What is everyone doing to get such great results??

[bec1298]

I feel like the only person on this forum who has no idea lol. Ive been lifting for about 8 months now and Im currently doing magnify you by ashley horner (week 4) but the nutrition side of it is very off (it doesnt tell you how many calories/ macros is in the meal plan and it doesnt feel like enough food AT ALL), there are waaay too many exercises per workout (12 different exercises, 4 sets each in todays workout) and the warmups exhaust me before i even get to the actual workout (1 mile 5% incline run, 3 sets of 15 burpees/ pushups/ pullups before leg day??) and I feel like im wasting my time.

What are some decent programs to follow? I honestly dont care surviving off chicken and fish and oatmeal or if the workouts are hell, i just really want to see progress (especially ab and quad progress, my quads have shrunk way too much for my liking). Ive seen so many girls with great progress but I have no idea how theyre doing it. Thankyou

[FPS75]

First you need to set a goal. Do you want to lift a certain amount of weight, get to a certain body fat %, weight etc.

Second and most important is to set a nutrition plan, i.e. counting you calories for either bulking or cutting depending on your initial goal.

Third is to then do the workout program to achieve that goal, this depends on your experience level and again on your first goal.

It is basically that simple. Everyone is different but tracking your nutrition is the most important aspect of training, followed closely by your program.

[bec1298]

First you need to set a goal. Do you want to lift a certain amount of weight, get to a certain body fat %, weight etc.

Second and most important is to set a nutrition plan, i.e. counting you calories for either bulking or cutting depending on your initial goal.

Third is to then do the workout program to achieve that goal, this depends on your experience level and again on your first goal.

It is basically that simple. Everyone is different but tracking your nutrition is the most important aspect of training, followed closely by your program.

Id like to gain muscle and strength while staying fairly lean so Id be eating in a slight calorie surplus id assume? My bmr is 1390 calories. Im trying to find a workout and nutrition plan thatd be beneficial

[FPS75]

Good, that is point one sorted out then.

Head on over to http://iifym.com/iifym-calculator/ and type in your details which should give you your basic numbers for bulking, I would suggest 5% above TDEE. Try eat at least 1g per lb of body weight for protein intake and 0.45g per lb of body weight for fat (absolute minimum). Fill the rest with carbs or fat. You can also check out the nutrition stickies in the nutrition forum for more info.

Download myfitnesspal or fatsecret on your phone so you can track your calories and that should do it for nutrition.

Head on over to the workout programs section of the forum and choose one of the programs there that fit your lifestyle and time allowed to train.

Hope it helps!

[GoatNapper]

welp, 8 months is nothing, it generally takes years of hard work and dedication. that being said, just see what does and doent work and tweek your regimine. i got best results with a 3 day a week full body, or a 4 day upper/lower split. my friends gets great results with the 5 day split or 7 day isolation routine. also food is absorbed and stored differently than others. you just need to get into tune with your body and find out what works for you. try a routine for a month or two then switch and see if another does better.

[sonti]

Keep in mind, a lot of us have trained for 5, 10, 15+ years or more Sticking to the basics and consistency is what works.

[Sarahe215]

Keep in mind, a lot of us have trained for 5, 10, 15+ years or more Sticking to the basics and consistency is what works.

^^^. It takes time. Just be patient. If you don't like the program you're running currently, switch it up. Try something more basic. Personally, I stick to traditional bodybuilding routines and can't be bothered with all these "so and so's 12 weeks to six pack!" type programs. Heavy compound lifts combined with some accessory work is really all you need. If you really need guidance, You could hire a trainer, but 9 out of 10 "personal trainers" are total morons. Look for someone with an NASM or NSCA cert who knows what they're talking about.

[Cara0915]

Keep in mind, a lot of us have trained for 5, 10, 15+ years or more Sticking to the basics and consistency is what works.

This
People think that if they follow the newest 12 weeks to so and so they'll have the body of their dreams. It doesn't work that way. Depending on where you start it can take years to achieve your goal physique.

