Thread: Help Needed.

Hi there!

I'm very glad to see you watching your diet and lifting weights - so few women know to do this.

Now - I've walked down this road and I've summarized how I did it. Have a peek at my blog and see what parts might help you.

Got Built? » Open Source Fitness - Get started here

What part in particular would you like help with? Your training needs some work - you are doing everything in very high rep ranges and there are far more effective ways to train.

Read the blog link - start at the top and work your way down. Let me know what I can do to help.

Thank you, your blog seems like it will be a big help.. I guess what I need help with is knowing if what I am doing is the right thing to be doing? If my workouts are efficient for what I am trying to achieve? I am doing a lot of reps but I am not using a lot of weight.. Is that what I should be doing or vice versa? I would only dream of competing one day but I know I am a long way from that, nevertheless I am very excited to see what I can become..

What would you like to compete in?

Regarding your training, try this for a month - Got Built? » Basic whole-body workout
Try to get your weights up. Stay away from machines, learn to do a proper squat and deadlift (I'm a huge fan of Romanian deadlifts). Keep your reps in the 5-8 range, lift as heavy as you can for the rep range that you are using.

Now, your diet. Are you tracking? FitDay - Free Weight Loss and Diet Journal enter your food, post up your macros. We start there.

In small local bodybuilding shows...

I am using fitday.. thats is the only way I'd ever be able to keep up with cals/fat/protein/carbs... and I find it very useful.. I will send you a link to view mine.

Okay, for bodybuilding, you'll need something that actually builds your body.

Do you free squat? What's the heaviest you can squat, below parallel, for say 5 reps?
How about bench press and deadlift? Let's get you started on something more appropriate to your goals, based on where you are now.

Yes, I free squat.. how much can I handle for 5 reps w/good form? :idk:
When I worked out before (not knowing what I was doing) with a few guy friends I was up to a around 30 (+/-)on each side.. but after that I was in a car accident and had to have knee surgery, and let that be my excuse as to why I wasnt in the gym for way too long (Had wreck 4/13/07 & surgery 5/18/07). So honestly, I haven't pushed too hard on hack's or squats since..Tommorow we are working legs so I will definatly push harder for fewer reps.

Deadlift.. never have done this.. BUT will definatly start that into the routine as of tommorow.

So to get my workouts more suitable for where I want to be and where I am now, you think my diet is okay? And basically do less reps with more weight?

(You dont know how much I appreciate this, I've never actually had the opportunity to speak to a female bodybuilder like this, the only bodybuilders I know are Men...and why they do help a great deal, speaking with a woman is so much better..)

I TOTALLY understand. I was the only one I had met when I started.

Okay. Tomorrow, try the full-body workout. Do regular squats instead of goblet squats if you prefer. Use 5-rep sets for everything tomorrow.

Does that work? Are you comfortable with this?

Now, your diet. Can you please run a report for the last two weeks and post up the average?

I have only been on the cut and using fitday for this past week. Here's the averages thus far.

Are you sure you're taking in enough calories to not kill your metabolism?

Originally Posted by Built

What would you like to compete in?

Regarding your training, try this for a month - Got Built? � Basic whole-body workout
Try to get your weights up. Stay away from machines, learn to do a proper squat and deadlift (I'm a huge fan of Romanian deadlifts). Keep your reps in the 5-8 range, lift as heavy as you can for the rep range that you are using.

Now, your diet. Are you tracking? FitDay - Free Weight Loss and Diet Journal enter your food, post up your macros. We start there.

Only shit! Nice blog. There is a wealth of information there even for experienced lifters. I like your take on carb-cycling.

Originally Posted by FitnessRubber

Are you sure you're taking in enough calories to not kill your metabolism?

:idk:
My maintain calories were roughly 2000 give or take..I am trying to eat every 3 or so hours, but with the work I do it is hard to even make time to gulp down 1cup of jello, beef jerky, or some nuts.. Breakfast on the weekends are easier because I actually have time to cook, so during the week I normaly measure out 1 cup of special k (red berries is my fave) and 1 cup fatfree milk. Lunches are usually either a salad with 4oz turkey or chicken and either cup of fresh fruit or fatfree cottage cheese. next another snack..then Supper is generally the same as lunch.. but i try to get two-three servings of veggies in as well as the 4-6oz turkey/chicken.. then one last snack about 2 hours later...

So I am eating ever few hours and thought that was the objective. Do you need to eat every few hours or do you have to have so many calories every few hours to keep your metabolism up??

Any and all sugestions are greatly appreciated...

I am eating a lot of food and staying full..but its mostly fatfree, low cal, foods....

If maintenance is 2000 for you and you're trying to drop fat, I'd suggest no lower than 1600 on average. You can carb cycle if you like - higher on lifting days, lower on non-lifting days, but that should be rock bottom for your average calories, and you will need to take refeeds fairly often on 1600.

Your fats are flat out too low.

At your current weight and bodyfat, you have 90 lbs of lean mass.

So...

Let's plan out your new "diet".

Minimum protein is 90g - higher is fine, just don't go lower
Minimum fat is 45g - again, higher is fine, just don't go lower.
Minimum calories: 1600

There is no need to eat multiple small meals or to eat every three hours. Those are myths. Just plan out your day on fitday, pack it up and that's it.

Now.

If you want to try the one-day for the next month, you will be training three days a week. You can do a little cardio on as many as three of the off-days, but rest at least one, k?

We can set you up with some interval work and hill repeats.

What days can you make it to the gym? Give me four. Tell me which ones.

Four days? Tues, Wed, Thurs, Fri. Or even Sat or Sun for that matter...

and how many carbs per day?

Carbs don't matter. Just fill up your protein and fat "quotas", then fill up the rest of your calories however you want - given the fibre minimum of 25g. The rest of your calories can come from carb, protein, fat, or any combination. Hell, they can come from chocolate if you hit your minimums for protein, fat and fibre and don't go over on your calories.

Okay, the workouts. Try this:

Tuesday: weights, then 3-10 minutes of "8 seconds of doom" followed by steady-state spinning to total 20 minutes
Wednesday: hill repeats
Thursday: weights, then 20 minutes of steady-state cardio, any type
Friday: rest
Saturday: weights, then treadmill sprints - 3-8 minutes in total, followed by steady-state walking to total 20 minutes
Sunday: rest
Monday: rest

On the rest days, go for a walk if you like, but no lifting or dedicated cardio. Got it?

Wow! That program looks great! Is it odd that I feel guilty for eating more calories today compared to last week? LoL, crazy i know. Too bad you aren't in Alabama.. I would definatly hire you! I am very excited to see what comes of this!