Goal: big thighs and booty; slender waist

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Thepants22
Thepants22 Posts: 11 Member
in Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
I know a lot of women are doing this now...count me in with them!
I have really skinny arms and legs and a small butt that deflates when I diet. I carry my fat around my abdomen (tummy and love handles)
I address this in what I call "seasons" I count calories and macros during the winter as well as weightlift and do crossfit. Then resume normal life for the rest of the year. I do all this so I can feel good about my body during the summer...i take the summer off of counting calories and working out. Last year 2017 was mainly focused on losing fat because I just had a baby. This year I had less fat to lose so I've been at a deficit while doing crossfit and weightlifting but I am now reverse dieting to slowly get back to maintenance then onto a surplus. I also monitor macros. Keeping protein at 1g per lb bodyweight, fat at 30% and carbs increasing ad my calories increase. My butt (I can't even call it a booty) has maintained its shape but is not as big as I'm aiming for. Legs are still silly looking. Also- i started taking creatine 1.5 weeks ago. Anyway i think im doing it wrong...i realized that I'm wasting all those extra calories I eat in my "off season" by not weight lifting! So here is my plan for body recomp ending Summer 2019. Please let me your thoughts and where I may be going wrong!

July/Aug 2018: Eat normally which will be a surplus since my maintenence is so low. (I wont count calories/macros everyday but I will gauge it now and then and continue to supplement with protein)
Start progressive weightlifting and start creatine again
No crossfit
Fall 2018: continue weightlifting, eating, creatine

January 2019: Begin cut @ 400-500 deficit while weightlifting to maintain muscle
Start crossfit
March/April 2019: reverse diet to surplus while continuing above

May 2019: Freedom!

Other tidbits-
Currently:
5'7", 114lbs 20.6% BF calipers. still have some love handles and loose skin on tummy (3 kids!)
Maintenance calories: Approx 1500/day not accounting for crossfit
Crossfit: 3x/week MWF (for total body focus and to burn calories)
Progressive Weightlifting lower body only: 2x/week TTh
Thanks!

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Replies

  • Thepants22
    Thepants22 Posts: 11 Member
    edited March 2018
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    Your genetics may not allow you to reach the goal you have set for yourself. Work on becoming the best YOU you can, not someone else's ideal.

    So true! And don't I know it! I'm built like a cross country runner. I have 5 brothers and sisters and they can all build mass...i got the short end of that stick but I have the long legs!
    I just want to see what I can accomplish if I put forth my best effort. Each year I learn more - through experience, mistakes and reading. I haven't reached my best effort yet!
  • Thepants22
    Thepants22 Posts: 11 Member
    edited March 2018
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    sardelsa wrote: »
    First, you are very underweight so I would highly recommend gaining weight... eat in a surplus to gain 0.5lb per week, get adequate protein (0.8-1g per lb lean body mass or bodyweight) and based on your goals I would follow a program like Strong Curves with focus on the glutes. I don't know how Crossfit will fit into those goals, but I'm sure someone may have advice on how to work it in if it is something you enjoy and want to continue? Otherwise I would make your focus a bodybuilding program. Definitely want to lift while in surplus so you can gain muscle.

    Continue to bulk (I would say at least until you are no longer underweight.. and then some extra) and then you can switch to maintenance or a small cut, then repeat. Again and again and again.

    This could possibly take many years so just keep your eye on the prize. I am the same height as you and now am 140lbs, muscular, larger glutes and lower body but fairly lean in the waist.

    I was hoping you would reply! Yes, I am underweight. You see, I thought that I should get really lean and then increase calories to a surplus from there...i was wrong. Which is why i was rethinking it.
    I forgot to mention that when I stop crossfit and start weightlifting again I intend on adding an additional lifting day for upper body.
    I realize 6 months of lifting at a surplus isn't much but it's better than nothing right?

    I don't know anything about strong curves but I'll look it up!

    Any tips on when to add weight to the bar without injuring myself?

    Did you have skinny limbs before you started weightlifting?
    I don't think i can get to 140 with additional muscle! Lol

    Thank you do much for replying! You always give great advice!
  • sardelsa
    sardelsa Posts: 9,812 Member
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    Whatever program you follow, it usually gives you instructions how to progress. Typically, you will want to increase weights when you can complete your sets with proper form. But progression can come in many forms, so increasing weight, increasing reps, decreasing rest, increasing volume, etc.

    Yea I was very lean, I was around 121lbs when I started bulk/cut cycles. I have been lifting for over 3 years. You don't have to get to 140lbs or anything, but if you do, it won't happen in one cycle. It takes many years and cycles.

    My upper body is still fairly lean (compared to my lower at least). Some people find Strong Curves a bit lacking in the upper department, mostly because there is such a huge focus on the lower body (and by definition if it focused on everything, you really aren't focusing anymore right!) some people add more volume or an extra upper day. That is what I did.

