Thinner Leaner Stronger vs. New Rules of Weight lifting for Women

Disdvcmom77

I've made my goal weight and am starting to slowly bring up my calories to my TDEE. When I hit goal I was excited but my body is not shaped like I had hoped (not like 10 years ago anyway). I am skinny fat. I understand the only way to fix that is to begin a weightlifting program. Currently I do cardio and some basic exercises, crunches, squats etc.

I am a complete novice and do best when following a specific program. I've heard good things about "Thinner, Leaner, Stronger" and "New Rules of Weight Lifting for Women" but I can't seem to get a clear picture of strengths/weaknesses for either program. Any thoughts, does it really just come down to personal preference? Is there another resource I'm missing? Thanks.

ceriharri

I think the most important thing is to be consistent and not to be afraid of lifting as heavy weight as you can whilst maintaining your form. A good starting programme is to do 5 sets of 5 reps of the exercises which use multiple muscle groups, such as squats, dead lifts, overhead press, row and bench. Pretty much anything else is an accessory to these movements.There are many sites which will help with how to ensure your form is good, and once you have these down (along with ab work), you'll have a good idea if you enjoy it and want to continue. (Youtube is good for looking up the movements if you are unsure). You'll then get into various routines to switch things up and start ramping things up.
It's worth being aware though that no-one can really tell you what weight to start with for each exercise, it's just a case of doing them where you feel comfortable and then eeking them up so you are challenging yourself but maintaining form with the movement.
If you can do 5x5 bench with 10kg easily, next time try 12.5kg or 15kg, until you find a point where the last set is a bit of a struggle. If you find that earlier than the last set, then drop the weight back down, but next time try the higher weight again and try and squeeze a few more reps out. The only way to get lean and toned is by heavy (for you) lifting.
The thing you may struggle with, as I do, is the choice of whether you want to be stronger or leaner and eating accordingly, as lifting progressively heavier weights relatively quickly needs greater food input than the standard 1200-1500 calories I expect most are limiting themselves to on here.

One thing I can say for lifting is that you will see and feel differences pretty fast if you're consistent, probably not on the scales so much, but definitely in your clothes. I've been back on the weights for about 2 months now and can squat 60 and deadlift over 80. My presses are pretty poor because of a knackered shoulder, but back work and lower body is more important anyway. In that 2 months I've only lost about 7kg but my upper and lower legs, back, bum, tum and arms have toned up massively. ( I'm a 33y/o mum of 2)

I've just realised that I haven't answered your question, but what I mean is don't get too fixated on a programme until you're confident with the most beneficial movements and you are doing them cleanly. 5x5 is good for that, and will let you know if you enjoy it

DavPul

I'm not familiar with the new book. From a quick read of the summary it's probably fine. Because most programs are fine. Especially for a newbie. So pick one quickly and get in the gym quickly. As you get comfortable down the road you may feel that a different program better suits your needs and that's fine too. But get started asap, that's the most important thing