New to bodybuilding [pics]. Lean body wanted.

[SultanaK]

Hello! This is probably the best place to ask on here. I want to start going into the weight room and thought I'd ask which free weights and crunches you ladies use to attack the issues listed below. How do you space your workouts and how many reps are done? Pics are attached.

Would like:
-lean, muscular body

Overall dislikes:
-skinny fatness
-the waist to hip ratio (I understand there will be only so much I can do since I have a narrow/boyish figure, but the stuff above my hips needs to go)
-is there any way to do the above ^ without losing fat in the boobs?
-upper arms are soft
-more definition in the inner thighs/overall legs
-butt isn't firm enough
-lower stomach and obliques do not have any definition
-tighter upper back

Useful information
-vegetarian

[hurricane211]

No one can really tell you how to train, it's more of trial and error. Learn your body, learn what works. Are you vegan? With my experiences it is a little harder to gain "a huge amount" of muscle if your vegan. You can tighten everything up and have a lean muscular body. 85% of the success will come from what you eat. The other 15% will be blood sweat and tears in the weight room. Best of luck to you!

[Bromance]

First I would really sit down and take the time to work on your eating habits. Just because you're a vegan doesnt necessarily mean you're eating a proper diet. Also do not rely on the elliptical to be your main source of exercise, weight lift and challenge yourself. you'll notice more results from proper, challenging weight lifting. The biggest tip i have for legs, become good friends with the squat/jump squat. But honestly most of the stuff you addressed comes from proper nutrition and consistency.

[SultanaK]

hurricane211 - Well, I'm not a vegan. I'm just a vegetarian. Admittedly, there is a protein deficiency but, otherwise, I would say my diet is relatively healthy. I could absolutely eliminate soda and severely cut down on how often I indulge in junk foods, though. Thanks for the response!

Bromance - Hey. Thanks for the response. I'm not a vegan (as I've told hurricane211 above), but your points on good. As for the elliptical - el oh el. I have NEVER used it and don't plan on doing so, either. The most fit I've ever been was in high school - when I used to squat and bench press. The elliptical seems weak in comparison to those. For cardio, I have run, but I've grown tired of it. So I'm here asking all the fabulously fit people on how they do it.

Lol @ no females posting in the Female Bodybuilding forum.

[Amanda76]

Eat well and work toward being able to lift heavy with good form.

The best exercises to target your issues are variations of "The Big 5." Squats, deadlifts, rows (horizontal and vertical), bench press and overhead press. Using free weights, your core is going to have to work to stabilize a lot. That being the case, I haven't had to do direct ab work to see improvement in my abs. It's all heavy lifting and attention to diet. That's not to say that direct ab work wouldn't be beneficial to me, but I have better abs now than when I did hundreds of reps specifically for abs, 2-3 times a week. Of course, back then I did tons of cardio as well. I never do that anymore either. If I ever want to get super-lean, I'll utilize cardio but until then, I've got better things to do with my time.

Addressing your overall dislikes:

-skinny fatness: Your body composition will improve with more attention to your nutrition and the addition of lean mass

-the waist to hip ratio: It looks to me like you have a waist. You can accentuate it by creating a wider back and shoulders and adding lean mass to your glutes and legs as you lose the softness around your middle. Don't worry about these areas "blowing up." They're large muscle groups that are accustomed to a lot of work and are difficult to develop.

-is there any way to do the above ^ without losing fat in the boobs?: Depends on where you're genetically predisposed to holding fat. Very few are fortunate enough to lose fat in the breasts last.

-upper arms are soft: They will improve with those heavy compound movements performed for upper body (and proper nutrition). Biceps assist with pulling movements (horizontal and vertical rows for back) and triceps assist with pushing movements (chest and shoulder presses).

-more definition in the inner thighs/overall legs: They will improve with heavy compound movements for lower body (and proper nutrition). SQUATS!

-butt isn't firm enough: Same as above

-lower stomach and obliques do not have any definition: "Abs are made in the kitchen"

-tighter upper back : ...are you sensing a theme, here?

Your weight is pretty low for someone your height. It doesn't sound like you're headed in that direction, but it would be best not to focus on weight loss to reach your goals. Being willing to gain a few pounds will be helpful in the long-run. Fuel your body for your workouts and let added lean mass take care of the softness. This takes a lot of patience and consistency but you've got a lifetime to appreciate slow and steady improvement.

[rdferguson]

hurricane211 - Well, I'm not a vegan. I'm just a vegetarian. Admittedly, there is a protein deficiency but, otherwise, I would say my diet is relatively healthy. I could absolutely eliminate soda and severely cut down on how often I indulge in junk foods, though. Thanks for the response!