    No problem, always happy to help best I can!
  • rybo
    rybo Posts: 5,424 Member
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    I wouldn't worry about the long plans you have. I'm not sure I understand them anyway. Your biggest goal just needs to be eating & following a decent lifting plan that is geared towards hypertrophy. If CrossFit is making it harder to eat enough, why wait to stop doing it? (Or conversely, just eat more calorie dense foods and enjoy the conditioning aspect of it)
    Also as u might be realizing, fitness isn't a part time thing you can do and expect results.
  • Thepants22
    Thepants22 Posts: 11 Member
    edited March 2018
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    rybo wrote: »
    I wouldn't worry about the long plans you have. I'm not sure I understand them anyway. Your biggest goal just needs to be eating & following a decent lifting plan that is geared towards hypertrophy. If CrossFit is making it harder to eat enough, why wait to stop doing it? (Or conversely, just eat more calorie dense foods and enjoy the conditioning aspect of it)
    Also as u might be realizing, fitness isn't a part time thing you can do and expect results.

    Thanks for replying! I only do crossfit when I'm trying to lose fat in part because I don't want to make up those calories by doing more food prep! Lol. And, yeah, fitness is not my goal. It's body composition. Fitness is a plus while I'm giving it go. Basically I wanted to see if I can build muscle mass in my thighs and glutes while keeping fat off of my belly and love handles. Maybe I won't be able to do it but I'm going to keep trying as long as feel motivated to do it!
  • sardelsa
    sardelsa Posts: 9,812 Member
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    Thepants22 wrote: »
    rybo wrote: »
    I wouldn't worry about the long plans you have. I'm not sure I understand them anyway. Your biggest goal just needs to be eating & following a decent lifting plan that is geared towards hypertrophy. If CrossFit is making it harder to eat enough, why wait to stop doing it? (Or conversely, just eat more calorie dense foods and enjoy the conditioning aspect of it)
    Also as u might be realizing, fitness isn't a part time thing you can do and expect results.

    Thanks for replying! I only do crossfit when I'm trying to lose fat in part because I don't want to make up those calories by doing more good prep! Lol. And, yeah, fitness is not my goal. It's body composition. Fitness is a plus while I'm giving it go. Basically I wanted to see if I can build muscle mass in my thighs and glutes while keeping fat off of my belly and love handles. Maybe I won't be able to do it but I'm going to keep trying as long as feel motivated to do it!

    Unfortunately, fat goes where it goes. Genetics may be in your favour, but if not once you get to goal and you are no longer underweight, you can work on losing some of the fat gained, either by recomp or a small cut, depending on your stats at that point.
  • Thepants22
    Thepants22 Posts: 11 Member
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    sardelsa wrote: »
    Thepants22 wrote: »
    rybo wrote: »
    I wouldn't worry about the long plans you have. I'm not sure I understand them anyway. Your biggest goal just needs to be eating & following a decent lifting plan that is geared towards hypertrophy. If CrossFit is making it harder to eat enough, why wait to stop doing it? (Or conversely, just eat more calorie dense foods and enjoy the conditioning aspect of it)
    Also as u might be realizing, fitness isn't a part time thing you can do and expect results.

    Thanks for replying! I only do crossfit when I'm trying to lose fat in part because I don't want to make up those calories by doing more good prep! Lol. And, yeah, fitness is not my goal. It's body composition. Fitness is a plus while I'm giving it go. Basically I wanted to see if I can build muscle mass in my thighs and glutes while keeping fat off of my belly and love handles. Maybe I won't be able to do it but I'm going to keep trying as long as feel motivated to do it!

    Unfortunately, fat goes where it goes. Genetics may be in your favour, but if not once you get to goal and you are no longer underweight, you can work on losing some of the fat gained, either by recomp or a small cut, depending on your stats at that point.

    Yup! Which for me is my belly and love handles. Which is what my winter cut is for. I'll reach maintenance calories in 2 weeks and keep going up. Hopefully next year will turn out better after weightlifting at a surplus this late summer/fall.

    Thanks for the advice on increasing weight on the barbell as well!
  • Keladelphia
    Keladelphia Posts: 820 Member
    edited March 2018
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    I don't have a ton to add but I will say when you do decide to cut I definitely would not be eating at a deficit of 400-500 calories per day during the cut, especially with how small you are already. I personally think it's too aggressive of a deficit. You don't want to lose any more of that muscle mass that you built while you were lifting in a surplus than necessary.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,874 Member
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    Thepants22 wrote: »
    rybo wrote: »
    I wouldn't worry about the long plans you have. I'm not sure I understand them anyway. Your biggest goal just needs to be eating & following a decent lifting plan that is geared towards hypertrophy. If CrossFit is making it harder to eat enough, why wait to stop doing it? (Or conversely, just eat more calorie dense foods and enjoy the conditioning aspect of it)
    Also as u might be realizing, fitness isn't a part time thing you can do and expect results.

