Welcome back to another Workout Edge post. I know – we just had one….and while usually keeping things in rotation is my thing when it comes to giving you guys the best knowledge and research to back it available, I just had to double up on giving you the chance to gain a workout edge this time around.

If you read my last Workout Edge post, you’ll know why. If you haven’t – go ahead and check it out now. For anyone new here – my last post was about how to gain muscle mass as you age, and in that post, we debunked a myth or two about women being unable to gain just as much muscle mass as men…and even gaining more strength than men.

With all SUPP UP. Workout Edge posts, it’s a good idea to pair them with Workout Nutrition DIY ones – so for the women reading this, I highly recommend you read July’s post AND a post we did a while back on supplements that are good for women. I’ll  take some time out in the future to add a part 2 to that list but for now, check it out.

Workout Edge: Women’s Muscle Mass [Debunking The Myths].

Here’s a little refresher from earlier, before I introduce you to new information:

Let’s get one thing clear right now – I fully recognize that there’s a huge research bias out there when it comes to studies done with men, versus studies done that focus on women and muscle mass gain.

 

For the Cliffsnotes (the OG of TLDR), research shows women can grow the same amount (Roth et al, 2001) and gain more strength than men (O’Hagan et al, 1995). It also shows when muscle mass is the same between both sexes, surprisingly, women have a higher rate of muscle protein synthesis (Henderson et al, 2009).

 

The difference in muscle mass between men and women comes down to multiple factors, including that women need 12% essential body fat to keep their hormones in check, whereas men can skate by on about 4%. Like I mentioned in the SUPP UP. guides, Women can go as low as 9%, and men can go as low as 2% – but getting that low with body fat percentages starts to become sort of a “danger zone”.

Now, let’s debunk some more myths.

Testosterone Myths

“You need testosterone (T) to grow muscle” is the common belief….and while that’s true, it’s not entirely true for women. Even though men have more T than women, T isn’t the only thing that aids in muscle growth.

MacLean et al (2008) did a study to identify mechanics of anabolic androgen action in muscle, generating male and female genomic androgen receptor knockout mice, and characterized muscle mass, gene expression, and contractile function.

In layman’s terms, they created mice that were missing a specific type of receptor that responds to hormones that help build muscle. They then looked at how the mice differed from normal mice in terms of muscle size, gene activity, and muscle strength.

The levator ani muscle, which usually doesn’t develop in female mice, was also missing in male mice without the androgen receptor. Male mice without the androgen receptor had weaker fast-twitch muscles, but their slow-twitch muscles were more resistant to fatigue. Genetic analysis shows that certain genes related to slow-twitch muscle strength was more active in those mice.

The mice also had lower levels of genes involved in creating substances called polyamines, which may indicate how androgens affect muscle growth. Androgens appeared to help maintain muscle growth in the male mice by keeping muscle cells in a state of growth and delaying maturation.

This pattern of gene expression was also seen in male mice that had their testicles removed, suggesting that androgens play a key role in controlling muscle growth and strength in male mice.

Now here’s where it gets really interesting – in female mice, the androgens were and are not needed for muscle growth. Why is this?

T isn’t the only thing that contributes to muscle growth, and women aren’t solely reliant on it because for them, it’s not needed.

Women have the ability to increase muscle mass by utilizing other hormones, specifically growth hormone and IGF-1, as confirmed in research by Fink et al (2018). While their research focused on how IGF-1 and growth hormone helped increase muscle mass in patients suffering from various diseases related to muscle atrophy, it also looked at how resistance training can increase these hormones in the body.

Let’s be honest though, we don’t need a research article to tell us that resistance training and good nutrition help increase IGF-1 and growth hormone, so this is pretty much a no brainer.

What you might not know though, is that research also suggests IGF-1 levels have a gender specific relationship with muscle strength.

In a study done by Taekama et al (2011) where research participants were aging populations, women were shown to have higher levels of IGF-1 and its binding protein IGFBP-3 in comparison to men when linked to hand grip strength. Meaning, the significant relationship between IGF-1 levels and muscle strength in women, but not men, suggests a gender specific influence of IGF-1 in muscle strength.

Let’s look at another study, this time by Giannoulis et al (2005), in which researchers wanted to see how growth hormone (GH) levels were affected by exercise.

They gave participants recombinant human growth hormone (rhGH) injections, hypothesizing that taking rhGH would reduce the body’s natural response to exercise by increasing GH and IGF-1 levels.

The study consisted of 69 participants (36 men and 33 women) who were given low or high doses of rhGH or a placebo. The participants did exercise tests before and after receiving the rhGH injections and placebos, and GH and IGF-1 levels were measured before/after exercises.

Here’s where it gets really interesting: while IGF-1 levels showed no gender differences (42.3 women vs. 38.8 nmol/l men), women’s baseline growth hormone levels (aka levels of growth hormone at rest) were higher in women in comparison to men (9.9 vs. 1.8 mU/l, P < 0.001).

