How to attain a slender look

13

Replies

  • mommy3457
    mommy3457 Posts: 361 Member
    "In summary, training plans should be tailored to the individual and are dependent upon genetics, logistics, preferences, and goals. There is no one-size fits all approach to strength training and we all need to respect the various training methodologies."

    - Bret Contreras in "How to Attain a Slender Look (like Jessica Alba & Zoe Saldana)"

    This is so true. I wish more held this perspective.
  • BeachIron
    BeachIron Posts: 6,490 Member
    It's a good read and not much different what you see heavy lifters saying in many of the "I don't want to look bulky" threads. His big point is to focus on fat loss and then avoid progressive overload as the person progresses.

    I quote from the article:

    My primary advice to ladies seeking the “slender model look,” however, is the following:

    Wait until you start getting “bulky” or “overly muscular” until you decide to switch up your training.

    Start off training just like other fit women. Wait til you get too bulky to admonish heavy strength training. Many women never bulk up or develop bulging muscles. This is why the typical strength training advice – to focus on progressive overload on a handful of primary movement patterns – works for a good percentage of women.

    Moreover, any muscle that a women packs on will elevate their metabolic rate and help them lose bodyfat. So the training itself and the adaptations the training imposes will help women reduce their bodyfat levels and improve body composition.

    Considering that 69% of Americans are either overweight or obese, most women should be more concerned with losing weight and fat rather than packing on muscle. When women lean out sufficiently, they lose the fat that hides their muscles so that they can start to see whether or not they indeed have too much muscle.
  • firstsip
    firstsip Posts: 8,399 Member
    6. Faster pace – you want dense sessions that are metabolically demanding. There’s no need to rest longer than 90 seconds, as you can employ paired supersets that combine non-competing lower body and upper body movements. A 60 second rest period is the usual here.

    I don't know if it's because I haven't had my full cup of coffee yet, but can someone elaborate on this bit? Specifically the "you can employ paired supersets that combine non-competing lower body and upper body movements"?

    It's like following a set of squats with a set of OHP instead of squat set, squat set, squat set....

    Ah, thank you!
  • fatzant
    fatzant Posts: 40
    hmmmmm I cant decide what id prefer slender look or some muscles here and there, either way that was great read, need to make choice!
  • boophil
    boophil Posts: 99 Member
    Bumping for later - just got called into a meeting!
  • crista_b
    crista_b Posts: 1,192 Member
    "In summary, training plans should be tailored to the individual and are dependent upon genetics, logistics, preferences, and goals. There is no one-size fits all approach to strength training and we all need to respect the various training methodologies."

    - Bret Contreras in "How to Attain a Slender Look (like Jessica Alba & Zoe Saldana)"

    This is so true. I wish more held this perspective.
    Yes! That quote needs to be repeated on MFP constantly! Some people forget that everyone is different and will get upset and quit trying if they aren't getting the same results as someone else. "Well how come (s)he lost 20lbs and looks toned, but when I did the same routine, I only lost 5lbs and still look 'soft'?!! Waaahhh! I give up!" *facepalm* Tailor your training and caloric intake to yourself to get the results you are looking for in your body, not someone else's.
  • nomeejerome
    nomeejerome Posts: 2,616 Member
    Great read. Thanks. :drinker:
  • Nix143
    Nix143 Posts: 522 Member
    Really, really interesting.

    Now, I've just got to get to the stage where this is an issue :laugh:
  • BinaryPulsar
    BinaryPulsar Posts: 8,927 Member
    Because of the pics, this link is not safe for work! Learned the hard way ><

    Sorry! My husband told me the same thing happened when he clicked on it. I'm a dancer. And I'm so used to reading fitness articles, I forgot that to onlookers it just looks like a bunch of photos of scantily clad women and their booties. I should have said something in the OP, but did not realize. I'll remember that in the future.

    Great comments everyone. And great sharing of quotes and content in the article.

