Help My Linh

[Overload]

My girlfriend wants to get back into her old dresses from 5 years ago or so, not wear them, just "fit" into them again...lol

Background: 34 years old, 5' tall, 104 pounds and 100% Vietnamese! Was a model in Da Nang, Vietnam in her early 20's.

She wears XS or Zero, but is complaining they are getting "tight". i think she is perfect, but she wants to get back down to 95 and "tone" up. i already explained the whole "tone" thing to her.

I just wanted all the ladies opinions on what i have her doing, as i think i have her on the right track, but i never train women.

Training: All done at home, she is shy about gyms and all my friends intimidate her, so she won't train with me(nor would she want to).

Monday: Lower body
15 minutes on elliptical
DB lunges with 10 pound DB's - 4 sets of 20 reps(concentrate on flexing glutes)
Box squats with 45 pound bar - 4 sets of 20 reps
SLDL with 45 pound bar - 4 sets of 20 reps
30 minutes kick boxing - targets (yes i'm serious, she loves this stuff)
15 minutes stretching

Tuesday: Cardio
45 minutes Elliptical
15 minutes Stretching

Weds: Upper Body
15 minutes Elliptical
Clean and Press with 10 pound DBs - 4 sets of 20 reps
Flat DB bench with 10's - 4 sets of 20 reps
Chins(with me helping - 4 sets of 10 reps
1 arm DB rows with 10s - 4 sets of 20 reps
Crunches and leg lifts - 4 sets of 20 reps
Stretching - 15 minutes

Thurs: Cardio
We either jog together, ride bikes or play racket ball for an hour

Friday: Lower body
Same as Mon, but reverse order

------------------------------------------------

Diet:
1 - Fiber one cereal or bagels, 2 fruits, water
2 - Pho(soup) with rice noodles, sliced beef, lots of veggies
3 - Lean body protein pre-workout
4 - Baked Fish, veggies
Few snacks here and there, mainly nuts and fruit. she grew up in Vietnam, so she is used to eating lots of fruits and will NOT eat fast food...good for me and her!

I broke her of eating rice 5 times a day, but many days she will still eat rice with dinner.

-------------------------------------------------

-She has been doing this routine for 1 month and is down 2 pounds, looks fantastic IMO.

-One good thing about being Asian, they have an amazing ability to squat down, so she can literally squat ass to ankles. she has decent legs for an Asian.

-She used to take Kung Fu in Vietnam, so i am teaching her some Muay Thai and she is loving it. This might work against me, as she already is punching me in the arm 10 times a day. She actually throws decent shots, but i had to break her of the open hand kung fu stuff.

-This is very basic, but that is the point! i'm in the process of getting more equipment for her home gym, so i will be adding stuff over the next few months.

Overall she is doing great, but wants to get back to where she was 10 years ago...don't we all?

any comments or feedback?

Thanks.

[ripitupbaby]

That's a pretty solid plan and I bet she's already cute as a button the way she is!   

It's too bad she doesn't want to go to the gym, but if you can keep her on the right track training-wise at home, then you'll be fine!
If anything, maybe add some more weight training and explain to her the benefits of weight training for "toning up" purposes.  With her size, diet, etc., there is no way she's ever going to weight train enough to put a measurable amount of size on. 

If she really wants to see results, then add another cardio day over the weekend and maybe consider changing the fruit/bagels in the morning and replacing it with egg whites and rice or something like that.  She may like egg whites, rice, and soy sauce in the morning...one of my favorite breakfasts!  You could add a yolk or two as well.  That breakfast has a lot less sugar in it.

I eat rice twice a day, it's fine... but the right sized serving for someone her size is no more than 1/2 cup.  That would be the same for the rice noodles.  I would try no more than 2 servings of rice/noodles per day, no more than 1/2 cup each, and then plenty of veggies.  And keep the proteins lean!  

[Overload]

Thanks for the info Rip!

She is already very petite and looks awesome, but i guess it's not enough for her, so i am all for helping her reach her goals. she has a TON of drive and is a very hard worker, in fact she trains harder than some of the men i have trained with. She doesn't quit, ever, she just keeps on pushing on.

