Apparently my friend has taken notice of my success from weight training, as she today asked me if I could help her out and give her a program to gain some muscle and lose some fat. However, she doesnt really need to lose fat. She’s about 5’7-8" 115-120 pounds. She is pretty skinny though, so i thought it wouldnt hurt to give her some advice…
But then I got to thinking. I dont really know what to say to her. It’s one thing getting myself into shape, but another person is a whole different story. I know that I understand what i read, and most of the information on this site is geared towards helping male trainees. Not to mention the last thing i would want her to do is to tell her to go to the gym, and deadlift. Not because i think deadlifting is bad, but because she would probably hurt herself without proper instruction.
I eat about 5000 cals per day, but i’m pretty sure that if i told my friend to do the same, she’d think I was joking. It’s not like I would do that anyway though, I realize that I’m a lot more active than she is, and 5000 calories per day would most likely get her the opposite of what she wants.
So this leaves me with two problems. First off, she needs a diet ‘makeover’. I’m not EXACTLY sure but from what i can tell, she’s combined all the fad diets into one low carb, low fat, and normal protien diet. This means she pretty much eats tuna and vegetables all day. Actually, that’s probably a bit extreme but let’s just say she isnt used to eating like we eat here at t-mag. So how many calories etc should i recommend to her? I know WHAT to tell her to eat, just not how much. Also, she should eat every 2-3 hours just as men do, right?
Second, what program would you recommend to a 25 year old female, who has never worked out in a gym with weights before, and has only done stuff like tai bo? I’ve already given her CT’s “fun with women” article and told her that i’d email her a program tonight.
Sorry for writing a book … Just have a lot of questions.
This is a good question for forum members Patricia and Tampa Terry,
I would have her work on basic compound movements such as the squat, bench press, stiff legged deadlift, barbell row, lat pulldown etc.
If she is in really poor shape, have her work on some bodyweight drills to build a basic level of conditioning and strength. 50 bodyweight squats and 10 pushups is a good initial goal. If she cannot do any pushups, have her start from the knees and do negatives etc. Of course she can start lifting weights as well, but as you know have her start off light and build it from there.
A M-W-F full body program is a good place to start. Just work on perfecting technique and developing the actual habit of training consistently.
I’ve got so much to write, but have absolutely no clue where to start.
With a novice trainer the key is to keep it very simple in the beginning. A total diet and training overhaul will isn’t necessary at this point as almost anything you do will bring about results. The absolute most important thing to teach are habits.
Start her off nutritionally by getting her to make sure she’s eating something containing protein every 2-3 hours. Don’t worry about specifics. Keep it simple.
Make sure she has a shake containing protein and carbs post-workout. Simple.
If she’s a good friend take her to the gym and start her off with some basic exercises (not too many) and have her train 2-3 times per week (I prefer 2 for the first few weeks). The key here is not to kill her, but to develop the habit of going to the gym for planned workouts. The first week you can teach her. The second week have her take you through the routine (that she’s writing down in her training log) and by the third or fourth week she can be on her own.
Of course, you can council her after that and show her exercises, but being alone will teach her to maintain the habits even when someone isn’t around.
In the meantime, have her visit the site and look around. Maybe she can even join the forums. The key to her success will be found in taking responsibility for her own training and nutrition. After all, she can’t rely on you forever.
I train people like this for a living so just PM me if I can be of more help.
First of all have her take a medical exam to see how her health is. If she has been on all kinds of fad diets chances are that her hormone profile isnt right and/or she might even have an eating disorder, due to her possible frustration {Im only speculating here} on obtaining results. Make her use a food log to see if you can pick up any bad habits, tell her to be honest.
Remember health is crucial to success, so make sure she has no problems.
Don’t help her. Tell her to stop eating sugar for 2 weeks and then you’ll proceed to step 2. When you find her eating 1/2 dozen jelly donuts the following Sunday, you’ll realize you’ve saved yourself a LOT of work. I use to write out programs for lots of people and it all went to waste. I made it so easy for them, they had no passion for following through. I realized that if someone is really serious, they’ll seek out the information themselves and enjoy reading through sites like t-mag, aquiring the techniques/behaviors they think are good and learning/developing their healthy lifestyle at their own pace.
I’m also helping a friend of mine get started. She has been working out for three months. I started her off with 3 full body workouts for the first 8 weeks and now I have her doing ABBH. She is making good progress, but the toughest thing is getting her to be strict about the diet
One other thing, does anybody know how to improve the range of motion on a squat because she can barely get to parallel on a body weight squat and even with those she has a tremendous amount of pelvic tilt. Is this a case of weak hams, glutes, quads, or all of the above? Would single leg movements like lunges and step-ups be better and/or remedy the problem.
The last thing your sister needs is a “one-size-fits-all” approach, especially if she’s very inexperienced. If she just wants to lose weight, changing her diet and continuing to do aerobics can do the job as well as lifting can. If she wants to get tone and lean out faster, then a lifting program may be the answer. Find out what her goals and expectations are before you start dictating a program she may not be interested in.
Once she has set some goals, help her prioritize them and then you can help her figure out the best way to achieve them. She will also be more motivated, as the goals will be tangible and measurable.
[quote]Margaret Thatcher wrote:
Don’t help her. Tell her to stop eating sugar for 2 weeks and then you’ll proceed to step 2. When you find her eating 1/2 dozen jelly donuts the following Sunday, you’ll realize you’ve saved yourself a LOT of work. I use to write out programs for lots of people and it all went to waste. I made it so easy for them, they had no passion for following through. I realized that if someone is really serious, they’ll seek out the information themselves and enjoy reading through sites like t-mag, aquiring the techniques/behaviors they think are good and learning/developing their healthy lifestyle at their own pace.[/quote]
While I do agree that you have to screen the people you help carefully (i.e., use your intuition to see if they’ll stick to it) most people can make it a part of their lifestyle with the correct program. Just because you wrote a program doesn’t mean it was the right one. If it were most of them would still be training. There is a LOT to be said for SHOWING people the technique as opposed to just writing it down. The goal in the end, of course, is for them to aquire new information on their own…but you can help them avoid the mistakes we all made when we started.
[quote]Margaret Thatcher wrote:
Don’t help her. Tell her to stop eating sugar for 2 weeks and then you’ll proceed to step 2. When you find her eating 1/2 dozen jelly donuts the following Sunday, you’ll realize you’ve saved yourself a LOT of work. I use to write out programs for lots of people and it all went to waste. I made it so easy for them, they had no passion for following through. I realized that if someone is really serious, they’ll seek out the information themselves and enjoy reading through sites like t-mag, aquiring the techniques/behaviors they think are good and learning/developing their healthy lifestyle at their own pace.[/quote]
yup yup. My sisters have helped me for help. They seem like they really want advice. Then they don’t do anything. Don’t waste your time until you are sure.
I have never trained women, but some have asked me too and then flaked out, but thats beside the point.
I have however trained guys, and I always drop them in the deep end right away.
I make them my workout partner so they have to learn to spot properly and watch me do the exercises as well to learn form (and sometimes tell me I am not squatting deep enough). I haven’t lost anybody yet, I make them do the same exercises as I am just with much much lighter weights, I am there to motivate and encourage and guide them along their new life’s path.
It takes alot of work this way, but I enjoy it so much, when somebody who couldn’t do a single chin can now rep 10 or more or now know that rice is not a “Great source of protein” it gives me a warm mushy feeling inside.
So I guess, IMHO, I think it is best to teach them the way you train, that way they have a perfect guideline… you.
… Just have a lot of questions.