New Here and Need some Advice

[iarrac]

Hi,

I have been going to the gym for about a year or so I am 21, but I never really had a set goal. Yet lately I have been wanting to get more prominent results. I tend to store fat around my thighs and butt which I guess is pretty normal for a girl. Last time I did an impedance test I weighed 120, I am 5'4 possible 5'5 I would have to get a tape measure out and I am 26% body fat so that needs to go down a bit. My daily meal is basically

Breakfast
2 shredded Wheat with coffee and a banana
or 2 slices of whole wheat english muffin or toast with peanut butter and banana
or an 1 egg with whole wheat toast

Snack is normally a yogurt, fruit, cottage cheese

Lunch I normally have chicken sandwich or a chicken salad
tuna sandwich. They offer a free Vegan Lunch at my University and I normally take advantage of that cause I love the beans and veggies (although I am not Vegan)

Supper is normally the same mix of chicken, turkey, steak (always lean), veggies ect (it is sorta hard to remember when I eat when I write it here but I try to keep it healthy anyways) I have to be a bit careful with veggies like broccoli cause I am highly allergic to nickel and it gives me an upset stomach (I love it though so sometimes I deal with the pain)

My gym work outs are mon, weds, fri I do 20mins warm up cardio, then depending on the day I do exercises like squats, leg extensions, hammer-curls, captains chair, hyperextensions, and then I finish with 30mins of cardio

I was just wondering if someone could give me advice as to what I should do to cut down my body fat %? I will post photos later to night I am going to get my boyfriend to take them. I also have braces so I can't eat anything hard or chewy
(which is sometimes good cause my biggest weakness is gummy bears so they are off limits now)


I am also doing this because in August I am get jaw surgery and so for 4-6 weeks I will be eating a liquid diet and so I want to get really fit to be able to withstand that. I will probably lose some weight too so it would be better to have more muscle on me.


Thanks

[Edge101]

Hi,

Lunch I normally have chicken sandwich or a chicken salad
tuna sandwich.



My gym work outs are mon, weds, fri I do 20mins warm up cardio




Thanks


Ditch the mayo loaded chicken salad and to much warmup cardio if you are gonna do weights afterwards. 5 Minutes is enough if you are doing any serious weights.

[iarrac]

Ditch the mayo loaded chicken salad and to much warmup cardio if you are gonna do weights afterwards. 5 Minutes is enough if you are doing any serious weights.


Oh I meant a chicken salad haha like a salad and I put nice pieces of chicken breast in the salad. Thanks though!

[iarrac]

Hi,

This is what I currently look like, so as you can see I tend to store weight in my butt and my thighs and I was wondering if I should do a low carb diet or what other diets + workout plan women went on to help tone up the butt and thighs.


Thanks!!

[thedogdidit]

I was expecting some huge thighs or butt, but you look fine! Not disproportionate at all.

Please read these stickies:
http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=127023861
http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=121703921

The first is about training. You just need to get on a real program lifting heavy weights.
The second is about calculating calories and macros.

You can definitely make some changes before next August. Good for you for planning so far ahead, too!

[rockangel]

I agree you look fine, very porportinate.
You look like you are more around 20 - 22% rather than 26. Where did you get the 26 from??

I would suggest you do a bulk rather than a cut. You are all ready pretty lean and you are not carrying excessive fat in your but or thighs.

If you continue to cut you will end up just looking skinny. You need to add more muscle and if you are unhappy with your butt do more squats etc to build up your glutes.

I would highly suggest that you get on a good heavy lifting program and a good nutritional program. I dont think your current nutritional plan is adequate, i just dont see enough nutrients there.

[a10derlady]

I agree with rockangel. You are definitely proportionate with no excessive fat.

I would suggest adding two more snacks and having more well-balanced meals. For example 4 egg whites with 1 oz low-fat cheese and oatmeal with 1/2 cup blueberries for breakfast or 4oz lean meat, small sweet potato, 1/2 cup veggies for lunch or dinner. Don't forget your EFA's.

[iarrac]

I agree you look fine, very porportinate.
You look like you are more around 20 - 22% rather than 26. Where did you get the 26 from??

