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In the not-to-distant-past, it was considered taboo for a woman to lift weights. Common wisdom preached that weight training would "masculinize" the female physique, causing women to avoid it like the plague. Fortunately, exercise science has come a long way and the majority of women now realize that weight training is the key to a shapely physique. In fact, recent statistics show that a quarter of the female population lift weights on a regular basis.

Despite this recent enlightenment, however, many women are still in fear of developing large, bulky muscles. Consequently, they train with weights that are so light they never stimulate development. Bad idea. Not only won't this approach tone you up, but it obliterates almost all fat burning effects from the workout. Basically it's little more than an exercise in futility.

Understand that upwards of 99 percent of the female population doesn't have the capacity to develop exceedingly large muscles. You see, women are deficient in testosterone - the primary muscle-building hormone. Without sufficient testosterone, muscles simply lack the stimulus to significantly increase in size. Thus, the prospect of a woman looking like she-male from lifting weights is about as likely as getting struck by lightening.

That said, "bulky" is a subjective term. What might be pleasing muscle tone to one person is too much for another. If you're in this camp, don't fret. Here are a few body sculpting tips for developing your physique while maintaining sleek proportions. By incorporating these protocols into your workout, you'll minimize "bulk" while developing the hard bod you've always dreamed of.

Train Expeditiously

Women generally give little thought to the amount of time taken between sets. During their workout, they'll relax, talk to friends, or maybe even check out a member of the opposite sex. While these activities might help to bide the time, they do little to improve your physique.

If your goals is to reduce body fat, keep rest intervals to a minimum, taking no more than 30 seconds between sets. Training should commence before you can fully catch your breath. A fast-paced workout creates a distinct aerobic effect to your routine, keeping your heart rate elevated throughout the session. This results in a substantial increase in caloric expenditure, ultimately helping to elevate metabolism and reduce body fat.

Train With High Reps

If you want to de-emphasize muscle maximum growth, focus on training in a high rep range employing between 15 to 20 reps per set. High reps target your slow-twitch muscle fibers (also called Type I fibers). These fibers are predominantly utilized during continuous activities sustained for long periods of time. Because of their endurance-oriented nature, slow twitch fibers have only a limited ability to increase in size. Thus, by targeting these fibers, you'll improve the structural quality of the muscle without substantially increasing its mass.

In addition, because of the reliance on slow twitch fibers, high-rep training is a great source for improving fat burning capacity. Slow twitch fibers have a large amount of mitochondria-"cellular furnaces" where fat burning takes place-that expedite the use of fat as an energy source. Consequently, training with high reps helps to improve your body's ability to use fat for fuel, accentuating a leaner physique.

Train Intensely

Women are often hesitant to train hard. They somehow feel that intense training will create a bulky, masculine physique. Nothing can be further from the truth. To achieve your full genetic potential, the intensity you apply must be great enough to exceed your body's work threshold. By nature, the human body strives to maintain a stable state of equilibrium called homeostasis. If your training intensity doesn't sufficiently tax your resources, there won't be enough of a stimulus to force your body from its homeostatic state.

For optimal results, it is essential to train with all-out intensity, challenging your muscles on each and every set. If you're not struggling to complete the last few reps, the weight is too light! Only by stressing your muscles beyond their present capacity will they be compelled to produce an adaptive response and exact a change in your body.

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