This is interesting because while the study concluded in terms of IGF-1 women are less responsive to rhGH treatment, it highlights how their base levels of growth hormone are higher than that of men’s.

When you think about logically this makes sense, because women have the ability to produce human life – and growth hormone plays a huge role in stimulating the growth of children.

Long story short, women aren’t solely dependent on testosterone for muscle mass growth.

Estrogen Myths

Believe it or not, estrogen plays an important part in muscle growth for women too.

I know, I know, it’s been vilified for a while now, but you have to remember that like cholesterol, for men and women, there’s such a thing as good and bad estrogen; and more accurately, estrogen metabolites, and those are dictated by three different pathways in which estrogen is metabolized by liver enzymes.

Studies done by Velders & Diel (2013) and Hansen & Kjaer (2014) shed light on the benefits of estrogen, with Hansen & Kjaer (2014) suggesting that estrogen has an anabolic effect on muscle, mainly by lowering protein turnover and enhancing sensitivity to resistance training. They state that healthy levels of estrogen may also reduce stiffness of tendons and ligaments (e.g. collagen turnover), which can mean less risk of injury in training.

For Velders & Diel (2013), while I don’t agree with their support of soy supplements, they make a good point in stressing that while the anabolic effects of androgens are well known, the effects of estrogens on skeletal muscle anabolism have only been uncovered in recent times. In other words, not a lot of research has been put into estrogen and its positive links to muscle mass maintenance, which needs remedying.

Simply put, balanced estrogen levels aid in muscle recovery, has anti-catabolic effects (i.e. prevention of muscle gain loss), and can protect your tendons and ligaments from injury.

External Factors That Inhibit Muscle Growth

Any bodybuilder worth their salt knows that keeping external factors like stress and lack of sleep to a minimum is key in gaining more muscle mass. Muscles are made in the kitchen, repaired at night, and mercilessly pushed to their limits in the gym. So naturally, getting as much quality sleep as possible and eating properly are two external factors that help with muscle growth.

But what you may not know is, for women, there’s another external factor that plays a huge part in stunting gains….

…and that friends, is the use of contraceptives. Now hang on – I’m not saying don’t practice safe sex – I’m just saying, maybe it’s time to ditch the pill and get your S.O. or bang buddy to wrap it before they tap it, no exceptions (and if you’re not straight *shrugs* you’re safe).

I fully get that women aren’t just on the pill for safe sex either, and that it’s sometimes recommended by OBGYNs and doctors to balance out your hormones – I’m just saying there’s alternatives out there so do your research and find something better if you’re really serious about muscle mass gaining and maintaining.

Why? Oral contraceptives (OCs) and their effects on women who train aren’t studied much, which is a shame because hormones play such a huge role when it comes to sculpting your ideal physique.

Lee et al (2009) realized this and did something about it.

2 groups of 18-31 year old participants (34 on OCs, 39 not on OCs) did 10 weeks of resistance training for 3x a week, 3 sets of 6-10 reps at 75% max strength. Blood samples were taken before and after the training and analyzed for IGF-1, cortisol, DHEA, and DHEAS.

The results? Significant differences in lean mass gains between those on oral contraceptives vs those who weren’t. Usually I don’t like to bore you with the science stuff but this is important so pay attention, because these numbers matter.

The group not on contraceptives (the no OC group) had 50% to almost 100% more lean mass gains than the OC group (OC: 2.1±2.1%, no OC: 3.5±3.2% / OC: 1.0±1.0kg, no OC: 1.6±1.4kg, p<0.05).

For the OC group, plasma concentrations of IGF-1, DHEAS, and DHEA were significantly lower and cortisol levels were elevated (ouch), in comparison to the no OC group (DHEA: OC 9.5±4.4, no OC 13.6±4.6 / DHEAS: OC 1451±685, no OC 2196±1008 / IGF1: OC 163±42, no OC 239±126 / cortisol: OC 33.4±10.8, no OC 24.3±9.4, ng/ml, p<0.05).

The final nail in the coffin? There were also significant differences in lean mass gains depending on androgenicity of the progestin in the OC group. In other words, the type of progestin in birth control pills can impact the amount of muscle gained.

For context, androgenicity is the extent which a substance has properties that mimic physiological reactions similar to those produced by androgens – in this case, muscle mass development.

Progestin which you probably already know, is a synthetic hormone that mimics the effects of the natural hormone progesterone in the body.

The study concluded that use of oral contraceptives impairs muscle gain in women, which was linked to lower IGF-1, DHEA, DHEAS, and higher cortisol. Earlier in this post you learned that IGF-1 plays a key role in developing muscle mass for women, even without testosterone – so it’s pretty damn clear how the pill can knock gains out like Sugar Ray Leonard did contenders.

The diminished lean mass gain looks to be related to the androgenicity of progestin which can bind to androgen receptors, inhibiting their function – which is like fighting an uphill battle.

Take Home Message

You don’t have to be genetically superior to gain muscle mass – you just have to get informed and stop believing the B.S. dogma that’s been laid down for decades – and I would argue even centuries, maybe millennia – that women are incapable of being physically strong or built.

