Intro: focused on body recomping

invie

Hi! I just found out about groups on MFP. I'm basically fit the groups description.

I used to be very fit, being able to do chin ups, pulls ups and pushups. I stopped working out cold turkey for almost five years due to family/personal issues. I knew I was going to seed but couldn't bring myself to do anything about it.

Six months ago I finally decided enough was enough. My muscles had turned to jelly and I was turning 34 soon.

I don't plan on losing weight but it's inevitable. I'm focusing on body recomping by eating at maintenance. I mainly use MFP to track macros and nutrients. My protein intake is high @ about 33% and I hope to have visible abs and a larger butt by the summer.

I work out about 2~3 times a week, dance, swim and Pilates. Dance is great for my lower body workout since we do deep squats in our routines. Swim is for overall endurance and upper body for me and the Pilates class I just started really targets my abs.

I'm also going to look into some exercise bands for resistance while doing leg lifts to help build more muscles in my glutes.

H: 177cm/5'9.5"
HW/SW: 124lbs
CW: 116lbs much more toned now. Abs are starting to peek out. Butt is in better shape but still too small.
GW: NONE...Just fitness.

lucygliang

Good luck! What kind of dance do you do? I'm a big fan of all kinds of partner dances (esp swing).

Recomp is definitely a long term goal of mine too.

invie

I took Chinese dance..traditional and folk as a teenager until my mid twenties. I just decided to go back to it after an 8 year hiatus. From time to time I also take hip hop for a more intense workout.

We don't partner in either class usually. I wouldn't mind learning swing but I'm pretty tall so finding a partner won't be easy.

What are you doing to recomp? Where are you now? I want to find a place to test my BF% but most places aren't near me.

invie

I have an Omron body comp scale but we all know it's not accurate. It says my BF% is about 17% but that could also just mean 20%.

My abs aren't visible and they say that some people should start seeing them at 20%. It might be because I'm Apple shaped with a very small bust...think flat. As a result most of my fat is around my waist and abdomen.

lucygliang

Yeah I know what you mean. When I used a handheld BF measurement device it told me I'm 18.9% whereas when I got it measured with a BodPod it said 25%. I'm flat chested and bottom heavy, so clearly handheld devices won't be terribly accurate. Accumeasure caliper says I'm around 24%. I use calipers for weekly measuring and every 4 months or so use the BodPod. It's not as expensive as a DEXA but still pretty pricey so I only go if I feel that I've made good progress and just want to fact-check. I rely mainly on progress pics though. Free and insightful!

Currently, I do fullbody dumbbell workouts 3x a week and martial arts/boxing 3x a week (alternating days, with sunday off). It's been working well so far. I'm around 118lb at 5'4 (I started around 130lb+). I'm trying to shave off some last few pounds. It's going really slow now, but any progress is good progress I suppose. I intend to focus more on strength gains afterwards and slowly increase my calories back to maintenance. Then maybe I'll do some kind of calorie cycling program or just straight bulk ... not sure yet.