    Thanks for replying! I only do crossfit when I'm trying to lose fat in part because I don't want to make up those calories by doing more good prep! Lol. And, yeah, fitness is not my goal. It's body composition. Fitness is a plus while I'm giving it go. Basically I wanted to see if I can build muscle mass in my thighs and glutes while keeping fat off of my belly and love handles. Maybe I won't be able to do it but I'm going to keep trying as long as feel motivated to do it!

    I think his point was that when you stop, you lose your gains when you don't continue to work...whether that's body composition or other fitness. You say May "Freedom"...taking off a few months of lifting will impact your body composition and you aren't going to get where you want to get. People who build their physiques don't bulk and then cut and then stop lifting for a few months only to have to start over again.
  • CharlieBeansmomTracey
    CharlieBeansmomTracey Posts: 7,682 Member
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    stopping lifting for a few months will also result in possibly not being able to lift as heavy as you were. your strength will wane. I learned that the hard way.Im basically having to start lifting again because I took so much time off from lifting that its like Im a newbie again. had I stuck with it I wouldnt have to start from square one.
  • Thepants22
    Thepants22 Posts: 11 Member
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    Keladelphia wrote: »
    I don't have a ton to add but I will say when you do decide to cut I definitely would not be eating at a deficit of 400-500 calories per day during the cut, especially with how small you are already. I personally think it's too aggressive of a deficit. You don't want to lose any more of that muscle mass that you built while you were lifting in a surplus than necessary.

    Yeah you are right...i get ants in my pants. And meal prepping takes a lot of time. I guess it will depend on how much fat i put on if the ants start up. Thanks so much!
  • Thepants22
    Thepants22 Posts: 11 Member
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    CharlieBeansmomTracey wrote: »
    stopping lifting for a few months will also result in possibly not being able to lift as heavy as you were. your strength will wane. I learned that the hard way.Im basically having to start lifting again because I took so much time off from lifting that its like Im a newbie again. had I stuck with it I wouldnt have to start from square one.

    You are not wrong, same as Cwolfman13. I know it would be better to stick with it year round but I don't have that level of dedication to it. So my question was if it was good plan considering I don't do much during the summer. Even getting myself to lift in late summer this year will be tough.
    Everyone has levels of dedication. I go hard when I'm in it but I can't keep it up or rather I don't have interest in keeping it up. That why I do larger deficits, I just don't want to do it for very long. Maybe I'll change over the years but right now creating the expectation for myself to do it year round would result in me giving up and hating it, ya know?
    My reasons for doing it are frivolous really...especially considering that other people on here work very hard everyday and it is up there on their priority list. But I want to do the best I can while I am doing it.
  • Thepants22
    Thepants22 Posts: 11 Member
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    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    Thepants22 wrote: »
    CharlieBeansmomTracey wrote: »
    stopping lifting for a few months will also result in possibly not being able to lift as heavy as you were. your strength will wane. I learned that the hard way.Im basically having to start lifting again because I took so much time off from lifting that its like Im a newbie again. had I stuck with it I wouldnt have to start from square one.

    You are not wrong, same as Cwolfman13. I know it would be better to stick with it year round but I don't have that level of dedication to it. So my question was if it was good plan considering I don't do much during the summer. Even getting myself to lift in late summer this year will be tough.
    Everyone has levels of dedication. I go hard when I'm in it but I can't keep it up or rather I don't have interest in keeping it up. That why I do larger deficits, I just don't want to do it for very long. Maybe I'll change over the years but right now creating the expectation for myself to do it year round would result in me giving up and hating it, ya know?
    My reasons for doing it are frivolous really...especially considering that other people on here work very hard everyday and it is up there on their priority list. But I want to do the best I can while I am doing it.

    The thing is, your goal is to put on a fairly significant amount of lean mass...building a big booty and thighs is a significant amount of mass...that takes dedication.

    I'm not that particularly dedicated to the weight room either...I go 2-3x per week just to maintain my lean mass and bone density...I certainly don't expect to sport 6 pack abs and be especially muscular doing what I do and given my level of dedication.

    I have no issue at all with people doing what they can do realistically...I'm exactly that way...but you have to have reasonable expectations of the outcome as well. I will never be an underwear model...I do not have the dietary discipline nor the weight room discipline to achieve that look.

