[quote]Benanything wrote:
I’m pretty sure OP just wants to get healthier and competing in women’s physique isn’t too high on her list of priorities.[/quote]
Anything helps though, to stay motivated. I love learning about anything sports/exercise/health related. Don’t see myself competing, could see myself training like one years from now though.
Many choices. All slightly different. And you can drive yourself nuts trying to figure out which is the “best” so I think you should just read over a couple and pick the one that speaks to you most:
Starting Strength
StrongLifts
New Rules of Lifting for Women
Chris Colucci and Chad Waterbury, I think, have written a few articles for this site geared towards training women. You might search for those as well.
The programs will all share a few themes - this is not rocket science. And despite what some people say, you can modify them (within reason) or add things (again, within reason). Newbies are often discouraged from modifying programs because by the time they’re done with it, they’ve added/changed so much it barely resembles the original program in the first place.
I’m also a bit of a shill for kettlebell training, which is a little different than the mainstream but sometimes speaks to women more than traditional barbell and dumbbell training (high rep swings and snatches feel like a mix of cardio and weights, which seems to appeal to women, including my gf). So perhaps read up on that as well if you are so inclined.
[quote]Benanything wrote:
I’m pretty sure OP just wants to get healthier and competing in women’s physique isn’t too high on her list of priorities.[/quote]
I don’t expect her to be competing in male powerlifting any time soon either, and yet you still recommended taking Mark Rippetoe’s advice on the subject. Don’t get me wrong, Rippetoe knows his shit on many, many things, but I don’t think he’s exactly the person I’d be quoting to help the OP.
[quote]dagill2 wrote:
[quote]Benanything wrote:
I’m pretty sure OP just wants to get healthier and competing in women’s physique isn’t too high on her list of priorities.[/quote]
I don’t expect her to be competing in male powerlifting any time soon either, and yet you still recommended taking Mark Rippetoe’s advice on the subject. Don’t get me wrong, Rippetoe knows his shit on many, many things, but I don’t think he’s exactly the person I’d be quoting to help the OP.[/quote]
Yes and no. I do see where your coming from, Mark has indeed competed in powerlifting and is certainly capable of coaching powerlifters but he’s primarily a strength and conditioning coach. He has coached tons of people ranging from aspiring college atheletes to 70/80 year old oldies simply looking to get stronger and lead a healthier lifestyle. Obviously, not all of Rip’s advice would apply to the OP but I would think that I specifically picked the ones which I felt would be more relatable to the OP. Oh and yeap, I’m an avid follower’s of Mark Rippetoe’s advice. He’s one funny guy.
[quote]Benanything wrote:
[quote]dagill2 wrote:
[quote]Benanything wrote:
I’m pretty sure OP just wants to get healthier and competing in women’s physique isn’t too high on her list of priorities.[/quote]
I don’t expect her to be competing in male powerlifting any time soon either, and yet you still recommended taking Mark Rippetoe’s advice on the subject. Don’t get me wrong, Rippetoe knows his shit on many, many things, but I don’t think he’s exactly the person I’d be quoting to help the OP.[/quote]
Yes and no. I do see where your coming from, Mark has indeed competed in powerlifting and is certainly capable of coaching powerlifters but he’s primarily a strength and conditioning coach. He has coached tons of people ranging from aspiring college atheletes to 70/80 year old oldies simply looking to get stronger and lead a healthier lifestyle. Obviously, not all of Rip’s advice would apply to the OP but I would think that I specifically picked the ones which I felt would be more relatable to the OP. Oh and yeap, I’m an avid follower’s of Mark Rippetoe’s advice. He’s one funny guy.[/quote]
Fair point, I’m not personally a fan, I think Starting Strength is a fantastic program and I’ve heard good things about the Texas method but to my eye, Rippetoe doesn’t seem to be as good at recognising that other people might have different goals than adding 20lbs to their squat. Internet disclaimer: This is just a personal opinion and in no way meant to be a knock on Rippetoe or his programs and expertise.
Anyways, back to point. So, what are ya plans so far OP?
Good stuff thus far. But just in case the OP isn’t confused/bewildered enough yet, I’ll add my thoughts as well.
Working with the goals as stated in your OP:
“1) when I was 17 I could run 45 minutes straight…I’d like to get back to that and push it to an hour”
I’m not nearly as phobic about running as some commenters. I run for 60 minutes once every four or five days (if I may be allowed to stretch the definition of the word ‘running’ to include ‘brisk stiff-legged limping’). But I do agree with the contention that too much running will not advance the ball vis a vis reaching your physique-related goals, and in fact may interfere with doing so. So if you like to run, you want to run, by all means run. But make running a secondary activity. Think of yourself as a weightlifter who runs, not a runner who lifts weights.
