Hey everyone! I’m Erin, 24 years old, and I’ve been seriously lifting for the past few months, but in the past year it’s been on and off.
I lift with my boyfriend and he’s a member on here as well. I posted on the Figure Athlete website but it doesn’t seem too lively over there and my boyfriend pointed me in this direction.
Currently, I’m doing the 5/3/1 program. I was doing it for a while and Steve (my guy) took me off for a while so we could work on my form, mostly with squats which I was horrible at. I lift twice a week, and I do two main lifts each day. The lifts I do are squats, trap bar deadlifts, overhead press and bench. I also do rows, curls, and farmer’s walks, plus probably some other stuff too that I can’t think of right now.
I have some health issues which get in the way of a lot of things, but never enough to keep me out of the gym. I am in chronic pain due to digestive issues and I also have chronic fatigue. I need some help when it comes to getting a good diet that will be beneficial with my lifting because I can’t really eat fruits and vegetables.
I know protein is important and I get plenty of that, but I guess I want to be leaner even though I’m gaining a lot of muscle. People wouldn’t know it by looking at me of course. Are there other exercises I should be doing on the days I don’t lift? I walk a lot because I don’t have a car and I have a job that puts me on my feet at least eight hours a day.
I’m hoping to meet some inspiring people here with good advice and the same goals as I have. Most of my friends couldn’t care less about lifting or exercise, so it would be great to talk to people, especially women, like me.
Thanks for reading and I hope to get some feedback soon.
Can’t eat fruit and veg? That’s a weird one - I’d have said the problem is more likely down to gluten or lactose intolerance. Hardly anyone tolerates gluten well - it can cause a whole host of problems such as inflammation and leaky gut syndrome in non-coeliacs as well as the people who have a full-blown wheat allergy. I’d cut out grains completely and see how you get on.
If you have real probelms with veg, take a supplement such as Greens Plus or the one they sell on this site. I’d also advise taking lots of fish oils to quell inflammation and for health in general.
Some people have issues with nightshades - you may find you can eat veggies that are not part of the nightshade family. Try experimenting. In any case, more info on your dietary problems would be helpful.
5/3/1 is a good programme and a lot of the girls here do it, so you’re in good company. Sounds like your training is solid. As for advice, expect a lot of straight talking without the sugar coating. It’s livelier here than FA and there’s a lot less bull, so have fun.
Do you have Crohn’s? IBS? It’s great that despite the obstacles with your health, you are pushing forward. Truly great!
Regarding exercise, I think it’s a good idea to structure your workouts around the big lifts like you are. Curious why you just do trap DLs. In terms of accessory work, I don’t think there’s a right and a wrong. You want a good balance. And regularly mixing it up is a good idea.
Not trying to get too personal but if it is some kind of IBS this other thread might help (I was diagnosed with UC a couple of years ago so I hope things feel better for you)
BCAA helped with my energy levels. might be worth a try.
other than all that fun stuff, hope the workouts go well. keep at it and work to have good form and don’t forget to foam roll and use mobility/activation warm-ups before you lift.
I’m not really sure if it’s Crohn’s or what. I’ve always kind of thought so, but they refused to do a colonoscopy back when I was 16 because I was “too young.” They decided to take the easy road and tell me it was stress. Now, eight years later, I’m still doing the same thing. Definite flare ups where I can barely eat, that kind of thing. I was browsing over the U.C. thread and there’s a lot of good information on there, so I’ll look into it when I feel more awake. Thanks for the responses!
[quote]kpsnap wrote:
Do you have Crohn’s? IBS? It’s great that despite the obstacles with your health, you are pushing forward. Truly great!
Regarding exercise, I think it’s a good idea to structure your workouts around the big lifts like you are. Curious why you just do trap DLs. In terms of accessory work, I don’t think there’s a right and a wrong. You want a good balance. And regularly mixing it up is a good idea.[/quote]
Before my boyfriend got the trap bar, I was doing regular DLs, but the trap bar helped me get my form down on them and I just never switched back to the ones with the straight bar.
