Ok ladies time to shine...my wife needs advise.

[SamoanIrishman]

Ok so ..

She is 5'6 110lbs and has been hitting the gym religiously with me for the last 2 months. Her weight hasn't changed but her lean muscle to fat and strenth DEFINATELY has.

She lifts for about an 40min-1hr then does 30+min of cardio. Works out 2x a day sometimes and does cardio. I keep telling her she is doing too much and not eating enough (maybe 1600-1800cals).

Her goal -  get more "cut" and put on a little bit of muscle.

I know this will sound dumb but do the same nutritional requirements apply for women ie - 2g protein per lb of body weight, body weight x 20= calories needed to grow ect...? and that you can't diet and gain good mass at the same time, it's one or the other.

Can some of you post your routines and Caloric intake calculations please?

Morethan anything she wants a womans input vs. mine. She been reading these "health" magazines that say "cut calories to 1200, cardio for 1hr or more  a day" to look like "celebrity name here"

..she will be reading this post so please be straight up no BS..I posted here cause I know she won't get BS

[DIVISION]

Ok so ..

She is 5'6 110lbs and has been hitting the gym religiously with me for the last 2 months. Her weight hasn't changed but her lean muscle to fat and strenth DEFINATELY has.

She lifts for about an 40min-1hr then does 30+min of cardio. Works out 2x a day sometimes and does cardio. I keep telling her she is doing too much and not eating enough (maybe 1600-1800cals).

Her goal -  get more "cut" and put on a little bit of muscle.

I know this will sound dumb but do the same nutritional requirements apply for women ie - 2g protein per lb of body weight, body weight x 20= calories needed to grow ect...? and that you can't diet and gain good mass at the same time, it's one or the other.

Can some of you post your routines and Caloric intake calculations please?

Morethan anything she wants a womans input vs. mine. She been reading these "health" magazines that say "cut calories to 1200, cardio for 1hr or more  a day" to look like "celebrity name here"

..she will be reading this post so please be straight up no BS..I posted here cause I know she won't get BS

It's not as easy as giving her a caloric formula baby Samoan...

I'd have to see her bodytype/structure to know how to train her and what her diet should be like.

Plus........two months of hitting the gym isn't much of a barometer for overall health.

Give it six months and then you'll have something to work with.

As a trainer, it amazes me how many people think working out is a quick fix to something.

It's not and it never was.

It's a lifestyle.............li ve it or don't, but there is no in-between.



DIV

[240 is Back]

I'm not a woman, but...

IMO, counting calories can get incredibly, and unnecessarily complex, for someone who just wants to get in shape.  Start by eliminating junk for a month.  Then cut carbs after 6 pm for a month (in addition to no junk).  Month 3, if she's not where she wants to be, start removing the heavy carbs (in addition to no junk and no 6pm carbs).

keep is simple and it works.

[SamoanIrishman]

OK...I think I came across wrong. I know what you guys are saying, it's taken me 4yrs to finally find my "groove" per say I know BB as well as a 4yr newbie can..I've research stuff for the sole reason of quenching my thirst for the art we all love.

Her ultimate goal is to look somewhat like a fitness model. I KNOW this will takes years of hard work but was looking for advise from the FEMALE competitor for her. Like if there is something I might overlook that is more effective for a female ect...

She wasn't sure if what works for us guys works for the ladies. I eat 4500+ cals with low cardio when bulking and about 2600 when cutting plus long cardio..but I'm 6' 248lbs.

Basically I just wanted her to hear...from another (relatable, creditable) source..that the basic methods of bodybuilding apply to all, regardless of sex.

See where I'm going with this?

[ripitupbaby]

Does she have muscle definition right now, in her arms and shoulders?  Does she have abs showing?

5-6" and 110 pounds sounds pretty lean/thin.  So if she doesn't have muscle definition right now, then she prolly needs to focus on growing some more muscle, and then dieting off the required amount of body fat to get cut once she's a little bigger. 
Otherwise I think she will just end up very thin.

Same basic rules apply, not much different for women IMO. 

1200 calories and an hour of cardio a day is NOT the way to go unless she wants to look like Nicole Ritchie, esp if she is training. 
She should eat more (all clean, relatively low on the complex carbs, although no need to go crazy low esp for bulking), reduce the cardio and focus on lifting heavy, and try to grow a little.  She won't put on alot of fat if she keeps her diet clean.  I also dont think calorie counting is necessary, but there should be a lot of small, clean meals probably totalling at least 2000 for growing a little.  Once she puts on more muscle, then she can cut her calories accordingly, up her cardio, switch her lifting up a little, and get ripped.   

