Lets see some muscle chicks (real ones)

24

Replies

  • donna_glasgow
    donna_glasgow Posts: 869 Member
    can I have body like that please ... worth every penny of $600 id say, well done on your success, you look truly amazing.

    I don't have any "after pics" im still very much in the "before" section :), I am only just starting to look into weights as I still have around 1 1/2 stone to lose and I need to drop BF as I'm currently way too high at 29.2% , that is my main focus at the moment :)
  • autumnk921
    autumnk921 Posts: 1,374 Member
    I for one came to this topic to actually SEE some amazing pics of the women on MFP who have lean, tone, muscles to help inspire me and others. I am new to lifting but I WILL get there and I WILL be posting my before and after pictures then but for now I would love to see how other womens strength training has paid off for them to keep me inspired!!!

    To the OP, thank you for starting this post and I hope we see others showing their guns on here as well!!!:happy:

    You look AMAZING!!!!
  • californiagirl2012
    californiagirl2012 Posts: 2,625 Member
    I wish I knew your workout. You look awesome!:bigsmile:

    I write about it on my blog here on MFP if you are interested in it... http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/californiagirl2012
  • girlykate143
    girlykate143 Posts: 220 Member
    Wow, you're what gorgeous looks like! Wonderful. I always have said that age is just a number. I have 30 year old friends that look like they're 50, so it doesn't matter. It's how you treat your body and your mind that matters.

    I'm lifting, and I do not have before and after photos yet because I've only started weight training again about 3 weeks ago.
  • iWaffle
    iWaffle Posts: 2,208 Member
    I have to say, I'm not a fan of the veins in the last photo but I understand they're under strain...they aren't showing in the photo from a week ago when you were more relaxed.

    They don't look quite so defined or noticeable when you're just sitting at work doing nothing so don't think that working out hard will give you this look 24/7. My body fat isn't quite that low but my veins stand out really well when I'm hot or working out/running and my blood pressure is up. Most of the time they're there if you look but not super noticeable.

    Getting this lean isn't a requirement for looking awesome but personally I totally appreciate the effort put into that. Honestly I tire of seeing the guy's bodybuilding scene where the only thing promoted is bulk, and size. Most guys at the gym work on getting bigger and bulkier with no attention to detail like this. To me they just look like they're strong and fat. Not my goal at all.
  • californiagirl2012
    californiagirl2012 Posts: 2,625 Member
    I have to say, I'm not a fan of the veins in the last photo but I understand they're under strain...they aren't showing in the photo from a week ago when you were more relaxed.

    They don't look quite so defined or noticeable when you're just sitting at work doing nothing so don't think that working out hard will give you this look 24/7. My body fat isn't quite that low but my veins stand out really well when I'm hot or working out/running and my blood pressure is up. Most of the time they're there if you look but not super noticeable.

    Getting this lean isn't a requirement for looking awesome but personally I totally appreciate the effort put into that. Honestly I tire of seeing the guy's bodybuilding scene where the only thing promoted is bulk, and size. Most guys at the gym work on getting bigger and bulkier with no attention to detail like this. To me they just look like they're strong and fat. Not my goal at all.

    I'm actually really small. But the veins are there even when I'm relaxed, just not not as may squiggly ones on the inside of the forearms.
  • californiagirl2012
    californiagirl2012 Posts: 2,625 Member
    It was not my goal to get these veins but anyone know why we get them when we workout? Here are mine relaxed. The guys seem to like them but I am not sure why. I am not a very big person, I think it might have more to do with being lean?

    veins3_zpsf14b3d90.jpg

    veins2_zps6736a97e.jpg

    veins1_zps5ec8570a.jpg
  • jwolfe0709
    jwolfe0709 Posts: 50 Member
    To the OP:
    You are a phlebotomist's dream :-D

    My veins are hidden by 'insulation' at the moment, but I hope to see them one day lol
  • niktherip
    niktherip Posts: 69 Member
    Wow impressive good working out great results
  • qtiekiki
    qtiekiki Posts: 1,490 Member
    When your muscle get bigger, it needs more blood supply so the veins grow bigger. The smooth muscles surrounding the blood vessels also grow to help control blood flow; the smooth muscles are responsible for contracting and expanding the blood vessels. Also low body fat means the hypodermal layer of the skin is thinner, and the vessel shows more.

    You look amazing.
  • RunXstrong
    RunXstrong Posts: 73
    yes, you look awesome. Hope to get there myself.
  • donrdon
    donrdon Posts: 216 Member
    Awesome results. Great work.
  • californiagirl2012
    californiagirl2012 Posts: 2,625 Member
    When your muscle get bigger, it needs more blood supply so the veins grow bigger. The smooth muscles surrounding the blood vessels also grow to help control blood flow; the smooth muscles are responsible for contracting and expanding the blood vessels. Also low body fat means the hypodermal layer of the skin is thinner, and the vessel shows more.

