Just Starting Out, Need Advice

Bigger Stronger Leaner Beginners
1

Well first of all, I’m a 16 year old girl. I’m around 5’4, 100 pounds. I have never lifted before, so I’m very new to this. I think I’d look much better if I was bigger. I want to train more to help with basically every sport that I do (dance, gymnastics, volleyball), and make myself look and feel a lot better. Here is what I can do so far:

Bench: 50 =[
Dead lift: 125
Squat: 100 (bodyweight, haven’t squated using weights before)

The program I’m on now is all bodyweight exercises, I don’t own any weights but my boyfriend does and I try to do as much as I can when I get over there. Here is the program:

Monday, Wednesday, and Friday
Squat 2x14 (No weight, keep your feet flat on the floor the whole time)

Push-up 2x14 (On your toes, go until your chest almost touches the floor)

Lunge 2x14 (Alternate legs, 1 rep left/1 rep right)

Pull-up 2x14 (use an assisted pull-up or pulldowns if needed)

Plank 2x15-count (Hold the top part of a push-up, on your toes, arms straight, keep your whole body straight. Count to 15.)

Burpee 2x14 (Ask your gym teacher how to do these, also called a squat thrust)

I can do about 20 bodyweight squats, and around 8 pushups for one set. I’m hoping that it will only take me two or so weeks to be able to do the rest. What I really need help with is the eating. I’m very small, and try to eat as much as i can, but I’m not putting on any weight. Calories are around 2000 per day, and protein intake is around maybe 75g per day. Any comments on anything, or if pictures are needed, just let me know.

Edit: If there is one main area I would like to make bigger, it would be my legs. I have been told by my loving, thoughtful boyfrend that they resemble those of an Ethiopian child’s.

:expressionless: rofl, help please.

2

Hmm… that routine looks awfully like What Colucci posted for another young athlete. Good call reading the forums before posting.

The program is solid. You’ve got leg work in there, so if you’re growing, your legs will grow. Although for you, the reps are 16, not 14 (the goal is your age in reps, the other kid was 14).

As far as eating enough to grow… if you’re not, you’re not. Put simply, get more protein and more overall calories. I recommend peanuts, because they’re cheap, portable, tasty, and healthy. And by recommend, I mean down a handful in between every class. It’s an easy way to get in an extra 500-600 kcal without an insulin response.

Pictures are not required in this forum. Although if you WANT to post them…

3

Its the exact same thing, I copy pasted it to her.

4

Well, the routine your using is a pretty good intro, it will prep you for some real weight work. Coach Colucci knows what he’s talking about. Once you can handle the workout you’re doing now, then you can move on to free weights. As for your diet, 2000 calories is a good starting point, but if you’re not gaining weight after two weeks of sticking to your diet, try upping your intake by 250 calories or so. Repeat every 2 weeks as needed.

As you begin to workout more and gain muscle mass, you’ll need to periodically increase your food intake to keep growing. One thing I would recommend is try to get another 25 grams of protein per day if at all possible. Also, if you post a detailed breakdown of your diet (what you eat, how much, and when), it’ll be easier to give you diet advice.

5

I commend you on your efforts. Most “young” people don’t have a clue about fitness, nor do they care. I actually like your weight program. I know you’re not using weights, but it can still yield results.

Do you know for sure that you’re eating 2000 calories/day? Let’s assume you track what you eat. The other determining factor is what are you eating specifically, how often, and how much at those times. It is recommended to eat 1-1.5 grams of protein per pound. You could easily increase to 100 or 125 grams/day.

[I hope Stu sees this. He has a daughter about your age and has had her train with weights.]

edit - Sorry for repeating answers - I didn’t see the other posts. Same theme though.

6

Thanks for all the replies, I will definitely start writing down what/how much of what I eat. My boyfriend recommended using Fitday.com, I just need to figure out how to add random foods.

7

Okay, heres some pictures that I took yesterday. Theres absolutely no definition in anything but whatever, I’m still posting them so I can delete them off my computer. Tell me what you think, if theres anything worth commenting on.


lolpajamapants


I have no clue how to flex my legs. They’re so freaking small =[

8

add custom

9

[quote]rasa_dancer wrote:
Thanks for all the replies, I will definitely start writing down what/how much of what I eat. My boyfriend recommended using Fitday.com, I just need to figure out how to add random foods. [/quote]

Your boyfriend seems knowledgeable and helpful. Fitday is great. To add a custom food, click “Go” where it says “add custom.” I try to do this as little as possible because its a hassle. Try to find a food item that is close.

