Its no big secret that a womens idea of what the perfect body is for her is vastly different from what a mans idea of what the perfect body for him is. Men and women store fat differently, and because women are predisposed to naturally maintain higher body fat levels than men, most women have a harder time trying to keep extra fat off.

Most women also do not go to the gym to workout with the notion of wanting to get big muscles like a lot of men do nor do they have the desire to look like any of the men in the gym. So then, why would most women want to do the same kind of workouts as most men do?

The fact is, a lot of women go to the gym only to end up doing the same kind of exercises and routines as the men do because thats the way theyve been taught to do it by their boyfriends and husbands. The problem usually is, the men are lifting heavier weights and doing fewer repetitions in order to increase muscle mass.

Now while women do not have near the testosterone levels as men, meaning they do not have the same muscle growth potential, they can still see some major increases in their muscle size if they always train that way. Everyone, man or woman, will respond to lifting heavy with low repetitions with muscle growth. That is your muscles trying to adapt to the heavy loads placed upon them. They need to get stronger for the next time, and a bigger muscle is a stronger muscle.

When a woman weight trains to get firm and toned but does not want to body build, there are some things she can do that will get her the results she wants without the extra mass. Remember, it is not the particular exercises men do that create mass, but the way they do them. If you do all the same exercises only you use somewhat lighter weight, and instead of the 8-10 repetitions most men do, you do 15-20 reps, you will tone up with no bulky side effects.

There are circuit training programs that utilize aerobics and resistance training all in one, and these programs are perfect for women. These programs are designed to give you a fat burning workout while at the same time giving you a muscle toning workout without adding extra muscle size.

You should be doing these routines 4-6 days per week because unlike muscle building routines, you do not need as much recovery time. Once you get to where you want to be, doing these routines 2-3 times per week is usually plenty to maintain your results.

The bottom line is, if you want to lose fat, increase muscle tone without adding size, and you want to flatten your tummy and lift your rear, than dont train like a man, train like a woman.