I would suggest you do a bulk rather than a cut. You are all ready pretty lean and you are not carrying excessive fat in your but or thighs.

If you continue to cut you will end up just looking skinny. You need to add more muscle and if you are unhappy with your butt do more squats etc to build up your glutes.

I would highly suggest that you get on a good heavy lifting program and a good nutritional program. I dont think your current nutritional plan is adequate, i just dont see enough nutrients there.


I did an impedance test at my gym it is this machine which sends electric current through your body and measures your body composition. It told me I was 26% body fat and that my base metabolism is 1200, maybe those tests aren't as accurate? I am hoping that by August I will be able to put on a bit of muscle because that is when I am doing my surgery and my jaw will be wired shut. I think if I add some muscle it won't look as bad if I lose a bit of weight in the 6 weeks on the liquid diet. I think the idea to bulk up is really good though I am hoping to reach something like in the photos. I like to see a bit of definition of the abs, but I really wanna work on getting my butt to be firm and toned. I was wondering if there are any programs you would know of I should do? Right now I am a bit of a loss I do lunges, squats and an extension machine which targets my butt. Do you believe squats with the bar or free weights are better? or is there any difference to the final result? I am new to the site so I am not sure if there is a place where people post their old routines or perhaps a diet plan that I could go through?

Thanks for all your help

[iarrac]

Does anyone have a really good musculation program they could recommend?

[WarTurtle2010]

based on how you look i say focus on lifting weights rather than slimming down. whats the point, you look slim already. just lift weights and build muscle

[iarrac]

My boyfriend made me a 3 day split. I'm doing monday/wed/friday. My days are like this:

Monday: chest and back
Wednesday: legs and abs
Friday: arms

I'm also doing 30-45 min cardio each day and might include some zumba dance videos once or twice a week at home.

It's going good so far, but he told me I'd need to eat more. I also feel tired after the gym when I don't eat much. He explained the 40/40/20 macro split, the 5-6 meals a day, calorie maintenance, and stuff but I was wondering if anyone could provide me with a mock diet? I'm 5'5, 120 pounds. He told me I need to eat more to gain muscle. I'm a little weak now but he told me my strength would go up pretty quickly. Anyone have a good diet? He told me he could make me one but to figure out my maintenance.

I've looked at Jamie Eason and I like her look, but just a tad too muscular and defined. I just want to re-shape my body and then go on a cut diet to cut the muscle. My problem areas are my bum and thighs. I need to 'lift' my glutes to make my bum tighter. This is a goal picture attached. Can anyone estimate the amount of time it would take me to get here? The diet I would need and the amount of muscle I'd need to put on? Thanks!

by the way, I have 8 months to bulk before my jaw surgery in august, and after that I'll be on a liquid diet for weeks, so it could be a good time to eat a calorie deficit and cut since it will be physically impossible to cheat. :)

[mrjody]

Justkeep doing what your doing, its working...

[Tuley]

The way you described yourself, I was expecting a mega pear-body... your pics don't show that at all. You look very good and proportional.

I suggest falling in love with the Search function; most of your questions have been answered either in the stickies or in older threads, if you are willing to do a little digging.

This is a very useful (and amusing) site for women looking to build muscle. She has lots of suggestions for diet and routines:
http://www.stumptuous.com/

[sweetkissees918]

Wow you look great!!! I wish I had the legs you did! but ... in order to cut fat.. you have to eat under what you need in a day. Id do it slow though.. I know us girls tend to want things asap lol ( well, i do ) but.. If you just cut a little a time and go slow.. the fat will come off. Just continue to lift and eat right... just eat a little under maintance and that should do the trick. See, I wish i put weight on my thighs and butt. for me, its always stomach/hips/butt. I know : ( bummer... but yea that should do it. Good luck : )

[melodymamba]

I think that what you're doing is great, and I think you will see better results if you just lift heavier. When you do your squats/lunges, hold something heavy like a kettle bell or some dumbbells. Increase the weight on everything else that you're doing, REALLY get that burn, and don't stop when you feel that burn, work through it a little bit. You can experiment with drop sets some, example:
Do 10-12 heavy reps, then decrease the weight and do about 8-10 more, and decrease the weight again and do about 6 or so more.
You could try P90x if you want a good solid program, I think you would definitely get the results you want from that. Ab ripper X is a beast.
Add new moves to your routine, find some new ab exercises, do more crunches at home (like if you're watching tv or a movie.)

