Many women want to lose stubborn body fat and replace it with a lean, toned and sculpted figure, but a common mistake when chasing this goal is to focus solely on fat loss supplementation at the expense of performance products.
While shedding body fat is an essential part of the process, building muscle is just as important to achieving a toned and defined look.
Contrary to popular belief, Women have the ability to build lean muscle without compromising their femininityand there are many benefits associated with adding muscle, such as a higher metabolism, greater functional strength, and enhanced body composition and shape.
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The mass myth
A common misconception is that Weight training will inevitably lead to a bulky physique. However, a woman’s physiology is fundamentally different from a man’s because of lower testosterone levels.
This hormonal imbalance makes it much more difficult for women to develop excess muscle mass. Conversely, weight training enables women to improve their body composition by building lean muscle while reducing body fat.
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Raid his supplement stack
This understandable fear of adding bulk can also limit a woman’s ability to achieve her goals by limiting the available supplements that women are willing to use.
Many women associate common bodybuilding supplements with the big, muscular men they see at the gym, mainly because these products are traditionally marketed to men.
However, These products can help support your progress towards a sculpted physique when used correctly.
Here are 4 common supplements you’ll likely find in a man’s supplement cabinet that more women should consider:
1. Zinc + Magnesium Aspartate (ZMA)
While ZMA is often advertised as a testosterone booster, it is primarily a zinc and magnesium supplement. These essential minerals they play a vital role in hormone regulation, sleep quality and muscle recovery.
By supporting optimal hormone levels, ZMA can enhance strength, power and muscle growth without causing masculinizing effects.
Biogen ZMA Power Plus is a combination of zinc, magnesium aspartate and vitamin B6 to support the maintenance of normal muscle function and reduce tiredness and fatigue.
Zinc helps maintain normal blood testosterone levels, while magnesium helps maintain normal muscle function and protein synthesis, and vitamin B6 helps promote normal red blood cell formation. Vitamin B5 contributes to the reduction of tiredness and fatigue and to normal mental performance.
READ MORE | Zoom in on Zinc: A vital mineral for health and performance
2. Creatine
Creatine has unfairly gained a reputation for causing bloating and bulk. However, research consistently demonstrates this effectiveness in increasing strength, power and lean muscle mass.
Creatine is stored primarily in the muscles, where its primary role is to restore energy during intense, short-duration exercise.
By delaying muscle fatigue, creatine allows for more intense workoutswhich can support muscle growth when combined with the right diet plan. This supplement also helps speed up recovery after intense physical activity.
A product like Biogen Pure Creatine Monohydrate Powder it might be an ideal choice to check out as it’s also part of the Informed Sport Programme, meaning it’s been batch tested to verify the product is exactly what it says it is.
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3. Protein supplements
When it comes to dieting, many women focus too much on carbs and fats to achieve their weight loss goals.
Neglecting your protein intake is not only detrimental to your ability to recover properly and maintain optimal health, but It also negatively affects your weight loss and body sculpting goals.
2012 study1 confirmed that higher protein intake benefited body composition, particularly during periods of weight loss, as participants lost more weight from fat rather than muscle.
The study found that “a dietary restriction of 500 kcal for one year resulted in weight loss of 9.9-11.2% in overweight subjects with no gender difference.”
While the difference in total weight loss was not significantly different between the high protein group (1.6 g/kg) and the low protein group (0.8 g/kg), when measuring only fat mass, the the high-protein group lost significantly more fat than the low-protein group when calories were held equal.
Higher protein intake preserves lean muscle mass during weight loss and also supports muscle recovery and growthwhich is beneficial for resting or basal metabolic rate (BMR). This effectively means you burn more calories during the day, even at rest.
Suitable protein supplements may include products such as Biogen Premium Iso-Whey, Biogen Lean Whey, Biogen Complete Wheyand Biogen vegetable protein.
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4. Pre-Workout Supplements
Often marketed as hardcore workout boosters, pre-workout supplements work for any workout.
These supplements work mainly by boosting the production of nitric oxide, enhances blood flow to muscles, delivering vital nutrients and oxygen while removing waste products. This translates into improved performance, endurance and recovery.
They can also optimize your workouts with more energy and more efficient recovery, with supplements like Biogen Premium Pro-Workout and Biogen Rage Pump NOS contributing to a more efficient and effective workout by providing ingredients that can help maintain energy levels and overall performance.
Incorporating these supplements into a well-rounded exercise program can help women overcome plateaus and achieve the lean and sculpted physique of their dreams that celebrates female strength and femininity. Always remember that achieving your results requires consistent weight training, proper nutrition and adequate rest, combined with supplementation.
References:
Evans EM, Mojtahedi MC, Thorpe MP, Valentine RJ, Kris-Etherton PM, Layman DK. Effects of protein intake and gender on changes in body composition: a randomized clinical trial of weight loss. Nutr Metab (London). 2012 Jun 12 9(1):55. doi: 10.1186/1743-7075-9-55. PMID: 22691622; PMCID: PMC3407769.
Author: Pedro van Gaalen
When he’s not writing about sports or health and fitness, Pedro is most likely out training for his next marathon or ultramarathon. She has worked as a fitness professional and as a marketing and comms specialist. He now combines his passions in his role as managing editor at Fitness magazine.
