Just getting Started

[Irishcat04]

I did gymnastics for 14 years and have recently quit the sport. I am told that I have a good body type to be a bodybuilder and I would like to retain the muscle I had while being a gymnast and make it more toned. I need help finding the right diet, training, and supplements to be on for my goals. Any suggestions would be great.

[MsFit]

What is your current program like?

If you have gymnastics on your side, you should give Fitness Comps a whirl.

[Irishcat04]

I run track so most of the workouts I do are with the team
For example this week:

Monday:
Bench Press
5x75
5x80
5x85
Squat
5x90
5x95
5x100
Power Cleans
5x90
5x95
5x100

And then we also have a running workout

Wednesday:
Same as monday just have increased weight and less reps.

I'm pretty sure thats not the right workout for increasing muscle and tone. I really would like to be cut and defined like I used to be. And fitness competitions would be a future goal once I'm in college. Any suggestions on where to start diet and program wise? thanks

[-_-]

You haven't made your goals very clear. From my (limited) experience when it comes to females and from what I've read here, what applies to men also applies to women. Most females I see at the gym, stick to isolation exercises with low weight and avoid the compound lifts such as squats and deadlifts. I'm not sure what the reasoning behind that is. They're either misinformed or avoiding to gain muscle mass.
There are 2 ways to "look more toned", as you put it. Gain muscle or lose fat. You have to pick one of the 2. Doing both at the same time will result in slow gains because bodybuilding is much about diet (I guess it's still an option if you're satisfied with your current physique though and just trying to stay muscular without making any major mass gains or losses). Have to eat a lot to gain muscle efficiently, have to eat much less to lose fat efficiently.
Whatever you choose to do, my advice that I believe is good for everyone, is to stick mainly to compound exercises.
http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=138288
This is a pretty good list I guess. You don't have to do all of them, of course. If you're new to lifting, you should be able to make good gains by doing several of these on the same day for a "full body workout", kinda.

edit : I finished writing this before seeing your reply to MsFit heh. Well you should at least add some kind of deadlift I guess, those are unmatched for overall mass and strenght gains.

[MsFit]

Do a split of hitting each muscle group once a week. Focus on power movements for the bulk of your training (www.theelitephysique.com) for mass, power and strength. Three sets of 8 reps is a good start, if you've been training a while and are 'broken in'.

"Cutting" and definition will come in the diet. You have to make a choice to either eat to grow, or eat to lose (fat). For now, you might want to work on building muscle and "cut" next season.

Eat a small meal every 3 hours. Get in some protein and carbs. No processed junk. Drink a lot of water, 8 oz with each meal and between meals should be a good start.

[Irishcat04]

So basically just work each muscle group individually and intake more protein to gain mass and muscle and once I get what I want then start to cut and define it? Should I take any supplements or anything? and what would you recommend as an effective abs workout? I used to have a defined six pack but i lost it when I quit gymnastics.

I apologize if I sound really stupid asking all of this, I've just never really done weight training or had to have a certain diet.

Would it help if I got a trainer or met with someone who already does fitness competitions?

[-_-]

As I already mentionned, you have to eat a lot to gain muscle. When you decide to stop bulking and lose some fat, eat much less and add more cardio, basically. Diet is extremly important. You'll get nowhere if you don't eat enough.
Supplements : They aren't necessary, but they help. Whey protein + dextrose is what I and many others drink as a post-workout shake. Creatine is an effective supplement as well, but not a must. Use the board search engine or check supplement board for more info.
As for abs, all I ever do anymore is weighted (I hold plates on my chest) decline crunches. I do like 5 low rep sets of them every week. Feels like it's good enough for me. Your abs will show when and only when you are at a low body fat %. It's possible to have massive and powerful but invisible (due to the layer of fat that covers them) abs or small and weak but visible ones (cause you have very little fat).

[moody_weasel]

The following nutrition guideline has been posted by Buffed Wild Cat on numerous threads on this forum. I'm taking the liberty to repost it - hope that's OK:

This is what it takes to get the physique she desires...

What I'm going to post in these next two posts is is exactly what I've been doing for the past 4 years and you can have her look at my photos (link in my profile) if she needs proof that the following guidelines definitely work. Other than the guidelines I'm posting, it just takes CONSISTENCY & PATIENCE.

90% OF IT IS DIET, DIET, DIET

NUTRITIONAL GUIDELINES FOR REDUCING BODY FAT:

1. Eat every 2-3 hours, balanced meals of protein, carbohydrates, and fat. Exception: you don't necessarily have to eat carbohydrates with your last meal or two of the day, you CAN just eat protein and fat. Unless it's post workout (post strength training), then you NEED to eat some carbs.

