Women And Weights

[ldematto]

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

[Boss Man]

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

[ldematto]

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

[lilmisscmh]

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

[PandorasVise]

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!

[Boss Man]

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.

[milly]

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?

[Boss Man]

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.

[LeanaJo]

I like doing 2-5 lbs. light weight training 2-3 times a week. But I find it boring and tiresome sometimes.

[skully]

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.

Bossman, I gained about 4kgs of muscle (last I checked) within one year - I was always curious about what is the average muscle-gain/kg. I am clearly not one of the lucky ones. Once I was told by a male trainer that I could gain 4kgs within 6 months. Is that reasonable at all? & what is the likelihood of or time used for those muscles say to get smaller or lose weight without proper nutrition?

Is one month disastrous? I have had few problems with some lifts recently & couldn't lift the same amount as I did previously? =S

[Boss Man]

4kg's is 8.8lbs, so YES you got good gains in a year.

Muscle catabolism, depends on many things like how much less you start eating, what the lost nutrients are, whether you have an injury that stops you training for some time, or change to a schedule that overtaxes you, or underworks you, or you start doing excessive Cardio amounts, burning some muscle off.

[skully]

4kg's is 8.8lbs, so YES you got good gains in a year.

Muscle catabolism, depends on many things like how much less you start eating, what the lost nutrients are, whether you have an injury that stops you training for some time, or change to a schedule that overtaxes you, or underworks you, or you start doing excessive Cardio amounts, burning some muscle off.

Yay. That's awesome. But I didn't make any gains past that for a while & I know why. Plus my body goes back ans forth between muscle-gaining and fat-loss all the time. It's hard to keep it in check.

In one year, I honestly did cardio once a week & sometimes twice. 30-40 minutes only. The change is schedule was IT. & now I hope it won't be like that anymore. I am in the quest for looking for a full-time job that will allow ME to have time to exercise. Really re-considering journalism (even though I have 2 offers for that position) VERY good money, too...but...it won't allow me to follow an exercise schedule.

Any journalists here who are weight lfiters? I am curious as to how you do it!

And being a journalist it is TRULY impossible to follow a good 6-meal a day diet plan + exercise. It's not like you work from 9-5 or whatever. You really actually work 24/7. Happened to me a while back - at times working at 1 a.m....so yeah.

[KJ726]

How much weight should women lift, MAX if they are looking only to tone and get lean muscles?

My routine is to alternate. I do legs 3 days a week because I love it and I enjoy having lean muscle in my legs (in fact I'm pretty sure I have bigger legs than some guys hahah Go Women!) Anyways, when do back and I use the pull down bar I put it on 60lbs, which is the maximum weight I'll ever lift usually for my upper body, is that too much or just right?

Also, has anyone ever used the "ab-coaster" in the gym? Does it work the same for women as it does for men? because I am convinced is makes my abs come out more, so instead of having a flat stomach I gain muscle under it and my stomach looks bigger than it should be. Maybe I'm just hallucinating? I want to get lean abs and flatter mid-section but I don't think that machine does it for me.




By the way, we could all kick Barbie's butt. I'd rather come off as fierce and have muscle than look vulnerable and anorexic. We are strong, independent women; hear us ROAR!

[PuroRock327]

KJ726:

How much weight should women lift, MAX if they are looking only to tone and get lean muscles?

That all depends on the individual and the exercise. It's impossible to paint all women (with body types, experience and goals) with the same MAX.

I do legs 3 days a week because I love it and I enjoy having lean muscle in my legs

You can accomplish having lean, strong legs without doing them 3 days a week. Frankly, you're over training them. Either your 3 workouts aren't enough of a challenge to promote change and progress or you aren't allowing your legs and central nervous system enough time to recover, repair and improve. My guess would be the latter. You will find even body builders do not work out one particular body part as frequently. Rest is as important to your muscles as is the workout itself, if not more so.

Also, has anyone ever used the "ab-coaster" in the gym?

Why would you need an Ab Coaster? Especially in a gym? The Ab Coaster does nothing, I repeat, absolutely nothing different than any other combination of ab workouts available without a machine. What allows your abs to show in your stomach is the absence of fat, which of course begins with diet. Anyone on this forum, or pretty much any professional trainer would agree. What allows your abs to "pop" beyond the average physique is weight training/resistance training those muscles. Weighted crunches, weighted Russian twists or bicycle crunches. All the Ab Coaster does, and ANY exercise does, is make you move... movement of your muscles causes calories/energy to be burned/used, which in turn (with diet) burns fat.

I would look into your diet, determine your daily and weekly caloric intake and create a deficit from what you should be taking in (there's a good calculator available on this site for you to determine how many calories you should take in). I would also recommend looking into an overall workout, which incorporates squats and deadlifts (if you REALLY want nice lookin' legs).

Hope this helps.

[Bonnie]

In regards to overworking the legs, EACH muscle group can safely be worked 3 x per week.Though alternating the exercises per workout is recommended, such as squats on monday, lunges on wednesday & step ups on friday.Dead lifts are a gluteal exercise with synergist contribution for the hamstrings.Crunches, bicycle crunches both work the upper rectus abdominus, which incidentally we also work in our everyday activities, so they always tend to be overworked.Russian twists work the obliques.In order to work the transverse abdominals things such as planks, leg drops etc are needed.For the bottom of the rectus abdominus, try controlled reverse ab curls.Another excellent inner & outer oblique exercise is the woodchopper with a medicine ball or cable.