“2) I’ve had a muffin top since I was 8…I’d like to get rid of that”
There’s not much wiggle room re achieving this goal: You must average a fairly significant caloric deficit for a fairly significant period of time. There are any number of ways to do this; my personal favorite is carb cycling, about which you can find a great deal of info on this site.
“3) I really like the way toned arms and nice shoulders look…and so does my girlfriend”
I assume you also like the way toned [insert other bodypart names here] look as well, so in that regard I agree with previous posters that your routine should address more than just these specific bodyparts. However, I would respectfully disagree that a power/strength program, with its emphasis on the squat and deadlift, is the best approach for a young woman with undermuscled (per her) upper limbs and overmuscled (ditto) thighs to ‘tone up.’ Not saying you shouldn’t squat and/or deadlift; rather, that the singleminded pursuit of adding weight to these lifts (which constitutes both the only goal and the only outcome metric of such programs) is not the best way to get bigger arms/delts & smaller thighs.
“4) I have power-house legs (huge thighs)…can I shrink the size without losing the muscle?”
I am always leery when someone says ‘I have too much muscle in my [bodypart],’ or ‘I gain muscle too easily in my [bodypart].’ Ask anyone who has made a concerted effort to get them–hyooge muscles are dauntingly, maddeningly difficult to achieve. This is because the human body seeks homeostasis and efficiency, and ‘extra’ muscle is metabolically very expensive to create and maintain. This is especially true for females, as their hormonal profiles tend to be less favorable than are males for building/maintaining muscles.
In my experience, when a woman makes such a claim, what’s usually going on is she has ‘stubborn fat’ (to use Lyle McDonald’s term) on her thighs. For hormonal and anatomic reasons, stubborn-fat stores are less amenable to being accessed during a cut. Thus, when a woman afflicted with stubborn fat loses weight, she tends to lose it from everywhere but these stubborn stores–the result being that it looks as if her thighs have gotten larger (ie, because everywhere else has gotten smaller). Conversely, if she inadvertently increases her caloric intake upon embarking on a vigorous exercise regimen (a common, albeit unintended and unwelcome, result of exercising more), these stubborn fat stores are the first to incorporate any excess calories, thus yielding the (false) impression of an exercise-induced increase in thigh muscle mass.
^If this is you, the first strategy in dealing with it is meticulous diet control; ie, making sure your caloric intake doesn’t creep up as a result of the extra hunger that will inevitably accompany your increase in physical activity. The second strategy consists of certain exercise, diet and supplement adjustments that can facilitate accessing these stubborn fat stores. However, you don’t need to worry about those until you’ve lost a lot of bodyfat everywhere but your thighs; eg, if your BF drops enough to show a 6-pack, but your thighs haven’t shrunk proportionally. We can help you cross that bridge should you get to it.
All that said, there does seem to be a subset of women who do tend to disproportionately gain muscle in their thighs. So if this is you, it is all the more reason to avoid embarking on an exercise program that emphasizes heavy squats.
“5) And yes…I’d like to look good naked…doesn’t everyone?”
As I am old enough to be your father, I will refrain from engaging with you on this topic. ;^)
Hope this helps. Best of luck reaching your goals.
[quote]Benanything wrote:
Anyways, back to point. So, what are ya plans so far OP?[/quote]
So far just trying to be consistent. So trying to get back into the hang of going to the gym 3-4 times a week, staying active in other aspects in my life, meal prepping, and trying to eat those planned out meals.
Still haven’t found a “workout regimen” that i am doing specifically. Going to do some lifting tonight, shoulders and abs. Still need to read more on everything. Thanks for everyone’s comments. Staying motivated.
[quote]rubberducky7o3 wrote:
Still haven’t found a “workout regimen” that i am doing specifically. Going to do some lifting tonight, shoulders and abs. Still need to read more on everything.[/quote]
Read more if you want, but in the meantime, do. After eight days (more as of today) and the info/links already posted in this thread, there’s no real reason why you haven’t settled on something. Pretty much any program from Joy Victoria or Chad Waterbury won’t steer you wrong. There’s no “best” program for anyone, but something pre-designed from a legit coach will be wayyy better than winging it day to day.
Not trying to overemphasize the training, because nutrition is totally key as has been said. And like I mentioned on that point, if you don’t want to eat meat, you certainly don’t have to. You’d just need to be even more on point with diet overall.
