Lifting, it does a body good

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fitandgeeky
fitandgeeky Posts: 232 Member
in Success Stories
I know, you've heard it before. Lifting weights is the way to go, blah, blah, blah. But honestly, it works or at least it did for me. I did cardio for months and never saw results like this. When I started lifting, I was 131 lbs and approximately 30% body fat. Needless to say, I was not at all happy with the results. After talking to a few people here at MFP and reading post after post about lifting. I decided to give it a try. I'm now 118 lbs and approximately 20% bf. I still want to cut down to about 18% then comes the scary part. I'm going to lean bulk to put on some muscle.

I have to say it's been an interesting journey. I love lifting. I started with the basics and used a beginner program I snagged from muscleandstrength.com that combined compound exercises with a few assistance exercises. In the beginning, I wasn't eating enough. I fell into the trap during my cardio days of eating in the 1200 calorie range. After learning a few things here about TDEE and fueling my body, I gradually walked my calories up. I'm set at 1800 now and I try to eat as healthy as I can, staying away from processed foods as much as possible. I try to eat close to 1800 on lifting days and cycle lower on rest days. I recently started Layne Norton's Power Hypertrophy routine and I love it so far. The only cardio I do is a 10 minute warm up before I lift.

Measurements:

Weight - 131 - 118 lbs
Waist - 29.5 - 26
Bust - 37 - 34
Hips - 37 - 34
Thighs - 21.5 - 19.5
Arms - 10.75 - 10
Body Fat - 30% - 20%

Strength gains:

Squat 65 - 130 lbs
Deadlift 90 - 150 lbs
Bench 45 - 70 lbs
Rows 45 lbs - 70 lbs
OHP 20 lbs - 55 lbs


February 2013, before lifting.
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March 2013
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April 2013

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Beginning of June 2013

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End of June 2013

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Comparison

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I think I've made some good progress over these last four months and I'm anxious to see what the next four bring. The best advice I could give to anyone who wants to see results is lift heavy, eat a slight deficit and be patient. It'll happen.
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Replies

  • Rays_Wife
    Rays_Wife Posts: 1,173 Member
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    Great results!!
  • Kath712
    Kath712 Posts: 1,263 Member
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    Wow - amazing results!!! Way to go! :flowerforyou: :drinker: :bigsmile:
  • I_Will_End_You
    I_Will_End_You Posts: 4,397 Member
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    Wow! Awesome progress pics and stats!
  • jonlfischer
    jonlfischer Posts: 171 Member
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    Awesome results. I have just recently started a routine almost identical to Nortons...I like it so far.
  • toutmonpossible
    toutmonpossible Posts: 1,580 Member
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    You look terrific. For my body type and goals, a more moderate program with a good portion of cardio work better.
  • wanderlustlover
    wanderlustlover Posts: 84 Member
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    What kind of lifting have you been doing? I'm all curious about getting into this.
  • cyoka13
    cyoka13 Posts: 288 Member
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    Great job, you look awesome!
  • GiddyupTim
    GiddyupTim Posts: 2,819 Member
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    Outstanding results!
  • Ultragirl2374
    Ultragirl2374 Posts: 390 Member
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    Great results, I'd say!!! Holy crap!!! That's amazing!!!
  • pinksparklefairy
    pinksparklefairy Posts: 97 Member
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    Wow that's amazing!

    Can I ask a couple of questions ...

    How many days a week do you lift?
    Do you eat TDEE on lifting days and around 20% deficit on non-lifting days?
  • hmuh
    hmuh Posts: 379 Member
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    Holy moly girl!! What amazing results!! Totally inspiring. Thanks for sharing.
  • silvergurl518
    silvergurl518 Posts: 4,123 Member
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    that is a FAST and EFFECTIVE transformation, woman! i'm proud of you and don't even know yoU :)

    *bows down*
  • CherylP67
    CherylP67 Posts: 772 Member
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    You are doing an amazing job, wow wow wow!
  • tackie8383
    tackie8383 Posts: 59 Member
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    Awesome!
  • RedheadQuine
    RedheadQuine Posts: 111 Member
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    What an amazing difference, well done! I'd like to lift heavy, just don't have the equipment or anything at the moment.
  • caseythirteen
    caseythirteen Posts: 956 Member
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    AH-mazing!!! You have done a fantastic job and I know this is only the beginning for you. You continue to inspire me!
  • karencapen
    karencapen Posts: 7
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    Thanks so much for sharing. My husband has been telling me over and over that I NEED to make lifting my main workout program. I enjoy it but just don't know where to start. I am going to check out the website you mentioned above.

    I lost about 15 pounds last year following the insanity diet and program and loved it, but gained some back during the winter (story of my life). Anyways, I felt great doing it but need something different and something that will really cut the fat from my body. What better than getting more muscle that burns fat?!

    If you have any suggestions or tips I would love to hear them!
  • coffee4me57
    coffee4me57 Posts: 195
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    awesome!
  • MizCJ84
    MizCJ84 Posts: 335 Member
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    Wow this is pretty incredible. Nice job!
  • micheleb15
    micheleb15 Posts: 1,418 Member
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    Great work!

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