I’ll let you in on 3 little secrets: First, when I used to train people, very few women liked training with me – because I would push them to their limit.

Not because I was trying to show them up or make them feel weak, but because I was pushing them to break past their mentally imposed limits they’d accepted as absolute truth. I know people have mixed opinions about the military, but teaching people to break past their mental limits, especially those society has imposed on them, is a huge benefit that’s taught in training.

Women can’t do pull-ups? Lies.

Women can’t gain impressive muscle mass without steroids? Nonsense.

Women can’t lift the same weights as men? Propaganda.

Not every chick that works out has to aspire to be She Hulk…but being able to hold your own in the gym transfers to being able to hold your own in life, too.

Second little secret: let’s stop kidding ourselves – women are stronger than men, they have higher pain tolerance and can handle more training volume even though their muscle mass doesn’t visually pop like guys’ do. I imagine you have to have more pain tolerance if you’re pushing a full blown human out of your you-know-what, let alone carrying that thing for 9 months…and something that bleeds for 5 days and still lives? There’s some serious sorcery going on there.

Embrace that and recognize you’re not at the mercy of some egotistical dipsh*ts who are desperately trying to cling to a status quo which automatically assumes they’re always a notch above you (even when they have moobs – you know, man boobs – moobs).

Bring yourself peace of mind through training hard. It will, I hope, at least make you feel more comfortable in your skin when you’re out in the world.

I digress, I know this world has been, has the potential to be, and is very violent. Violence preys on the fearful, and fears the feral.

You don’t always have to be stronger than the other guy – you just have to make him second-guess his next move. This isn’t a ‘woman only’ strategy – this is a life strategy. “He will win who knows when to fight and when not to fight,” in the words of Sun Tzu.

Knowing that you can hold your own, and at least knowing your true physical potential is a big part of feeling comfortable in your own skin. Don’t deny yourself the opportunity.

The third and final secret:

I get peace of mind knowing that the women in my life can hold their own in the gym and pop someone good if needed. Why? Because at that point, I’m just the backup muscle.

The myths have been debunked – now go train.

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References

1. Fink, J., Schoenfeld, B. J., & Nakazato, K. 2018. The role of hormones in muscle hypertrophy. The Physician and sportsmedicine, 46(1), 129–134. https://doi.org/10.1080/00913847.2018.1406778
2. Hansen, M., Kjaer, M. 2014. Influence of Sex and Estrogen on Musculotendinous Protein Turnover at Rest and After Exercise. Exercise and Sport Sciences Reviews 42(4), 183-192. https://doi.org/10.1249/JES.0000000000000026
3. Henderson, G.C., Dhatariya, K., Ford, G.C., Klaus, K.A., Basu, R., Rizza, R.A., Jensen, M.D., Khosla, S., O’Brien, P. and Nair, K.S. 2009. Higher muscle protein synthesis in women than men across the lifespan, and failure of androgen administration to amend age-related decrements. The FASEB Journal, 23: 631-641. https://doi.org/10.1096/fj.08-117200
4. Lee, C.W., Newman, M.A. and Riechman, S.E. 2009. Oral Contraceptive Use Impairs Muscle Gains in Young Women. FASEB J, 23: 955.25-955.25. https://doi.org/10.1096/fasebj.23.1_supplement.955.25
5. MacLean, H. E., Chiu, W. S., Notini, A. J., Axell, A. M., Davey, R. A., McManus, J. F., Ma, C., Plant, D. R., Lynch, G. S., & Zajac, J. D. 2008. Impaired skeletal muscle development and function in male, but not female, genomic androgen receptor knockout mice. FASEB journal: official publication of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology, 22(8), 2676–2689. https://doi.org/10.1096/fj.08-105726
6. O’Hagan, F. T., Sale, D. G., MacDougall, J. D., & Garner, S. H. 1995. Response to resistance training in young women and men. International journal of sports medicine, 16(5), 314–321. https://doi.org/10.1055/s-2007-973012 
7. Roth, S. M., Ivey, F. M., Martel, G. F., Lemmer, J. T., Hurlbut, D. E., Siegel, E. L., Metter, E. J., Fleg, J. L., Fozard, J. L., Kostek, M. C., Wernick, D. M., & Hurley, B. F. 2001. Muscle size responses to strength training in young and older men and women. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 49(11), 1428–1433. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1532-5415.2001.4911233.x
8. Taekema, D. G., Ling, C. H., Blauw, G. J., Meskers, C. G., Westendorp, R. G., de Craen, A. J., & Maier, A. B. 2011. Circulating levels of IGF1 are associated with muscle strength in middle-aged- and oldest-old women. European journal of endocrinology, 164(2), 189–196. https://doi.org/10.1530/EJE-10-0703
9. Velders, M., Diel, P. 2013. How Sex Hormones Promote Skeletal Muscle Regeneration. Sports Med 43, 1089–1100. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-013-0081-6

Workout Edge: Women’s Muscle Mass [Debunking The Myths]. is a post from SUPP UP.

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