2. Try to keep the protein intake in each of your meals consistent. If you are resistance/strength training, eat a minimum of your bodyweight in grams of protein, divided up equally into each of your meals.

3. Don't be afraid of fat, you NEED fat in order to BURN fat. You need to turn your body into a fat burning machine. In order to do this, you keep your carbs fairly low (30-40 grams per meal is a good rule of thumb) and your fat intake moderate. As in, the lower your carbs, the more fat you should be consuming.

4. Avoid sugars and over-processed foods like the plague. Read your labels, avoid food with sugar listed in the ingredients.

5. Avoid processed foods, like those in boxes/packages and also anything made with white flour. White flour is over-processed. Also anything that says, "enriched" avoid it as well, it basically means over-processed.

6. Eat as close to nature as you can. In other words, the closer the food to how it occurs in nature, the better for you it is, and ESPECIALLY for fat burning.

7. Avoid starchy carbs like corn, bread (esp white bread), pasta.

8. For your last meal or two of the day, consume only green veggies for your carbohydrates. Generally for your last meal you should consume less carbohydrates and more fat.

9. Last but not least, do NOT cut your calories too low. For starters I wouldn't even drop ANY calories. I would eat maintenance calories (eat normally) and just focus on cleaning up your diet (get rid of drinking sodas, etc) and getting consistent with a good macronutrient ratio (protein, carbs, fat). Some examples of good cutting ratios (percentage of total calories) are: 40P/30C/30F, 40P/25C/35F, 40P/20C/40F, or 35P/35C/30F etc.

10. A good website (free) to help you keep track of your calories, protein, carbs, and fat is: www.fitday.com

Here are some good choices for foods to eat, conducive to burning fat and/or staying lean. If the food you are eating is not on this list, I would question it.

PROTEINS

Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breast
Tuna (water packed)
Fish (salmon, seabass, halibut)
Shrimp
Extra Lean Ground Beef or Ground Round (92-96%)
Venison
Buffalo
Ostrich
Protein Powder
Egg Whites or Whole Eggs
Ribeye Steaks or Roast
Top Round Steaks or Roast (aka Stew Meat, London Broil, Stir Fry)
Top Sirloin (aka Sirloin Top Butt)
Beef Tenderloin (aka Filet, Filet Mignon)
Top Loin (NY Strip Steak)
Flank Steak (Sir Fry, Fajita)
Eye of Round (Cube Meat, Stew Meat, Bottom Round , 96% LeandGround Round)
Ground turkey, Turkey Breast Slices or cutlets (fresh meat, not deli cuts)
Soy Burgers
Low-fat cottage cheese

SLOW BURNING/COMPLEX CARBS

Oatmeal (Old Fashioned or Quick Oats)
Sweet Potatoes (Yams)
Beans (pinto, black, kidney)
Oat Bran Cereal
Rye Cereal
Grape Nuts
Brown Rice
Farina (Cream of Wheat)
Multigrain Hot Cereal
Whole wheat or Spinach Pasta
100% Stoneground Whole Wheat Bread

FIBROUS CARBS

Green Leafy Lettuce (Green Leaf, Red, Leaf, Romaine)
Broccoli
Asparagus
String Beans
Okra
Spinach
Bell Peppers
Brussel Sprouts
Cauliflower
Cabbage
Celery
Cucumber
Eggplant
Green or Red Pepper
Onions
Pumpkin
Garlic
Tomatoes
Zucchini

FRUIT

Apples
Grapefruit
Peaches
Strawberries
Blueberries
Raspberries
Lemons or Limes

HEALTHY FATS

Natural Peanut Butter
Olive Oil or Safflower Oil
Nuts (peanuts, almonds)
Flaxseed Oil

BEVARAGES

Crystal Light
Green Tea
Other Tea (without sugar)
Coffee (without sugar)

CONDIMENTS

Mayonnaise
Reduced Sodium Soy Sauce
Reduced Sodium Teriyaki Sauce
Balsamic Vinegar
Salsa
Hot Peppers and Hot Sauce
Chili powder
Mrs. Dash
Steak Sauce
Sugar Free Maple Syrup
Chili Paste
Mustard
Extracts (vanilla, almond, etc )
Low Sodium beef or chicken broth
Plain or reduced sodium tomatoes sauce, puree, paste)
Stevia (natural sweetener)

Written by:

BuffedWildCat
Body Solutions Personal Trainer

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