It sounds like your program is horrendous. Look into Starting Strength, Strong Lifts, Simply Shredded women's routine, Strong Curves, PHUL.

As far as nutrition, go to the women's nutrition forum and read the Sticky on calculating calories and macros.

[oregonchick76]

You need a better routine, a different mindset and a different nutritional approach.
You can't build muscle at maintenance and definitely not in a deficit. You WILL gain a LITTLE fat when you gain muscle, but losing fat is EASY.
Gaining muscle is the long arduous journey - we can gain around a MAX of 1/2 lb per MONTH. And that's still a lofty number, it's usually half that.

You need to eat to gain.
You need a better program.
You need lots of time and consistency.

What these people did to get such great results is that they've been doing it for several years, eating to support their goals and lifting their asses off.

[mthamilton22]

^^^. It takes time. Just be patient. If you don't like the program you're running currently, switch it up. Try something more basic. Personally, I stick to traditional bodybuilding routines and can't be bothered with all these "so and so's 12 weeks to six pack!" type programs. Heavy compound lifts combined with some accessory work is really all you need. If you really need guidance, You could hire a trainer, but 9 out of 10 "personal trainers" are total morons. Look for someone with an NASM or NSCA cert who knows what they're talking about.

Strong this.

[IH8RICE]

Keep in mind, a lot of us have trained for 5, 10, 15+ years or more Sticking to the basics and consistency is what works.

This is a thread ender, perfectly said. the KISS method works extremely well with bodybuilding. repped

[BrotherWolf]

I feel like the only person on this forum who has no idea lol. Ive been lifting for about 8 months now and Im currently doing magnify you by ashley horner (week 4) but the nutrition side of it is very off (it doesnt tell you how many calories/ macros is in the meal plan and it doesnt feel like enough food AT ALL), there are waaay too many exercises per workout (12 different exercises, 4 sets each in todays workout) and the warmups exhaust me before i even get to the actual workout (1 mile 5% incline run, 3 sets of 15 burpees/ pushups/ pullups before leg day??) and I feel like im wasting my time.

What are some decent programs to follow? I honestly dont care surviving off chicken and fish and oatmeal or if the workouts are hell, i just really want to see progress (especially ab and quad progress, my quads have shrunk way too much for my liking). Ive seen so many girls with great progress but I have no idea how theyre doing it. Thankyou

sounds like your routine and diet sucks .. 8 months is definitely enough to see some good results
still, don't compare yourself to the people you see here because it's not realistic especially if you put a time frame as a perspective
goggle "starting strength" it's probably the best program for a novice lifter , there are others but they are all built around the same basics SS has a great book that goes with it it will teach you the lifts and a lot about programming
definitely the most useful book out there

[megdaig]

Lots of consistency and time! Exactly as Sonti said.

I've been at if for a long time and when progress stalls I take it back down to the basic lifts; squat, bench, press. There is no reason to do 1 big lift and then 11 accessories especially for a beginner. Cara gave some great starter routines.

Also check out this thread ... Help on where to start

[shesprints]

Consistency and focus on interim goals will likely serve you best.

Granted, I'm not a bodybuilder (though the lifting required for sprinters is not so different from basic bodybuilder training from what I can see), but just plugging away at it day in and day out has taught me what works and what does not--and it's different for everyone, so unless you put in the hours, you'll never find what works for you.

Look on the bright side here: you now know at least one workout plan that DOESN'T work. Heck, I've run through several: circuit training, for instance, doesn't work well for me. Neither does running high mileage with no crosstraining. How do I know these don't work? I've gotten injured doing both. Also, low-carb eating? Does not work. How do I know? Tried it. Etc.

But your body is a system that's strongly incline toward homeostasis. It adapts gradually to training stress, it doesn't change dramatically all at once. As others have said, stick to the basics and find any tweaks that work for you over time... by learning from small failures.

Also: focus on proper form. I don't think most people can go wrong spending some time seriously making sure they are using the right muscles for the right exercises and getting good at forming mind-muscle connections and establishing decent posture and coordination.