[quote]Chris Colucci wrote:
[quote]rubberducky7o3 wrote:
Still haven’t found a “workout regimen” that i am doing specifically. Going to do some lifting tonight, shoulders and abs. Still need to read more on everything.[/quote]
Read more if you want, but in the meantime, do. After eight days (more as of today) and the info/links already posted in this thread, there’s no real reason why you haven’t settled on something. Pretty much any program from Joy Victoria or Chad Waterbury won’t steer you wrong. There’s no “best” program for anyone, but something pre-designed from a legit coach will be wayyy better than winging it day to day.
Not trying to overemphasize the training, because nutrition is totally key as has been said. And like I mentioned on that point, if you don’t want to eat meat, you certainly don’t have to. You’d just need to be even more on point with diet overall.[/quote]
I’ve been trying to do weight training 3x a week, schedule has been very chaotic to go more than that. So right now my work out routine looks like:
Day 1: Abs/Shoulders+10 min hiit (stair master, 1 min low rpm, 30 sec high rpm)
Day 2: Chest/tri
Day 3: Off
Day 4: Meal prep or cardio or both
Day 5: Back/bi+10 min hiit (stair master, 1 min low rpm, 30 sec high rpm)
Day 6: Off
Day 7: Grocery shop
I live in the mountains basically so I try to take my dog on a hike once a week for 30 mins to an hour.
This, or similar renditions, have been what I can do as far as schedules go for the last 3 weeks.
My improvement goals: Fit in a leg day. Get to 10 mins hiit every training day and eventually to 20 mins.
Diet starts out good. Need more focus on groceries and meal prep. Has been looking similar to this: (oh and by the way, my one HUGE improvement needs to be breakfast! I don’t know what is so freaking hard about making and eating a well-balanced breakfast, or just eating egg whites first thing in the morning but I’m having a hard time. Advice? I’ve been eating quest bars when I can’t seem to eat a real breakfast)
Meal 1: 2 over medium eggs, 3 pieces turkey bacon, 1/4 grape fruit, oatmeal
Meal 2: Quest bar
Meal 3: Turkey sandwich w/ spinach on wheat w/ mustard only, carrots and snap peas w/ hummus
Meal 4: Mixed nuts
Meal 5: Chicken, broccoli or asparagus, squash or brown rice
Meal 6: Peanut butter
For improvement:
Thoughts? Suggestions? Improvements? How am I doing? Bare in mind, everything looks similar to what I posted. Some days I have a beer or two. Some days I eat out for dinner w/ friends. Sundays I go to my moms and eat whatever she’s made. Last week was Super Bowl sunday so queso was a thing. Trying not to eat dairy though. My body does not enjoy dairy.
Re breakfast, just get something in, even if not perfect. For now Quest bar and piece of fruit is fine.
Good that you’re being honest but ‘Somedays’ having a beer or two will definitly set you back. Firstly if you going to drink have wine or pretty much anything but beer also limit it to a set day per week -fri/sat night etc
I think you’re one of the best “beginners seeking advice” I’ve seen in a while. You’ve come in with a specific goal, you know what you’re willing and unwilling to do to get it, you’re listening to the advice given and actually doing it. I think you’ll do very well.
Where in Colorado are you?
[quote]dagill2 wrote:
I think you’re one of the best “beginners seeking advice” I’ve seen in a while. You’ve come in with a specific goal, you know what you’re willing and unwilling to do to get it, you’re listening to the advice given and actually doing it. I think you’ll do very well.[/quote]
Thank you. Despite my intro, I’m in a really good place in my life right now and I’m ready to get healthy/fit and only improve. I know my habits, my excuses, and how I can maintain consistency. Part of that is staying motivated which is why I use T-Nation. The more I think and talk about living an active lifestyle, the more I will stay interested and keep it up.
Also if anyone was wondering, been doing Jamie Eason’s 12-week challenge (workouts only) I’m not trying to change my body in 12-weeks. Trying to improve my life for the rest of…my life.
[quote]rubberducky7o3 wrote:
[quote]dagill2 wrote:
I think you’re one of the best “beginners seeking advice” I’ve seen in a while. You’ve come in with a specific goal, you know what you’re willing and unwilling to do to get it, you’re listening to the advice given and actually doing it. I think you’ll do very well.[/quote]
Thank you. Despite my intro, I’m in a really good place in my life right now and I’m ready to get healthy/fit and only improve. I know my habits, my excuses, and how I can maintain consistency. Part of that is staying motivated which is why I use T-Nation. The more I think and talk about living an active lifestyle, the more I will stay interested and keep it up.
