport is about consistency, not quick fixes.


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