    You look amazing.

    Thank you. I always find your comments helpful. :)
  • californiagirl2012
    californiagirl2012 Posts: 2,625 Member
    To the OP:
    You are a phlebotomist's dream :-D

    My veins are hidden by 'insulation' at the moment, but I hope to see them one day lol

    Mine were hidden most of my life with "insulation" LOL. That's why I'm finding this so fascinating. This is still all new to me. :) And FUN.

    And oh yes the phlebotomists at the blood bank love it. I donate every 8 weeks because I'm O- and they need it for the babies. Actually they laugh because they are like ropes now and it end up splattering... LOL, no more white T-shirts when I go donate blood now!
  • guapogringo
    guapogringo Posts: 201
    Dang impressive.
  • 3foldchord
    3foldchord Posts: 2,918 Member
    awesome results for your hard work! Kudos!
    I do not have muscular pictures.


    yet.
  • shammxo
    shammxo Posts: 1,432 Member
    You're INCREDIBLE. Putting on muscle like that takes a lot of dedication, and you look fantastic...

    Such an inspiration!
  • teakwood
    teakwood Posts: 7 Member
    SPAM!!!!
  • sarah44254
    sarah44254 Posts: 3,078 Member
    I have no results like this to share.... yet. :wink:

    You look fantastic!
  • lcooke24
    lcooke24 Posts: 115 Member
    Jawdropping! You look amazing!
  • theartichoke
    theartichoke Posts: 816 Member
    Congratulations on your success! You look amazing!

    What did your calorie goal look like when you built all that muscle? How do you maintain your LBM at your current intake? Based upon my *very* limited knowledge this isn't possible. Thanks!
  • DawnEH612
    DawnEH612 Posts: 574 Member
    I don't use any specific program. I just do my own thing. I wonder sometimes, if I had someone to guide me, such as a personal trainer, how much more could I fine tune my body? Ultimately I'd like to loose more fat and incease muscle... Get to about 20% BF... But, all in due time.
  • californiagirl2012
    californiagirl2012 Posts: 2,625 Member
    I don't use any specific program. I just do my own thing. I wonder sometimes, if I had someone to guide me, such as a personal trainer, how much more could I fine tune my body? Ultimately I'd like to loose more fat and incease muscle... Get to about 20% BF... But, all in due time.

    That's how I was too. For over 30 years. I did this all on my own without a coach or PT. I believe The New Rules of Lifting for Women sounds like a pretty good program isn't it free? I think a predesigned program fit the bill for me. All you need is 3 days a week of a full body workout designed for women and that sounds like what The New Rules of Lifting for Women is, as is the Venus Index phase one for $40. The Venus Index also uses goals based on the Golden Ratio which you can find on the web http://www.webefit.com/articles_200-299/article_208_GoldenRatio.html

    The golden ratio was key for me realizing I could go beyond the limit I had set for myself (my limit was size 8), but reaching for the golden ratio got me down to a size 2-4.

    This and the fact that I realized it's okay to eat less when you are fat, eat more when your are lean.
  • Rosa1213
    Rosa1213 Posts: 456 Member
    WOW! You look incredible!
    This is the extent of my muscle definition. But I'm very proud of it :)
    photo_22.jpg
  • californiagirl2012
    californiagirl2012 Posts: 2,625 Member
    WOW! You look incredible!
    This is the extent of my muscle definition. But I'm very proud of it :)
    photo_22.jpg


    LOOKING GOOD! :) Keep going!
  • AlsDonkBoxSquat
    AlsDonkBoxSquat Posts: 6,128 Member
    I don't use any specific program. I just do my own thing. I wonder sometimes, if I had someone to guide me, such as a personal trainer, how much more could I fine tune my body? Ultimately I'd like to loose more fat and incease muscle... Get to about 20% BF... But, all in due time.

    That's how I was too. For over 30 years. I did this all on my own without a coach or PT. I believe The New Rules of Lifting for Women sounds like a pretty good program isn't it free? I think a predesigned program fit the bill for me. All you need is 3 days a week of a full body workout designed for women and that sounds like what The New Rules of Lifting for Women is, as is the Venus Index phase one for $40. The Venus Index also uses goals based on the Golden Ratio which you can find on the web http://www.webefit.com/articles_200-299/article_208_GoldenRatio.html

    The golden ratio was key for me realizing I could go beyond the limit I had set for myself (my limit was size 8), but reaching for the golden ratio got me down to a size 2-4.

    This and the fact that I realized it's okay to eat less when you are fat, eat more when your are lean.