Also if anyone was wondering, been doing Jamie Eason’s 12-week challenge (workouts only) I’m not trying to change my body in 12-weeks. Trying to improve my life for the rest of…my life.
[/quote]
Hows your progress so far?
[quote]dagill2 wrote:
[quote]rubberducky7o3 wrote:
[quote]dagill2 wrote:
I think you’re one of the best “beginners seeking advice” I’ve seen in a while. You’ve come in with a specific goal, you know what you’re willing and unwilling to do to get it, you’re listening to the advice given and actually doing it. I think you’ll do very well.[/quote]
Thank you. Despite my intro, I’m in a really good place in my life right now and I’m ready to get healthy/fit and only improve. I know my habits, my excuses, and how I can maintain consistency. Part of that is staying motivated which is why I use T-Nation. The more I think and talk about living an active lifestyle, the more I will stay interested and keep it up.
Also if anyone was wondering, been doing Jamie Eason’s 12-week challenge (workouts only) I’m not trying to change my body in 12-weeks. Trying to improve my life for the rest of…my life.
[/quote]
Hows your progress so far?[/quote]
Not sure. I’ll give it another week to weigh myself but scales are so wishy washy and body weight fluctuates so much on a day to day basis that I don’t really pay much attention to “how much I weigh.” Unless it’s big numbers, which I would be able to “see” more than weigh. I am feeling healthier and that’s what is important. I definitely feel stronger in my legs from all the stair climbing. Need to lift heavier. Not even sore this week 
Hey everyone! Just checking in to give an update. Again, don’t pay much attention to scales but I’m around 170lbs, which is good, because a few months ago I was nearing 180. I can definitely feel and see more definition in my calves and thigh, which is normal because like I said, I have powerhouse legs, that muscle just never seems to wander far from home.
I think I will invest in a tape measurer to track subtle changes throughout my mid-section and maybe arms. My biceps have improved. My back/shoulders hurt like hell always but I’ve started getting a massage about once a month to help with that. Depending on my budget.
A few things:
How in God’s name do you meal prep and make sweet potatoes last/stay fresh for three days? My lunch seems to always be soggy. Soggy broc, soggy sweet potatoes, disgusting/dry chicken. I will no longer be eating this meal. I hate it. I’m going to try an alternative until I figure out the secret method.
Any suggestions on eliminating knee pain? I mean, I guess I am kind of bow-legged/pigeon toed so that doesn’t help. But honestly, there’s so much weight in my thighs I feel like my knees are caving in. Help
Has anyone heard of or used Flavor God Spices? Thinking about putting in an order. (comes with a free paleo e-book too!)
Meal suggestions? Work out suggestions. I’m still doing Jamie Eason’s live-fit trainer workouts. Kind of at my own discretion. I can’t spend hours at the gym. My schedule calls for 30-50 minutes at the gym 3-4 times a week. Still aiming for 5 times a week But that just comes with the passion and undying love for being active which, reading, for me, seems to trump.
With the above said…any good book suggestions for diet/exercise/motivation? I love to read about this stuff.
Squats and deadlifts, when performed properly, make my knees feel better.
training 3-4x a week for about 45 minutes is very sufficient if you know what you are doing. Speaking of which… Doing a body part split is not what I would recommend for you right now. Fully body training 3x a week or upper/lower 4x a week would be more productive and time-efficient.
[quote]rubberducky7o3 wrote:
Hey everyone! Just checking in to give an update. Again, don’t pay much attention to scales but I’m around 170lbs, which is good, because a few months ago I was nearing 180. I can definitely feel and see more definition in my calves and thigh, which is normal because like I said, I have powerhouse legs, that muscle just never seems to wander far from home.
[/quote]
You seem to feel happy and positive with your progress, which is absolutely gold, so few people seem to be able to be happy with the progress they make.
There are cheaper ways of getting soft tissue work in. Without sounding like a dirty old man, this is where a long term partner can be fantastic. Failing that, a foam roller or lacrosse or the like can work wonders.
What resources do you have available to you for when you are planning to eat? Are you at home? Do you have access to microwaves etc?
What shoes do you wear when you squat? How do you squat?
The slow cooker is your friend here, there was an article on here not too long ago by Chris Shugart about this.
Or this by Dan John:
[quote]
5) With the above said…any good book suggestions for diet/exercise/motivation? I love to read about this stuff.[/quote]
As I’ve said before, “Fat Loss Happens on Mondays” by Josh Hillis and Dan John is a great book about reasonable diet and reasonable workouts with the focus on fat loss
[quote]nighthawkz wrote:
[/quote]
Is that you in your avatar?