    I agree that everyone should start out weight lifting and that the article shows why weight lifting is so important to all physique goals. My other take away from the article was that I can just keep doing my thang (as he says) because I am getting great results that I love, it works for me, and it is right in line with what he is saying.
  • M00NPYE
    M00NPYE Posts: 193 Member
    bump for later
  • creech6317
    creech6317 Posts: 869 Member
    Bump for later, the article was very interesting, I want to get some more information later.
  • BinaryPulsar
    BinaryPulsar Posts: 8,927 Member
    Interesting, but I don't feel that I've come away with any solid advice from the article.

    Seriously? I thought it was an excellent article packed full of good advice. :drinker:

    Agreed

    Yeah!
    I want to read this but it's blocked at work!! Can anyone copy and paste it?

    The article is really too long for that, and it is picture heavy as well.
  • lcvaughn520
    lcvaughn520 Posts: 219 Member
    I definitely think it's interesting that he notes now some female strength and fitness experts have a hard time relating to women who do not share the same aestetic in terms of how they want their bodies to look. I have definitely found that to be the case - I told my trainer that, although I respect women who get very muscular and strong, it's not what I want for my body. She kind of scoffed at me and acted like I was objectively "wrong."

    Now, I'm nowhere near looking like Jessica Alba or Zoe Saldana, so I will continue my heavy lifting regime, but I do appreciate this man's objective viewpoint and discussion on this issue. Good read!
  • tlab827
    tlab827 Posts: 155 Member
    Bump for later.
  • sillygoosie
    sillygoosie Posts: 1,109 Member
    TL;DR Just kidding. I read the whole thing and I rarely finish fitness articles. They are usually the same BS you read everywhere.

    This was actually very helpful for me in the stage I'm in right now. I'm not necessarily trying to become slender but I still found this a lot more useful than most other things I read. Thanks!
  • codycsweet
    codycsweet Posts: 1,019 Member
    Good info thanks for the link
  • BinaryPulsar
    BinaryPulsar Posts: 8,927 Member
    TL;DR Just kidding. I read the whole thing and I rarely finish fitness articles. They are usually the same BS you read everywhere.

    This was actually very helpful for me in the stage I'm in right now. I'm not necessarily trying to become slender but I still found this a lot more useful than most other things I read. Thanks!

    :smile:

    Yeah, I'm personally not trying to be slender. But, I just am naturally slender and always have been. I'm also fit and I have a booty (and fairly muscular legs). I just like maintaining my body as it is naturally and continuing to work on my figure, fitness, and dancing abilities. Because I know that I can "use it or lose it". And I have found that I do like training for my own personal physique goals and have found areas I like to work on more and other areas in which I am happy with where I am at and don't want to change it.
  • BexleyGirl
    BexleyGirl Posts: 102
    Bump
  • Fithealthyforlife
    Fithealthyforlife Posts: 866 Member
    This is a very well thought out and balanced article - not surprising considering the source.

    Very true, Sara.

    Man, this guy is smart and very considerate and well-thought-out. Not your typical loudmouth trainer writing a column. I've bookmarked his page. I'm bulking and I got a lot out of the article!

    Thanks, Binary! (We meet again :flowerforyou: ).


    .
  • cats847
    cats847 Posts: 131
    "Now, the majority of lifters (men and women) aren’t very good at lifting. They never progress that far because they don’t understand proper form, proper intensity, and proper program design. Therefore, there’s a sort of built-in safety net for female lifters not seeking advanced muscular development. When very good coaches and trainers train their clients, however, they often achieve very rapid results. Skilled female lifters with good kinaesthetic awareness and a genetic propensity toward building muscle tend to see rapid results too, and these are the ladies who speak up and heavy progressive resistance training and its tendency to add too much bulk. The typical response in the industry to these ladies is to tell them that women are unable to get too muscular. This is both foolish and myopic as it depends on the woman’s training, genetics, and goals." -- from the article

    I liked this part a lot. Finally, it's refreshing to see somebody mentioning this fact about women's bodies in an honest and open way. I'm sick of the "if you're a woman, you'll never bulk up while lifting heavy" nonsense that's regurgitated over and over again. Of course most women will not...but some will...and it's time people recognized and acknowledged that. For some women, that's their goal. For others, it isn't. And that's fine!