Bromance - Hey. Thanks for the response. I'm not a vegan (as I've told hurricane211 above), but your points on good. As for the elliptical - el oh el. I have NEVER used it and don't plan on doing so, either. The most fit I've ever been was in high school - when I used to squat and bench press. The elliptical seems weak in comparison to those. For cardio, I have run, but I've grown tired of it. So I'm here asking all the fabulously fit people on how they do it.

Lol @ no females posting in the Female Bodybuilding forum.

Ehh, when you promise pictures, us pervy guys are sure to show up first

Reading all your points, the only thing that I can't make any recommendations about is your boobs. But don't worry, once you sort out the rest of your body, even if you your boobs do go down a size you'll be looking so good all over that it won't matter. 2 boobs < a whole body of hotness.

Anyway, a simple fullbody strength program with appropriate nutrition will get your were you want to go. For your training: squats, bench press, deadlifts, overhead press, pull ups, rows. Do all those exercises with good form, stick anywhere between 5 and 15 reps per set, and push for frequent progress (even if it's just adding a tiny little more weight onto the bar, or doing 1 more rep), and the muscular side of the equation will more or less take care of itself. Consume maitenance level calories (ie don't try to gain or lose weight), and for the time being you should recomp (ie lose some fat, build some muscle), which will work towards improving your waist hip ratio and giving more shape and definition to the whole body. After a while, it'll be harder to continue improving body composition that way, and you'll have to start adjusting your diet more - not your training. You'll eventually have to either cut (aim to lose fat while maintaining muscle mass), bulk (aim to build muscle with minimal extra fat gains - although you will always gain some fat on a bulk), or do some more convoluted dieting for body recomposition. By the time you reach that point, my recommendation would be that you bulk for a while, gaining 10-20lb over 3-6 months, then cut if necessary.

I won't lie to you about diet - it will be easier to get the results you're after if you include meat in your diet. But, if you have any moral or spiritual reasons to be abstaining from meat, then that's your prerogative. Since you're vegetarian but not vegan, it'll be easier than a full vegan diet. Make sure you're getting your eggs and milk, as animal proteins are the best sources of protein. I'd recommend that you aim to get at least 1/2 to 2/3 of your protein from whatever animal products you're consuming, and stick to the 1g protein/lb bodyweight rule of thumb. If you aren't going to eat that much animal protein, then I recommend you surpass the 1g/lb rule of thumb.

[Bout2break69]

Ummm..OP, hurricane211 is definately a female..just sayin. Did you miss her?

[SultanaK]

Eat well and work toward being able to lift heavy with good form.

The best exercises to target your issues are variations of "The Big 5." Squats, deadlifts, rows (horizontal and vertical), bench press and overhead press. Using free weights, your core is going to have to work to stabilize a lot. That being the case, I haven't had to do direct ab work to see improvement in my abs. It's all heavy lifting and attention to diet. That's not to say that direct ab work wouldn't be beneficial to me, but I have better abs now than when I did hundreds of reps specifically for abs, 2-3 times a week. Of course, back then I did tons of cardio as well. I never do that anymore either. If I ever want to get super-lean, I'll utilize cardio but until then, I've got better things to do with my time.

Addressing your overall dislikes:

-skinny fatness: Your body composition will improve with more attention to your nutrition and the addition of lean mass

-the waist to hip ratio: It looks to me like you have a waist. You can accentuate it by creating a wider back and shoulders and adding lean mass to your glutes and legs as you lose the softness around your middle. Don't worry about these areas "blowing up." They're large muscle groups that are accustomed to a lot of work and are difficult to develop.

-is there any way to do the above ^ without losing fat in the boobs?: Depends on where you're genetically predisposed to holding fat. Very few are fortunate enough to lose fat in the breasts last.

-upper arms are soft: They will improve with those heavy compound movements performed for upper body (and proper nutrition). Biceps assist with pulling movements (horizontal and vertical rows for back) and triceps assist with pushing movements (chest and shoulder presses).

-more definition in the inner thighs/overall legs: They will improve with heavy compound movements for lower body (and proper nutrition). SQUATS!

-butt isn't firm enough: Same as above

-lower stomach and obliques do not have any definition: "Abs are made in the kitchen"

-tighter upper back : ...are you sensing a theme, here?

Your weight is pretty low for someone your height. It doesn't sound like you're headed in that direction, but it would be best not to focus on weight loss to reach your goals. Being willing to gain a few pounds will be helpful in the long-run. Fuel your body for your workouts and let added lean mass take care of the softness. This takes a lot of patience and consistency but you've got a lifetime to appreciate slow and steady improvement.

You answered that question per question...woah. Thank you so much for taking the time out to do that. I am going to combine your's and rdferguson's post and create a master plan now. Good luck with your own goals.