    I do New Rules (you can either get it from the library for free or buy it at a book store . . . I have it on kindle), as soon as I moved off and onto another program I stopped seeing gains, so I'm back on it. I have to reboot here starting either this week or next as i took time off to do some mudding and didn't want to ruin my performance through training (DOMS would have slowed me down on course). I never took a real before picture, but this is just a silly picture from 2 weekends ago (in case of confusion, I'm the one in the middle):

    toughmudder.jpg

    and an action shot from May 19:

    altered.jpg

    I supposed this is sometime before, it's from late spring of last year, but I had already lost about 15 pounds by this point:

    old.jpg
  • kdiamond
    kdiamond Posts: 3,329 Member
    I think New Rules is a bit too advanced for you - but you might be able to tweak it. I've run through it twice now and while I think it is a good program, I got bored of it.

    I'm doing Jamie Eason LiveFit Trainer now (free on bb.com), about 1/2 way through phase 2. It is a split program, which is fun because I enjoy lifting more than anything else. I incorporate an additional leg day. I try not to do much cardio, 20 minutes of HIIT 3x a week is all I can muster. So far so good.

    30-day Shred is too easy, Crossfit is a great workout but clique-ish (that's my only knock on it, I didn't like the socializing and competition of it), I haven't tried P90x or anything but those get good results, except the people I know who did it burn out quickly though.

    You look great! You obviously realize heavy lifting is the way to go. :wink:
  • californiagirl2012
    californiagirl2012 Posts: 2,625 Member
    I do New Rules (you can either get it from the library for free or buy it at a book store . . . I have it on kindle), as soon as I moved off and onto another program I stopped seeing gains, so I'm back on it. I have to reboot here starting either this week or next as i took time off to do some mudding and didn't want to ruin my performance through training (DOMS would have slowed me down on course). I never took a real before picture, but this is just a silly picture from 2 weekends ago (in case of confusion, I'm the one in the middle):

    allabtlm YOU LOOK AWESOME. Great job!!! Thank you for this!

    Kdiamond you think New Rules is too advanced for me?

    This is what I do now. I now put weight lifting first and cardio second, but I still do cardio (mainly running). I change up everything all the time. My running is sometimes long easy runs, sometimes HIIT, sometimes shorter medium pace runs. My weight routine changes each day, each week, light circuits, heavy low rep sets, pyramids, a little bit of splits, constantly changing it up. I mostly do a lot of full body workouts with a lot of leg work. In addition to DL's and Squats I do Bulgarian Split Squats, Lunges, Reverse lunges, Curtsey lunges, Step Ups, Crossover Bench Step Ups, and a Lunge Matrix. And then I constantly change up the routine with Circuits, Intermittent Super Sets, Fibonacci Pyramids, X-sets, Progress Venus Pyramids, and some splits, everything a variety of Strength, Hypertrophy, and Endurance.
  • AEROBICVIC
    AEROBICVIC Posts: 159 Member
    You are incredible and my new inspiration!! im 43 and fight for a body like yours everyday! I will never quit until i get there! you look amazing! have you thought about competing in figure? I've been teaching aerobics for over 15 years and still at it. i have noticed my body has changed a lot within the last 5 years in a direction I don't like but I keep researching and learning new ideas and recipes. i have competed in bench contests with my son and husband, lift, teach 4-6 classes a week, run in summer, hit every Warrior Dash or mud run in our area, help teach MMA conditioning, boxing, indoor cycling and show horses. i keep changing my workouts and keep my body guessing, eat clean and enjoy the active life with my family. you'll see my dad playing racquetball (at age 75), my husband lifting and my son (14 years) and I going at it in MMA all in one evening. I have times when i get tired of busting *kitten* everyday with exercise and clean eating and not acheiving my goals but then i look around in a class im teaching or in MMA and see that im doing more than women my age and ppl half my age and that keeps me motivated to keep trying. minor health issues i have found out has a negative reaction with my weight (stress of purchasing, owning and selling a gym within a 4 year period). journaling for the last 9 years of food and workouts has helped me really get to know my body and how it reacts to life. i will keep you in my mind on the times when i get frustrated and want to skip the gym and sit at home or eat a whole cake..... you made this work, you are real and did it the real way. thank you for sharing your story and pics. you have just helped one more woman stay true to her goals and for that i thank you!
  • Sweetsugar0424
    Sweetsugar0424 Posts: 451 Member
    I have a long way to go before I have the kind of definition that you do, but the workout I've been doing for the past 6 months (approximately) is from Muscle and Fitness Hers. I bought a book that I found at the store that has over 100 different exercises ranging from beginning to intermediate and then advanced. I've never found anything before that broke down each exercise in such detail as well as has programs one can follow where things consistently change on a 6 week schedule. I love it and have just moved up to Advanced a week ago...it is TOUGH and I love it!

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