Recently, my girlfriend has decided she’d like to get in the gym. After a few weeks of running she’s taken an interest in some of the muscular girls walking around in the weightroom and thinks she’d like to look like that. She came to me for help, but being a guy I don’t really want to tell her the wrong things…
I know what works for me and how to put programs together for myself and other guys, but a woman’s body is alot different. She’d like to look toned, with really nice muscle definition but doesn’t want to get bulked up by any means.
I’ve got her doing some basic things, ab workouts, light arm workouts, legs, all that good stuff but need some help for her. Like I said, I know what works for guys and how to bulk and put on some good mass muscle, and am aware that light weight high reps can tone, but still need some advice. can anybody help me?!
It is really great that she wants to start lifting.
There is a book called New Rules of Lifting for Women. It is GREAT and pretty cheap on Amazon. It gives programs for about 4 or 5 months and it describes all of the lifts really well.
I am a personal trainer and have many female clients say the same thing. They don’t want to look like men, but want to get muscle, how should they do it?
First step: Nutrition, Nutrition, Nutrition. A good way to make this a simple action plan to to make sure she follows this one rule.
-If you can’t pick it, grow it, or kill it, DON’T EAT IT. This would constitute a very healthy, clean diet, without calorie counting. One example of something she should stay away from is Pasta, reason being, it needs to be processed.
Second Step: Women can lift the same exact way as men, the difference is that men can normally have explosive strength change in the gym, and women usually become much slower in doing so. Have her lift the ways you do, until she has built up the muscle mass that SHE thinks is acceptable. From there, make sure that she maintains her lifts in terms of the weights she uses. This will not build more muscle, but it will maintain the appearance she loves.
Step 3: Always record your workouts and diet, this will ENSURE results. Take photos, keep a log, do measurements.
Step 4: Change up your cardio. She should be doing some interval training on the treadmill or outside. This means, have her switch between short terms high intensity cardio and short term low intensity cardio.
EXAMPLE PLAN:
5 minute warmup (3 MPH)
30 second sprint (As fast as she can go)
1 minute walk (3mph)
–Repeat sprints and walks 5 times–
10 minute cooldown (3mph)
2 minute ending cooldown (1.5-2mph)
Don’t let her lift heavy, because she will begin to enjoy it and the next thing you know she will be hoeplessly addicted to lifting heavy. Look what has happened to some of the women on this site. Yeah, just look at what has happened. Isn’t it GREAT!
I tend to disagree with TNT because I have been working our for 3 years, and I try to lift my heaviest. I am not bulky, and usually, you can ask any figure competitor, they all lift heavy and are shaped beautifully. The female bodybuilder is a whole different species.
I don’t know their training routine, and I must say that the difficulty of a women to look like that is undeniable, I also think that steroid use could play a major factor. Lifting heavy for a women would be curling about 10-15lb dumbbells. It’s usually harder for a female to gain strength to go past that, and that said, that weight will not make you bulky at all.
[quote]selina0617 wrote:
I tend to disagree with TNT because I have been working our for 3 years, and I try to lift my heaviest. I am not bulky, and usually, you can ask any figure competitor, they all lift heavy and are shaped beautifully. The female bodybuilder is a whole different species.
I don’t know their training routine, and I must say that the difficulty of a women to look like that is undeniable, I also think that steroid use could play a major factor. Lifting heavy for a women would be curling about 10-15lb dumbbells. It’s usually harder for a female to gain strength to go past that, and that said, that weight will not make you bulky at all.[/quote]
FYI, most of the women in this particular forum are powerlifters, strongwomen, etc. I think you misunderstood TNT’s post.
[quote]selina0617 wrote:
Lifting heavy for a women would be curling about 10-15lb dumbbells. It’s usually harder for a female to gain strength to go past that, and that said, that weight will not make you bulky at all.[/quote]
[quote]dianab wrote:
selina0617 wrote:
Lifting heavy for a women would be curling about 10-15lb dumbbells. It’s usually harder for a female to gain strength to go past that, and that said, that weight will not make you bulky at all.
[/quote]
First time ever I tried to play nice and you showed me up.
You had your chance, I get limited interwebz time and I could not let that post slide.
Fuck, that’s a few times tonight I get called a bitch. My work here is done ( - ;
No no no, I think I was misunderstood by far. I ave the greatest respect for powerlifters that are female, and they go to great lengths to get to where they are.
In regards to the original post, his wife is just getting started into lifting, and I suggested she lift heavy to get results. TNT suggested not to lift heavy because she will look like a powerlifter, and I disagreed, because it takes a lot of time and willpower to gain mass like that. Secondly, if she is knew, it will take her a tremendous amount of time to even get the gains of a powerlifter. I think I was misunderstood.
When I said lifting heavy is 10-15 lb dumbbell being curls, I meant the typical female newbie to a gym, not a powerlifter.
[quote]selina0617 wrote:
No no no, I think I was misunderstood by far. I ave the greatest respect for powerlifters that are female, and they go to great lengths to get to where they are.
In regards to the original post, his wife is just getting started into lifting, and I suggested she lift heavy to get results. TNT suggested not to lift heavy because she will look like a powerlifter, and I disagreed, because it takes a lot of time and willpower to gain mass like that. Secondly, if she is knew, it will take her a tremendous amount of time to even get the gains of a powerlifter. I think I was misunderstood.
When I said lifting heavy is 10-15 lb dumbbell being curls, I meant the typical female newbie to a gym, not a powerlifter.[/quote]
[quote]pushmepullme wrote:
selina0617 wrote:
No no no, I think I was misunderstood by far. I ave the greatest respect for powerlifters that are female, and they go to great lengths to get to where they are.
In regards to the original post, his wife is just getting started into lifting, and I suggested she lift heavy to get results. TNT suggested not to lift heavy because she will look like a powerlifter, and I disagreed, because it takes a lot of time and willpower to gain mass like that. Secondly, if she is knew, it will take her a tremendous amount of time to even get the gains of a powerlifter. I think I was misunderstood.
When I said lifting heavy is 10-15 lb dumbbell being curls, I meant the typical female newbie to a gym, not a powerlifter.
TNT was being facetious. :-)[/quote]
Oh rlly? I’m not sure.
Let’s give the lady a break. We all immediately understood his joking, tongue in cheek tone but someone just coming in may take it as stated.
This is coming from someone with the colossal mass of a power lifter. I’m so massive I suck planets to my gravity. I was told again last night to gain weight
Diana you are a bitch. However, that’s what we like about you.
To the original poster, I would suggest, like others have, that she lift like you. Selina’s advice on diet is great. I try to follow that myself as much as I can.
[quote]selina0617 wrote:
TNT suggested not to lift heavy because she will look like a powerlifter, and I disagreed, because it takes a lot of time and willpower to gain mass like that.[/quote]
TNT is a smart ass who wishes he looked like a female powerlifter. He can’t seem to get his hands calloused enough though. Here’s a tip: chalk and no moisturizer afterwards.
I know Ouro’s post was extremely tongue-in-cheek, but to clarify, us powerlifters are not all huge and full of mass. Most of us lift at a weight that our body is naturally is good shape at - Ouro actually had to lose 12ish lbs before her first meet.
I can take your post and insert ‘bodybuilder’ instead and it would be less likely to raise a fit. Bodybuilders train to look developed, muscular, have muscular separation, etc etc. Powerlifters train to lift and move heavy shit.
[quote]dianab wrote:
PMPM is a bigger and better bitch than me.
She’s just playing around with all the little smiley faces, don’t let it fool you.[/quote]
I’m the biggest bitch of all. Just ask my bf. He even posts it on my training log…dick…