    I like Bret's emphasis that it's ok to have different fitness goals. Everyone can do whatever they want to their own body. :smile:
  • BinaryPulsar
    BinaryPulsar Posts: 8,927 Member
    "Now, the majority of lifters (men and women) aren’t very good at lifting. They never progress that far because they don’t understand proper form, proper intensity, and proper program design. Therefore, there’s a sort of built-in safety net for female lifters not seeking advanced muscular development. When very good coaches and trainers train their clients, however, they often achieve very rapid results. Skilled female lifters with good kinaesthetic awareness and a genetic propensity toward building muscle tend to see rapid results too, and these are the ladies who speak up and heavy progressive resistance training and its tendency to add too much bulk. The typical response in the industry to these ladies is to tell them that women are unable to get too muscular. This is both foolish and myopic as it depends on the woman’s training, genetics, and goals." -- from the article

    I liked this part a lot. Finally, it's refreshing to see somebody mentioning this fact about women's bodies in an honest and open way. I'm sick of the "if you're a woman, you'll never bulk up while lifting heavy" nonsense that's regurgitated over and over again. Of course most women will not...but some will...and it's time people recognized and acknowledged that. For some women, that's their goal. For others, it isn't. And that's fine!

    I like Bret's emphasis that it's ok to have different fitness goals. Everyone can do whatever they want to their own body. :smile:

    Also some women have a different level of what they consider to be bulked up enough for themselves, than a man would. So, it's ridiculous when men respond by saying that they wish they could bulk up as much as all the women are saying they have. Just the fact that they are saying that proves the point that sometimes women and men have different goals. And not all women or all men collectively have the same goals as a gender. There's nothing wrong with having different goals. It's only an issues when people are back and forth insulting the other person's body, incorrect perception of their health, or goals.

    Bret writes a ton of great articles!
  • spectralmoon
    spectralmoon Posts: 1,179 Member
    Loved it.
  • jayjay12345654321
    jayjay12345654321 Posts: 653 Member
    I thought the article was very interesting. Glutes are my concern, too. I think the last pics of Jessica Simpson should have been left out, though. She admitted in an interview that she was wearing padded panties in that Dukes of Hazzard promo photo to make her butt look bigger. Her body was awesome, legs especially, but if the topic is glutes, she cheated on that one. All of the other examples were great and inspirational.
  • towens00
    towens00 Posts: 1,033 Member
    Great article!
  • NavyKnightAh13
    NavyKnightAh13 Posts: 1,394 Member
    bumping for a later read.
  • eileen0515
    eileen0515 Posts: 408 Member
    bump
  • mareeee1234
    mareeee1234 Posts: 674 Member
    GREAT ARTICLE!!
  • glocke12
    glocke12 Posts: 21
    "In the US, the average daily caloric intake is around 3,770 calories." Seriously?? Wow...

    i think there have been times where I have come close to that number in one sitting. :(
  • ijohn001
    ijohn001 Posts: 166
    Bump for later.
  • BinaryPulsar
    BinaryPulsar Posts: 8,927 Member
    This is a very well thought out and balanced article - not surprising considering the source.

    Very true, Sara.

    Man, this guy is smart and very considerate and well-thought-out. Not your typical loudmouth trainer writing a column. I've bookmarked his page. I'm bulking and I got a lot out of the article!

    Thanks, Binary! (We meet again :flowerforyou: ).


    .

    You're Welcome!

    I guess we must cross paths in similiar threads on mfp?

    Glad people liked the article. :flowerforyou:
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