I think that if you lift heavier and add more resistance to your cardio (while changing up your cardio: spin bike, stepmill, running, cybex, etc) along with having a higher percentage of lean protein in your diet, then you will definitely see results.

For breakfast, have 6 egg whites with a bowl of oatmeal.
Snacks: cottage cheese, nuts/nut butter, string cheese, or greek yogurt
Lunch: your salad sounds great, make sure you have 3-4 oz chicken on there. Change it up with tuna, salmon, or turkey breast if you want.
Dinner: Steamed Tilapia, Broccoli, and 1/2 cup brown rice.

Good luck!

[cshannon53]

Sounds like you want your muscles to tone-up, and to lose body (leg+butt) fat silmutaneously... Have you considered any kind of circuit training? A 1-hour fast paced circuit would probably provide you the cardio you need and the strength training to get into a more athletic shape. It won't get you body-builder size, but it should tone you up nicely.

Good circuits I've done typicall alternate upper/lower body. 10sec rests (between exercises - mostly setting up the next one). Off the top of my head a good circuit might be; [calf raises, bicep curls, lunges, assisted chinups, squats, pullups] x 2 then [jump squats, tricep kickbacks, side lunges, shoulder press, super skaters, overhead tricep extensions] x 2 then [dumbell chest press, jumping lunges, pec flies, 80-20 squats, pushups, burpees] x 2.

I haven't actually done those exercises in that order - but it should burn a ton of calories and you can make it as hard or as easy as you want based on your speed + weight. Slower, more weight = bulk. Faster lower weight = tone.

I'd suggest doing maybe 1 or 2 more days of working out - but if you've been on a Monday/Wednesday/Friday routine for almost a year - then it's obviously working for you! And that's another good point, do what you can sustain! Fitness is a lifestyle.

[priceor]

IMO you should do a recomp till your surgery. Eat at or just above your maintenance calories. For your workout I'd really suggest you get on a program designed by a professional, try picking up "The New Rules of Lifting for Women". It has everything you're looking for including a nutrition section.

[Varsh]

Need advice! I'm 5 ft 1 inches,weigh 92lbs,bf 20%. How should I balance the cardio and weight training to get down to 15-16%? If I focus on lifting heavy,will I see results minus the cardio? (I dread doing cardio! )

[priceor]

Need advice! I'm 5 ft 1 inches,weigh 92lbs,bf 20%. How should I balance the cardio and weight training to get down to 15-16%? If I focus on lifting heavy,will I see results minus the cardio? (I dread doing cardio! )


First off how on earth are you calculating your BF%?

I think at your stats you need to do a bulk to increase your muscle mass and by doing so you will decrease your BF%. Do minimal....if any....cardio and concentrate on lifting.

Current pictures would give us a better idea of where you are at and where you should go.

[Varsh]

Unfortunately the gym I work out at doesn't use the calipers. Doubt if the % is accurate! I loathe looking thin yet flabby. Major problem area for me is the love-handles. They don't seem to come off. I've been doing a whole lot of cardio for the last 2 years-bf reached 18% but I gained it back in no time. Ive started lifting heavy since last week and I'm really working to keep my diet clean. How long would it take to get to 15%-if i focus purely on lifting heavy and drop the cardio to a minimal level?

[hisangel]

Unfortunately the gym I work out at doesn't use the calipers. Doubt if the % is accurate! I loathe looking thin yet flabby. Major problem area for me is the love-handles. They don't seem to come off. I've been doing a whole lot of cardio for the last 2 years-bf reached 18% but I gained it back in no time. Ive started lifting heavy since last week and I'm really working to keep my diet clean. How long would it take to get to 15%-if i focus purely on lifting heavy and drop the cardio to a minimal level?

