Women And Weights

I'd suggest possibly RICEing it, and then if possible try to train as best as possible. If you find any exercises are going to directly cause an pain issue, consider lowering the weight and seeing where your tolerance threshold is.

RICEing it?

Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation

Thanks Katie - guess you can tell who the newbies are around here :) One of these days I'll understand all the acrynoms!

I guess I should be icing it, I haven't been doing anything but rest. Today is my 4th day, but my plan to resume on Monday, possibly some cardio this weekend. I plan to try "Molding the Flawless Upper Body" program that I found in Figure Athelete that you referred to in a post somewhere - great site! I've already made a few of the chicken recipes too - very yummy, especially the chicken Marsala!

Thanks again!
Lu

I should have made the RICEing thing more clear, that's my fault.

No problem Boss , thanks for the advice! I definitely need some RICEing!

Hi guys, i'm new to the site and loving what i am reading!
My name is Courtney. I noticed you guys post alot of positive stuff on the site, so i figured you might be a good people to ask questions to.
I'm 22, 5'2 and 137lbs.
I like all sports, boxing, running, and lifting. But...i'm new at lifting. i didn't lift while fighting, but my arms were kinda big at the time and i am very strong?. I am built kinda broad and have a tiny waste, but i want to kinda proportion my body and tone. I hear all kinds of different things like lifting heavy will make me bulky, and some of the guys say it wont. I sure don't want to get any bigger muscle wise then i am. I have a good frame to start with, i just want to tone up and my stomach... goodness... def. would like to shape that up! loose some of the excess weight too. Any suggestions? I run alot now, love cardio, should i start a schedule of like- mon, wed, fri- lifting incorporated with it as well!?
and- protien shakes.. "lean shakes".... i don't have all the time in the world to eat, and i am currently in transit to deploy- so i figured while i am overseas this is going to be a perfect time to shape up in my free time! would love suggestions...Thanks a bunch! Courtney

I can think of no better women for you to mention. All of them are such an inspiration to all of us. I love lifting weights. I love picking up heavier ones from the time before. Love this site, love you too bossman, keep up the great posts!

To LMC

Protein shakes.

You can get ones with Carbs in, but if you' prefer ot have control over Carb amopunts, buy a Carb free one and mix in something like Crushed Oats and maybe a little Honey for taste.

You can also add things in like Vanilla Essence, ground Ginger, ground Nutmeg and Cinnamon for taste problems.

Don't use Milk as Milk increases Casein, viscocity, Caloiries and Enzyme production, as you need the Lactase enzyme to break down the Galactose in the Lactose Disaccharide, the small payoff being the Lactose assisting the Insulin spike to help synthesise Proteins, which isn't worth it, compared to the aforementioned downsides.

So use water for shakes and perhaps alter taste in the previously mentioned ways, if you have problems with taste.

Lifting heavy doesn't make females bulky too easily. In comparison. a females Testosterone levels are usually between 45 and 90 ng/dl, Nanograms per decilitre, (a Nanogram is a billionth of a gram). Male levels should be between around 360-1,000 ng/dl. Anything less than that increases Heart attack risks, as obviously the Heart is partly made of Cardiac Muscle.

Thus females will take a lot longer to gain mass. The lucky natural ones, might get 8-9 lbs of muscle in one year possibly, but many will max out at probably around 5-6 per year.

As for weights and Cardio, you can do a schedule that you suggested. it could be workable thusly.

Day 1. Weights

Day 2. Cardio

Day 3. Weights

Day 4. Day off

Day 5. Cardio

Day 6. Weights

Day 7. Day off.

This stops you doing nothing for two days straight, by splitting up the off days. It also stops you training for longer than 3 days straight.

Cardio can be interval stuff or something similar, that isn't adaptive and the body won't get used to, possibly reducing long-term efficacy.

For weights a basic workout with basic exercises, would be the order of the day for now.

Things like

Squats

Lunges

Deadlifts

Bench Press

Bent over Barbell Rows

E-Z Bar curls

Tricep Dips

Shoulder Presses

Planks

Start doing all but the Planks, with an 8-10 rep level. Do each exercise 2x each, for the 8-10 reps.

Planks could be around 45-60 seconds for starters, to help strengthen the front Core.

You may be quite strong for a novice lifter, but you should still use a 4-6 week initiation process, for the body to get used to the biomechanics of lifting. Not least to hone technique and adjust the muscles to the way they get worked.

start low on weights and increase a little each week, then after the intial period, change what you do.

If you are doing the Cardio, you only need 30 minutes a time, for the 2x a week.

Boss Man

"This stops you doing nothing for two days straight, by splitting up the off days. It also stops you training for longer than 3 days straight."

Why is having two days off back to back not a good idea? Why is training no longer than 3 days straight not a good idea?
I know the body is a clever machine, but why this formula?

In summary, basically having the two off days together, could eat into someones progress, by mildly deconditioning them stamina wise, or causing reduced metabolic activity for 2 days straight, neither of which would benefit Cardiovascular improvement / maintenance, or fat burning potential.

I suggest this methodology because it also may reduce the risk of overtraining, when someone taxes themselves for 5 days back to back, because I can't say if someone overtrainined after 5 days, if 2 straight off days, woudl be enough to fully get over it. If it wasn't, then the overtraining effect could slowly accumulate, until after a few weeks, you'd have to take as much as 1, possibly even 2 whole weeks off to recover.