10

If you want to add size to you legs I think I have a good suggestion for you. try using to principle of the hungerian wrsetler ( i’m really sorry, I know my spelling sucks) Instead of going for reps, go for time. Find just any type of bar or something to hold onto and mimic a weighted squat position( just because it’s easier for me, you can just do your regular squat form) Try to squat in a non stop fashion as follows:

session 1
30 sec
Session 2
1 min
session 3
1:30 min
session 4
2 min

well, I think you probably see the pattern. Just increase by 30 sec each time. I’ve added these to my workout, and I’ve noticed a difference in not time at all.

11

you have a beautiful face.
Your workout looks great
I hope you stick to it and end up with weights.
good luck

12

Keep away from the junk food and make sure you eat protein frequently. Don’t be afraid of fat in your diet. Olive oil, flax and fish oil should be everyday foods.

As The Dude Abides said, I have a daughter your age. She had a little trouble with squats at first. My daughter was actually more comfortable with lunges first, probably since it’s closer to movements she was used to. Where you are active in a number of sports you may have a different experience. My daughter’s sports were softball and running.

Keep going with the body weight squats, ensuring perfect form. It’s actually harder if you do them right at first. That will quickly change. Add weight gradually. Start with a broomstick first so you get used to the movement.

Don’t worry about the Hungarian routine recommended above. That will only lead to bad form. Save it for later. Once you start adding weight, keep the sets short so you can maintain proper form. Your main focus should be on teaching your body the correct movements and your body will remember the form it does the most.

Stu

13

Listen to stu, solid advice.

14

[quote]Rico Suave wrote:
you have a beautiful face.
Your workout looks great
I hope you stick to it and end up with weights.
good luck[/quote]

thank you very much for the compliment, and yes. I plan to keep adding lifts and weights eventually. Like I said earlier, I try to do as much as I can when I get over to my boyfriend’s house; he has a whole weight set. Those lifts are just random though. I would definately like to work on pullups also, right now I can only do about 2.

15

[quote]stuward wrote:
Keep away from the junk food and make sure you eat protein frequently. Don’t be afraid of fat in your diet. Olive oil, flax and fish oil should be everyday foods.

As The Dude Abides said, I have a daughter your age. She had a little trouble with squats at first. My daughter was actually more comfortable with lunges first, probably since it’s closer to movements she was used to. Where you are active in a number of sports you may have a different experience. My daughter’s sports were softball and running.

Keep going with the body weight squats, ensuring perfect form. It’s actually harder if you do them right at first. That will quickly change. Add weight gradually. Start with a broomstick first so you get used to the movement.

Don’t worry about the Hungarian routine recommended above. That will only lead to bad form. Save it for later. Once you start adding weight, keep the sets short so you can maintain proper form. Your main focus should be on teaching your body the correct movements and your body will remember the form it does the most.

Stu[/quote]

thank you for the advice. Right now I’m taking four fish oil capsules per day, two in the morning and two at night. I also take a multivitamin. I definately need to eat a lot more protein. I noticed my legs were really, really sore today. I did squats today, the amount I was supposed to, but also did them yesterday. That would probably explain it.

16

make proper form on all exercises your top priority. God speed, lass!

17

[quote]rasa_dancer wrote:
I noticed my legs were really, really sore today. I did squats today, the amount I was supposed to, but also did them yesterday. That would probably explain it. [/quote]

So… This may go against what Colucci intended when he wrote the routine in the first place, but… You can totally do this every day. It’s ten sets, and you’re not using heavy weight at all (well, comparatively, I suppose, but it’s not going to burn out your CNS). In fact, you might get stronger faster due to the frequency of exposure to the exercise.

If you only want to do it 3 days/week, that’s totally cool. But you can probably recover and gain from 6-7 times/week too.

The other thing is that when you find that you can do the whole set (16 reps), it’s time to move onto weights. The bodyweight stuff is just a primer.

18

Good luck! You seem to be starting out on the right foot! I wish I had had this knowledge when I was your age.

19

[quote]Otep wrote:
rasa_dancer wrote:
I noticed my legs were really, really sore today. I did squats today, the amount I was supposed to, but also did them yesterday. That would probably explain it.

So… This may go against what Colucci intended when he wrote the routine in the first place, but… You can totally do this every day. It’s ten sets, and you’re not using heavy weight at all (well, comparatively, I suppose, but it’s not going to burn out your CNS). In fact, you might get stronger faster due to the frequency of exposure to the exercise.

If you only want to do it 3 days/week, that’s totally cool. But you can probably recover and gain from 6-7 times/week too.

The other thing is that when you find that you can do the whole set (16 reps), it’s time to move onto weights. The bodyweight stuff is just a primer.[/quote]

Well I do 16 of them, then wait about 2 minutes. Then I do 16 more. Is that what I’m supposed to be doing?

20

Well, it’s not specified in the workout but I would do it as follows. Do 16 of one exercise, rest for 60 seconds, then do another 16, then move on to the next exercise. After a couple of days, your work capacity will increase and your legs should recover more quickly.