It won't take that long if you're eating right. And lift lift lift. Stay away from all that cardio and focus on lifting first. You need to build the muscle for the cardio to have something to work through. Then if you have left over energy - do some cardio afterwards. And the other side of the equation is to make sure you're diet is helping you. Focus on healthy fats and proteins. If you're real serious, carb cycle. And don't forget that post workout shake!

[hisangel]

My boyfriend made me a 3 day split. I'm doing monday/wed/friday. My days are like this:

Monday: chest and back
Wednesday: legs and abs
Friday: arms

I'm also doing 30-45 min cardio each day and might include some zumba dance videos once or twice a week at home.

It's going good so far, but he told me I'd need to eat more. I also feel tired after the gym when I don't eat much. He explained the 40/40/20 macro split, the 5-6 meals a day, calorie maintenance, and stuff but I was wondering if anyone could provide me with a mock diet? I'm 5'5, 120 pounds. He told me I need to eat more to gain muscle. I'm a little weak now but he told me my strength would go up pretty quickly. Anyone have a good diet? He told me he could make me one but to figure out my maintenance.

I've looked at Jamie Eason and I like her look, but just a tad too muscular and defined. I just want to re-shape my body and then go on a cut diet to cut the muscle. My problem areas are my bum and thighs. I need to 'lift' my glutes to make my bum tighter. This is a goal picture attached. Can anyone estimate the amount of time it would take me to get here? The diet I would need and the amount of muscle I'd need to put on? Thanks!

by the way, I have 8 months to bulk before my jaw surgery in august, and after that I'll be on a liquid diet for weeks, so it could be a good time to eat a calorie deficit and cut since it will be physically impossible to cheat. :)

You do really look like you've started a good base. You need to change your diet for sure! Not enough protein! You need at least 1 gram of protein per body weight - and get at least 4 meals per day. Healthy fats also help the body lose fat. If you're going to continue to eat carbs, let them be lower on the GI index to control insulin - helps control spikes and hunger cravings when you do. And what protein are you intaking right after the gym? You should be lifting at least 4 days per week. So take your split and change it up. Keep up your strength so you can lift and build that tone.

[erinlee01]

Unfortunately the gym I work out at doesn't use the calipers. Doubt if the % is accurate! I loathe looking thin yet flabby. Major problem area for me is the love-handles. They don't seem to come off. I've been doing a whole lot of cardio for the last 2 years-bf reached 18% but I gained it back in no time. Ive started lifting heavy since last week and I'm really working to keep my diet clean. How long would it take to get to 15%-if i focus purely on lifting heavy and drop the cardio to a minimal level?

Depends on your diet. That's the key to losing bf. It's hard to say how long it will take, but it does get tougher the lower you get.

[Varsh]

Thanks! How does my diet sound?

On waking: 1 large apple+ 1 cup of coffee (+milk)
Breakfast : 5 egg white veggie omlette
Lunch : Lentils,a huge bowl of mixed veggies+egg whites+flatbread
Dinner : Same as lunch + substitute egg whites with a soyabean curry

Snack on fruit/yogurt/nuts.

I weigh 92 lbs and workout 5-6 times a week. What should my caloric intake ideally be? I'm not a big fan of meat!

[toodlepip]

Thanks! How does my diet sound?

On waking: 1 large apple+ 1 cup of coffee (+milk)
Breakfast : 5 egg white veggie omlette
Lunch : Lentils,a huge bowl of mixed veggies+egg whites+flatbread
Dinner : Same as lunch + substitute egg whites with a soyabean curry

Snack on fruit/yogurt/nuts.

I weigh 92 lbs and workout 5-6 times a week. What should my caloric intake ideally be? I'm not a big fan of meat!

To be honest, that doesn't sound great. At least not to me. Why so many egg whites? Why not a few whole eggs and more variety? And where's the fat?

You need to start here: http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=121703921

You say you don't want to be 'thin and flabby' so you need to eat and lift. I'd ignore the advice to carb cycle. Just eat and lift.

[Varsh]

Hey. Wouldn't nuts be a good source of fats? The mainstay of my diet is veggies,fruit,egg whites and soya. I'm looking out for other vegetarian sources of protein. Could you suggest a few?

(I don't like egg yolks-I stay away from them as far as possible!)