Ehh, when you promise pictures, us pervy guys are sure to show up first

Reading all your points, the only thing that I can't make any recommendations about is your boobs. But don't worry, once you sort out the rest of your body, even if you your boobs do go down a size you'll be looking so good all over that it won't matter. 2 boobs < a whole body of hotness.

Anyway, a simple fullbody strength program with appropriate nutrition will get your were you want to go. For your training: squats, bench press, deadlifts, overhead press, pull ups, rows. Do all those exercises with good form, stick anywhere between 5 and 15 reps per set, and push for frequent progress (even if it's just adding a tiny little more weight onto the bar, or doing 1 more rep), and the muscular side of the equation will more or less take care of itself. Consume maitenance level calories (ie don't try to gain or lose weight), and for the time being you should recomp (ie lose some fat, build some muscle), which will work towards improving your waist hip ratio and giving more shape and definition to the whole body. After a while, it'll be harder to continue improving body composition that way, and you'll have to start adjusting your diet more - not your training. You'll eventually have to either cut (aim to lose fat while maintaining muscle mass), bulk (aim to build muscle with minimal extra fat gains - although you will always gain some fat on a bulk), or do some more convoluted dieting for body recomposition. By the time you reach that point, my recommendation would be that you bulk for a while, gaining 10-20lb over 3-6 months, then cut if necessary.

I won't lie to you about diet - it will be easier to get the results you're after if you include meat in your diet. But, if you have any moral or spiritual reasons to be abstaining from meat, then that's your prerogative. Since you're vegetarian but not vegan, it'll be easier than a full vegan diet. Make sure you're getting your eggs and milk, as animal proteins are the best sources of protein. I'd recommend that you aim to get at least 1/2 to 2/3 of your protein from whatever animal products you're consuming, and stick to the 1g protein/lb bodyweight rule of thumb. If you aren't going to eat that much animal protein, then I recommend you surpass the 1g/lb rule of thumb.

*Read and etched in brain* All I can say is thank you!

Ummm..OP, hurricane211 is definately a female..just sayin. Did you miss her?

Oops - sorry hurricane211.

[TheSmiley]

Eat well and work toward being able to lift heavy with good form.

The best exercises to target your issues are variations of "The Big 5." Squats, deadlifts, rows (horizontal and vertical), bench press and overhead press. Using free weights, your core is going to have to work to stabilize a lot. That being the case, I haven't had to do direct ab work to see improvement in my abs. It's all heavy lifting and attention to diet. That's not to say that direct ab work wouldn't be beneficial to me, but I have better abs now than when I did hundreds of reps specifically for abs, 2-3 times a week. Of course, back then I did tons of cardio as well. I never do that anymore either. If I ever want to get super-lean, I'll utilize cardio but until then, I've got better things to do with my time.

Addressing your overall dislikes:

-skinny fatness: Your body composition will improve with more attention to your nutrition and the addition of lean mass

-the waist to hip ratio: It looks to me like you have a waist. You can accentuate it by creating a wider back and shoulders and adding lean mass to your glutes and legs as you lose the softness around your middle. Don't worry about these areas "blowing up." They're large muscle groups that are accustomed to a lot of work and are difficult to develop.

-is there any way to do the above ^ without losing fat in the boobs?: Depends on where you're genetically predisposed to holding fat. Very few are fortunate enough to lose fat in the breasts last.

-upper arms are soft: They will improve with those heavy compound movements performed for upper body (and proper nutrition). Biceps assist with pulling movements (horizontal and vertical rows for back) and triceps assist with pushing movements (chest and shoulder presses).

-more definition in the inner thighs/overall legs: They will improve with heavy compound movements for lower body (and proper nutrition). SQUATS!

-butt isn't firm enough: Same as above

-lower stomach and obliques do not have any definition: "Abs are made in the kitchen"

-tighter upper back : ...are you sensing a theme, here?

Your weight is pretty low for someone your height. It doesn't sound like you're headed in that direction, but it would be best not to focus on weight loss to reach your goals. Being willing to gain a few pounds will be helpful in the long-run. Fuel your body for your workouts and let added lean mass take care of the softness. This takes a lot of patience and consistency but you've got a lifetime to appreciate slow and steady improvement.

^^^^^^^this this this.

[yaz_rulz]

Well, I dunno if it is okay for guys to post in here.. Anyways.. If you have started training then just have a balanced diet counting your calories and macros and start lifting n see how it goes for you. You can't start losing fat from specific places even though exercises help to some extend. You will lose fat generally which will also include these places. I would suggest to start lifting at your maintenance calories(as you r starting you would tone your body n add muscles) then after a few months try cutting down slowly.. At one point you will know what is best for you and what exactly needs to be done.. Good luck