Looking to lean up.... am I doing it right?

Bambi716

Hi

So I've managed to lose about 12 pounds since I started on here in the middle of May after I was allowed back to exercise after knee surgery. I'm now the lowest weight I've been since my early teens, and could probably stand to lose more, BUT, I'm just getting back into rugby so want for there to be at least a little bit of resistance when the big girls come aiming at me! So am looking to try to lean up what I've got! (Not a clue on my bf % as I haven't got around to source some calipers.

My problem is that I don't really have much time to get into the gym for strength training (I do try to get there for 1 session every couple of weeks, but will be trying to go once a week from now on, but struggle with burn out if I do more than 1 more sessions a week on top of rugby training twice a week, hockey training once a week and now the season has started a hockey/rugby game at the weekend.

So basically, what I'm getting at is that I need to maximise the strength training that I'm doing to try to make sure I hit all areas and maintain my muscle mass and then make sure that I'm eating right.

As a flavour, my gym session last night was (all free weights):

10 reps bench press 15kgs
10 reps overhead press 15kgs/10kgs for 2nd and 3rd set
10 reps barbell row 15kgs
10 reps squats 15 kgs
10 reps straight leg lifts 15 kgs
10 reps deadlift 30kgs

3 mins crunches (slow ie up for slow count 4, down for slow count 4)

repeat 3 times but adding 2 more reps to each repeat

Total time about 45 mins

Food wise, I have good days and bad days, not quiet managed to find my maintainance calories (I struggle with the TDEE calculation as the amount of exercise and types changes from week to week, enough that I can't be consistant), but I've opened my diary if anyone can give me a hint on what I can add/take away.

I'm a bit of a fussy eater which doesn't help me out much, I don't really eat much red meat (corned beef being about it) because to be honest I just don't like it so often substitute Quorn. I do eat fish (but not tuna) and I hate cottage cheese and although I'm eating it at the moment I'm not a huge fan of peanut butter both of which seem to be the go to options to up protein levels! I've also heard that you should eat little and often and tend to mainly eat 4 times a day (I tried 5 but really struggled). I'm also sticking pretty much to the same foods week after week which after 4 months is starting to get a little boring so any suggestions to switch things up a little to stop me getting bored would be nice!

Any and all help appreciated!

Bambi

Oh figures:

26 year old female
5'4"
140 lbs
Bust 30"
Waist 28"
Hips 36"

Edited to put my proper measurements in!

refuseresist

If you don't have much time, life heavier weights, if your injury is all better?
Especially on the bench, squat, deadlift. Look at increasing the weight a little each time you do it.

Tydeclare44

It seems to be decent! Just be careful of overtraining and overestimating!

Overtraining - When rugby starts, be sure to give your body time to rest. Just listen to your body, it will tell you if it is able to go to the gym.
Overestimating - MFP seems to overestimate caloric burn at the gym, so just be careful of that. I'd say the most accurate way is to invest in a heart monitor

DannehBoyy

Just get to the gym as much as you can and get on the weights. What you do at the gym sounds great for building muscle...if you keep doing that, good things will happen. Just keep on adding more weight and lifting as heavy as you can. You've also gotta make sure you're eating enough, and getting a lot of protein. I wouldn't worry about doing cardio at the gym because it sounds like you're already doing that with all the sport that you do. Hope this helps

jstout365

Getting leaner (losing fat) comes from your diet. To do that, you will want to be in a slight to moderate calorie deficit (losing .5-1 lb a week). Lifting will aid in that goal by protecting your lean mass while you lose fat. Getting adequate protein also helps push the loss to predominantly fat.

As for your non-lifting schedule and burn out with more than one session a week, well, that is a tough one. I would recommend checking out the Eat, Train, Progress group here on MFP and ask for their advice. Since diet will be the key to leaning out, there may be other lifting programs that will reduce burnout, but be more supportive of your sports. You may also find more strength progress from performing lower rep sets at higher weights.

As for the more mass in rugby......if you have the strength in your core and legs, you can use the strength to plant yourself and move them through sheer power in the scrum. I've known some small women who could push a ton of weight around with raw strength. A few pounds of body weight won't make as big of an impact as some who can push over a hundred pounds of weight around with just their legs.

Good luck and I hope you find a good balance.

Bambi716

Thanks for all the help, nice to know I'm heading on the right track.

I have been signed off by physio and doctor after the surgery so no problems on the training issue.

By getting leaner, I am still looking to maintain my current weight but shed the excess fat so put on the muscle. I'm hoping that by adding the muscle (and so 'useful' weight) it will help me be stronger than I look rather than just piling on the pounds without the added strength that it would give me!

My problem with my gym is that it's a women's gym and when I do use the free weights I have no-one to spot me when I get into difficulty and they have no rack either! (They provide the weights but anything over 40kgs is getting to the edge of the bars as the biggest plates they have are 5kgs). So guess I err on the side of caution, I am slowly upping the weight though but my arms/shoulders don't seem to be making much progress recently even though definition is starting to show.

But thanks for the help... all other advice is appreciated! Especially on the protein side!

Springfield1970

Why don't you join a different gym? 5kg limit is ridiculous. I'm small and need 20kg plates to start with, which I've built up to over a long time btw. I just don't feel anything unless I'm dead lifting 55kg plus. You will be amazed at the results of a proper bulk. Check out the group 'women who bulk'.

jstout365

By getting leaner, I am still looking to maintain my current weight but shed the excess fat so put on the muscle. I'm hoping that by adding the muscle (and so 'useful' weight) it will help me be stronger than I look rather than just piling on the pounds without the added strength that it would give me!

Yep, you are looking to recomp. Eat at maintenance and keep lifting. It is a SLOW process, but can happen. You may find some benefit early on with body weight work in addition to the weights. You are on the right track.

Sorry to hear about the gym situation. Like springfield said, I'd look for a different gym, but that is sometimes easier said than done.