    I love that you get the level of dedication thing.
    Ive always said that I can't build muscle mass, but I wanted to put it to the test. It would be cool to get a booty but you are right (as others have mentioned as well) I may not be able to get a big booty especially not doing it year round. I might have settle for my little round booty. But I really want to find out. I'm 37 yr old who has had 3 kids and I love to drink so I'll never have a fitness model body! It just turned from trying to lose post pregnancy fat after my second to this stage where I want to go next level and build mass. At some point I may lose all interest in all this and then wish I had tried, ya know?
  • CharlieBeansmomTracey
    CharlieBeansmomTracey Posts: 7,682 Member
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    Thepants22 wrote: »
    CharlieBeansmomTracey wrote: »
    stopping lifting for a few months will also result in possibly not being able to lift as heavy as you were. your strength will wane. I learned that the hard way.Im basically having to start lifting again because I took so much time off from lifting that its like Im a newbie again. had I stuck with it I wouldnt have to start from square one.

    You are not wrong, same as Cwolfman13. I know it would be better to stick with it year round but I don't have that level of dedication to it. So my question was if it was good plan considering I don't do much during the summer. Even getting myself to lift in late summer this year will be tough.
    Everyone has levels of dedication. I go hard when I'm in it but I can't keep it up or rather I don't have interest in keeping it up. That why I do larger deficits, I just don't want to do it for very long. Maybe I'll change over the years but right now creating the expectation for myself to do it year round would result in me giving up and hating it, ya know?
    My reasons for doing it are frivolous really...especially considering that other people on here work very hard everyday and it is up there on their priority list. But I want to do the best I can while I am doing it.

    for the goals you are wanting I think you need to at least try to keep up with it. you dont want to lose what you built do you? its would be like wanting to crochet a blanket and being half way through and just unraveling what you finished. only to start over again at another time.

    the thing is it takes time to build muscle and if you want to build a big booty and bigger thighs its going to take time. could take years. you have to decide how bad you want those things and stick with it,lifting all year and taking summer off to me is pointless,but thats me.even if you do it twice a week at least you are sticking with it. you arent going to accomplish your goals if you dont stick with it and keep taking time off.

    you are just going to keep spinning your wheels and it will take you even longer to get to where you want to be or you may not get there at all. larger deficits mean more chance of lean mass being lost,not to mention large deficits at your current weight are not healthy.

    also the older you get the harder its going to be to build muscle .
  • Thepants22
    Thepants22 Posts: 11 Member
    edited March 2018
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    CharlieBeansmomTracey wrote: »
    Thepants22 wrote: »
    CharlieBeansmomTracey wrote: »
    stopping lifting for a few months will also result in possibly not being able to lift as heavy as you were. your strength will wane. I learned that the hard way.Im basically having to start lifting again because I took so much time off from lifting that its like Im a newbie again. had I stuck with it I wouldnt have to start from square one.

    You are not wrong, same as Cwolfman13. I know it would be better to stick with it year round but I don't have that level of dedication to it. So my question was if it was good plan considering I don't do much during the summer. Even getting myself to lift in late summer this year will be tough.
    Everyone has levels of dedication. I go hard when I'm in it but I can't keep it up or rather I don't have interest in keeping it up. That why I do larger deficits, I just don't want to do it for very long. Maybe I'll change over the years but right now creating the expectation for myself to do it year round would result in me giving up and hating it, ya know?
    My reasons for doing it are frivolous really...especially considering that other people on here work very hard everyday and it is up there on their priority list. But I want to do the best I can while I am doing it.

    for the goals you are wanting I think you need to at least try to keep up with it. you dont want to lose what you built do you? its would be like wanting to crochet a blanket and being half way through and just unraveling what you finished. only to start over again at another time.

    the thing is it takes time to build muscle and if you want to build a big booty and bigger thighs its going to take time. could take years. you have to decide how bad you want those things and stick with it,lifting all year and taking summer off to me is pointless,but thats me.even if you do it twice a week at least you are sticking with it. you arent going to accomplish your goals if you dont stick with it and keep taking time off.

    you are just going to keep spinning your wheels and it will take you even longer to get to where you want to be or you may not get there at all. larger deficits mean more chance of lean mass being lost,not to mention large deficits at your current weight are not healthy.

    also the older you get the harder its going to be to build muscle .

    Lol...funny because I literally have a lot of half crocheted blankets.
    Yeah I did it the wrong way this year. I'll be up in weight next year when I cut though. But like many women I hate my belly fat and love handles!
  • Thepants22
    Thepants22 Posts: 11 Member
    edited March 2018
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    Just wanted to say thank you to everyone who replied. It's awesome that people are willing to take time out of their day to help a stranger!
    I know my plan is not perfect and I'll keep making mistakes but its interesting giving it a go. Adding weightlifting has been huge! I no longer have a deflated butt when I diet. Even adding a little more butt and thighs would be an accomplishment.
    I'll try doing a slower cut next year. But even though it would be better to weightlift all year I know I won't stick to it, I'll just have to live with the half *kitten* results. Get it? Lol...I'm a dork.

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