PM me if you want some more specific suggestions.  OH, and tell her to check out the training threads on the FBB board.   

[The BEAST]

Does she have muscle definition right now, in her arms and shoulders?  Does she have abs showing?

5-6" and 110 pounds sounds pretty lean/thin.  So if she doesn't have muscle definition right now, then she prolly needs to focus on growing some more muscle, and then dieting off the required amount of body fat to get cut once she's a little bigger. 
Otherwise I think she will just end up very thin.

Same basic rules apply, not much different for women IMO. 

1200 calories and an hour of cardio a day is NOT the way to go unless she wants to look like Nicole Ritchie, esp if she is training. 
She should eat more (all clean, relatively low on the complex carbs, although no need to go crazy low esp for bulking), reduce the cardio and focus on lifting heavy, and try to grow a little.  She won't put on alot of fat if she keeps her diet clean.  I also dont think calorie counting is necessary, but there should be a lot of small, clean meals probably totalling at least 2000 for growing a little.  Once she puts on more muscle, then she can cut her calories accordingly, up her cardio, switch her lifting up a little, and get ripped.   

PM me if you want some more specific suggestions.  OH, and tell her to check out the training threads on the FBB board.   

Great advise...basically what I was going to say. 

If she really wants to do cardio I would have her focus on sprinting/intervals/plyos...keep it faster and harder but for a shorter amount of time.  What I really think she needs is to build up a little more in the weight room.  Lift as heavy as she can reps between 8-12 and the last set to failure.  Without the underlying muscle she will never see the "fitness" look she so desires.  She also needs to not focus on the number on the scale, she is very small right now about 15-25 pounds lighter then most Figure competitors her height.   

[SamoanIrishman]

Thanks everyone...this is just what I was needing to help my case. She now understands that she needs to eat more and focus on specific goals and structure vs. workout all the time and cut calories.

She would get mad on how I would get the results I was looking for in 2-3 months time and she's been "dieting" for 6 months and just recently (since lifting with me) has started to see change.


....my master plan of giving her the BB bug has worked!!! muhahahahaha, muhahahahaha...

Thank you so much guys I appreciate the help!

[overcome]

....my master plan of giving her the BB bug has worked!!! muhahahahaha, muhahahahaha...

you gotta shed some light on how to do this!!
hell if you wrote a book for it i'd buy it!

[SamoanIrishman]

you gotta shed some light on how to do this!!
hell if you wrote a book for it i'd buy it!

She was whining about her energy level and sometimes a little about her body (though she is VERY thin)...so I asked for her trust. I told her that if she could give me just ONE month, I could make her feel 18 again..and possibly look better than an 18yr old. She took the bait. I structured a high protein 2200 cal diet for her to follow daily and had her lift with me 6x per week. It doubled my workout time being that I had to keep switching plates but I digress.

Taught her all the basics ie - deadlift, squat, military press, bent rows. the 3rd week she doubled the weight she started with (now benching 110lbs.....5-10lbs less than her body weight) and she is looking really great. Though she said I ran it like a bootcamp, she did notice the results as they are very apparent....especially looking at the numbers

I hid the home weight scale and bought some $40 fat calipers and took her measurements weekly along with her weight. It shows that she was 118lbs when we started (she's 5'9") and at 22%BF. Now she is 114lbs at 15%BF  in just 4 weeks!!! That was the key...she was highly discouraged when she stepped on the scale but after I showed her the numbers, she was ecstatic.

Now it's all about trying new things to "make her sore" since she is getting stronger and more intense. Her diet will be her biggest challenge...she just "doesn't feel hungry" during the day..but she is "forcing" herself to down at least a protein shake.

She now takes a multi, creatine and Glutamine...and the occational No-Explode scoop when she has a day where she's not so motivated to hit the weights.

In fact the best statement / apology I've ever gotten was 3 days ago when she said; "I never understood how you could spend 1 - 1.5 hrs at the gym a day until now...you get so pumped and focused on what you're doing that (heres the kicker) you don't even notice other people or the time....it just fly's by."

It was a proud moment me...and it let me know I'm training her right!


PS - Now I don't get shit for ordering supps or wanting to workout anymore...it's a dream.