Advice on Recomp for Female (from female preferably)

EmmaShazam

Hi! Well I reached my number goal awhile ago. About 5 months I lost 50lbs and extra 15 since then. Now I'm sitting comfortably in the middle of the healthy bmi but I still have fat I'd like to lose and muscle I'd like to gain. How did you do it? Should I watch my macros more? Did you set your food to maintain, lose, or gain? What kind of workout did you do? Any help and advice would be nice.

Cheers xEmma

quiksylver296

Lift heavy and eat at maintenance. "Heavy" means heavy for you. Stronglifts 5X5 is an excellent beginner program. Get approximately 0.8 grams of protein per pound of body weight.

EmmaShazam

Thank you @quiksyver296 I'll definitely have to up my protein! And up my weights☺️

usmcmp

I set my goal to maintain, watched protein, and lifted. I felt that recomp shouldn't have to be perfect macros or logging. There were times I only logged enough food to ensure I hit my protein goal and then I watched my weight trends to make sure that I stayed within a 7 pound range. I personally dislike Stronglifts and all other strength type programming, so I followed PHUL and PHAT (PHUL being my favorite).

Hensonator1084

I wouldnt eat at maintenance recompimg is a slow process, if i was you i would do the 5x5 stronglift program like quicksilver said but i would eat your calories at a slight surplus like just 100 to 200 above maintainence and with that you will still lose fat as your metabolism increase due to lifting heavy

TR0berts

Hensonator1084 wrote: »

I wouldnt eat at maintenance recompimg is a slow process, if i was you i would do the 5x5 stronglift program like quicksilver said but i would eat your calories at a slight surplus like just 100 to 200 above maintainence and with that you will still lose fat as your metabolism increase due to lifting heavy

No. Eating at a surplus = bulking, not recomping. And that means you'll add fat, not lose it.

Sunna_W

What is your long term goal? Are you training for a sport? Are you pre-child rearing or post child rearing? Because a lot of the advice on this stuff is written for guys, not girls. Girls need a specific amount of body fat to have a period and to sustain fertility. Anyone who tells you that body fat is bad shouldn't be listened to. However you train, you should make sure that your BMI allows you to menstruate (even if you are on BCP and elect to not have a period.) Going below the recommended BMI for your height and weight can affect your hormone production and affect your fertility in the future. Your body sees all of the “weight training” as a stressor and that affects your hormones. Just my 2 cents.

usmcmp

Sunna_W wrote: »

What is your long term goal? Are you training for a sport? Are you pre-child rearing or post child rearing? Because a lot of the advice on this stuff is written for guys, not girls. Girls need a specific amount of body fat to have a period and to sustain fertility. Anyone who tells you that body fat is bad shouldn't be listened to. However you train, you should make sure that your BMI allows you to menstruate (even if you are on BCP and elect to not have a period.) Going below the recommended BMI for your height and weight can affect your hormone production and affect your fertility in the future. Your body sees all of the “weight training” as a stressor and that affects your hormones. Just my 2 cents.

I still had my period when my body fat was at competition levels. There are more factors to having a period than just body fat, like if you are fueling your body adequately. A woman who is starving herself and still obese can lose her period.

With her goal of not necessarily losing more weight, but improving body composition she has zero reasons to fear that she's going to negatively impact her fertility (if she even cares about it at all, women are more than baby makers). Weight training only negatively impacts hormones if someone already has hormonal issues or is over training or using steroids.

EmmaShazam

I'm not looking to be in body building competitions and I'm not training for anything. Just looking to loose extra fat and gain some muscle to just be overall healthier and stronger.

DefiningStrength

Like others have said: lift heavy.
For me, my goals have been strength and recomp (at the start I lost ~4%bf in 8weeks, only losing 1kg).
Heavy is relative. Have a certified (or at least really experienced) trainer/ person teach you the 4 majors (squat, deadlift, bench press, overhead press).
Females tend to respond better to lower reps/ higher frequency. Once youve gt a handle on technique work to a weight you can perform for 4-6 sets of 3-5 reps. If you hit technical failure (your form breaks down and you cannot perform the lift SAFELY with the weight), then reduce the weight. Rest periods for major lifts should be at least 90 seconds.
Structure strength workouts around the movement you choose for the day- the major lift comes first, other movements should complement them. (Eg: back squat/ split squat/ leg press/ RKC plank__Deadlift/ single leg deadlift/ glute bridge/ hanging leg raises__overhead/ chin up (assisted as needed)/ lat pull down/ "face pulls"__Bench/ Low incline Dumbell Bench/ seated row/ tricep extensions) assistance movements should increase in volume and decrease in intensity- work in a higher rep range (usually 6-8 or 8-12).
Cardio can be added, but isnt 100% necessary. 15-20 min HIIT 2-4 times a week is more than enough. Loaded carries are also awesome to work into a circuit.
Diet wise- because stimulus is great, but you need fuel to adapt- make sure you get your protein and carbs, limit added sugars, and fats should be at least 20% of your intake. Whole foods are great, because they are filled with nutrients.
Everybodys body is t different and responds better to different things(lower carb/ higher carb/ vegetarian/ paleo etc) so take some notes how you feel in general/ how youre recovering from workouts etc, losten to your body and make your diet work for you.

You can find great information on juggernaught strength, and bodybuilding.com.

In summary- lift heavy; HIIT is awesome; consume maintenance of nutritious food (80/20 "good"/"bad") listen to your body (if youre gaining reduce, if youre losing increase slowly). Track your workouts/ progress.
Enjoy what you do, and love your body.

I hope this isnt too much information and that its helpful! Feel free to message me, and all the best with your recomp goals!!

(Ps- congrats on making your goal number!! Thats awsome!
Pps- that number might change during recomp (tissue density) )