I think she just gets intimidated by gyms because they are so crowed and she is so tiny. i have taken her through a few workouts at the gym and she just didn't like it, but i am working on it! I'm going to take her on sundays when the gym is dead, and see if she likes that better.

i plan on having her do much more, but this is the first time she has lifted weights in her life, so i am breaking her in slowly. she already comments about how her buns hurt so bad the day after lunges, so it's working!

Eggs are out for the most part, she doesn't like them no matter how i cook them. *I bet i can come up with a mean chicken fried(but not fried) rice for her to eat in the morning, as she loves this dish and i will sneak some extra egg whites into it!

She will be happy you said she can have more rice! her diet was pretty good when i met her, her family cooks the healthiest food i have had in a long time, they stick to traditional Viet food that is filled with lean meats and veggies.

She has been reading your contest prep thread and since then she has really been inspired to get fit again. Maybe i can get her to post here...I'll see.

Thanks again Rip!

[ripitupbaby]

Vietnamese food is very healthy in general, esp if you stick to the proteins and veggies.  Rice won't be a problem for her at all... just keep the rice meals earlier in the day, like breakfast and lunch, and keep the portions under control.  1/2 cup for rice and maybe about 4-6oz. for proteins per meal.  Small meals frequently.

Chicken "fried" rice sounds great for breakfast!  Steamed fish and rice is another good option.

She will do fine, just keep it consistent with the training and diet, and keep adding as much training as she's willing to stand!  She's lucky to have you helping her out and encouraging her... and doing it with her! 

[flexingtonsteele]

hey overload,

from my experience helping out women with their diets, MOST ( id say 90% ) do better with lower carbs, women usually respond well to a mod protein mod fat lower carb diet.

But since your girlfriend is asian she might respond better to higher carbs since asians are about the only members of our population who can handle carbs well since they've been eating them for so long ( millions of years )

[ripitupbaby]

In my opinion and experience...Low carbs yes, no carbs no...especially for the "normal" dieter.  Two servings of 1/2 cup rice will give you somewhere around 40-50 g of complex carbs.  Combine that with veggies throughout the day and you're still at 100 or so.  I'd say that's low enough for her to tighten up and not be miserable.  And yeah, she's Asian, born and raised on rice...might as well give her what she likes to eat.  It's all about portion control. 


BTW, breakfast for me was 1/2 cup rice, 6 oz. steamed red snapper, and 2 omega eggs over easy on top with some low sodium tamari sauce.  (tamari is very similar to soy sauce).  I was STARVING, so I went kinda big on breakfast this morning!  It was delicious...

[flexingtonsteele]

In my opinion and experience...Low carbs yes, no carbs no...especially for the "normal" dieter.  Two servings of 1/2 cup rice will give you somewhere around 40-50 g of complex carbs.  Combine that with veggies throughout the day and you're still at 100 or so.  I'd say that's low enough for her to tighten up and not be miserable.  And yeah, she's Asian, born and raised on rice...might as well give her what she likes to eat.  It's all about portion control. 


BTW, breakfast for me was 1/2 cup rice, 6 oz. steamed red snapper, and 2 omega eggs over easy on top with some low sodium tamari sauce.  (tamari is very similar to soy sauce).  I was STARVING, so I went kinda big on breakfast this morning!  It was delicious...

sounds like an awesome breakfast.

i had 4 pieces of ezekial french toast with a 12 oz steak

[Overload]

Thanks both of you!

Yeah, i don't want her to be miserable, so i want to keep some carbs in there.

Her family is definately NOT carb sensitive, all of them eat loads of rice every day, but they are all very lean. Two of her brothers are easily 8% BF year round and only workout a few days a week, no cardio.

i always tell her how lucky she is to be able to eat whatever she wants and not gain a pound. now that she is getting more active, i think the weight will fall of quickly. my only concern is if she loses too much weight, she might blow away in the wind!

Rip - she is loving it so far, i think she might really take a hold of training and run with it. she hasn't complained yet, unlike most of the people i have trained over the years. the fact that we are doing all this together makes it even more enjoyable, now she is seeing a part of my world and what i enjoy so much.

Thanks again!

[ripitupbaby]

sounds like an awesome breakfast.

i had 4 pieces of ezekial french toast with a 12 oz steak

Now THAT sounds like an awesome breakfast.   

OL, I hope it goes well for her!  Very cool that you guys are both getting into it...that makes it so much easier and more fun.  Keep us posted!