Question For all women that are lifting

First, what equipment do you have at home?

In regards to cutting fat, you simply need to be eating in a deficit, usually that's about 500 less calories than your TDEE.

As far as the program I run, I do my own programming. Right now I'm doing an Upper/Lower split lifting 4x/week. I do Cardio x1/week. I'd suggest something full body x3/week since you're a newbie. Find a program that works with the equipment you have and stick with it.

Hey Bren,

What are your goals? What are you trying to achieve by lifting? This will help us all point you in the right direction!

I just started Stronglifts 5x5 and love how simple it is. Five compound moves, three days a week. I also do cardio because I have a lot to lose and because I need to get outside and walk/run/bike a few times a week for my own sanity.

Hopefully I'll see some really awesome results from it!

For all the women out there lifting - what program are you using? I have the Book NROLFW, I have done some of Jamie Eason LiveFit and have the info for StrongLifts 5x5... Haven't completed any of the programs, I can't seem to get through the book and didn't finish Jamies program, but liked it.

What's everyone using and how do you like it. I need an easy to follow program that I can stick with, I don't go to a gym, but can do just about everything at home, and I am not afraid to lift heavy! I love lifting, I just do better when I have something to follow.

I am a runner, so I need to at least do that a couple days of week, because I enjoy it..

Would also like nutritional tips for cutting fat but I know that is a lot of info to, so might be another post.

Thank you so much everyone!

Currently, I'm doing a variation of Wendler 5/3/1(8/6/3) on a 4 day split. I'm going to cut it down to 3 days now that the weather is nice enough to do more outdoor running.

As far as the bold part, that comes down to diet.

I am a runner who supplements my running with lifting as well. When I was marathon training, I did the P90X videos 3 days per week, but only the upper body and core because I did not want to torch my legs. Last fall I started the NROLFW, using my own equipment which is just dumbbells. I had to make a lot of adaptations, but I got through the first 5 stages. I liked it ok, but it was getting to where I was going to need additional equipment and I wasn't sure it was the right investment for me because I didn't feel like I was seeing significant gains in strength. But I was also running about 30-35 mpw, so that could also have had an impact. High mileage running is not always the best idea if your goal is to increase strength and muscle mass. I kind of look at strength training as a means to preserve my muscle mass when I am running a lot, so I am not really sure what my expectations were. At any rate, I recently checked out the Stronglifts 5X5 program, but quickly figured out that it can not be done with dumbbells alone (even though I have heavy ones). I am currently looking at investing in a bar and rack to give it a try.

On a side note, I always have done at least one good strength oriented yoga workout per week when running. This has helped to keep my core strong and minimize risk of injuries.

I do a combination of a bunch of programs that I've discovered while researching heavy lifting. By trial and error I've found what works for me, what I like and what I don't like. I started with SL 5x5 and really like the concept of a few lifts every other day. Slowly I've added other things to it.

I'm another Stronglifts fan, but if you don't go to gym you'll need to make sure you have an olympic bar and the plates for it, as well as a bench and squat rack or you won't really be able to do it properly.

Stronglifts is easy to follow and if you stick with it you'll see real progression. I love it!

SL 5X5

There was a fascinating interview on NPR last night with an author who did some extensive research into the fitness industry.... Wish I had taken his name down! What he said, after all his research, is pretty much the way I have been living for the past 30+ years in the gym.... In order to get more fit, you do not have to do anything exotic. You just need basic barbell or dumbbell exercises that target the larger muscle groups. Dead lifts, military press, squats, chess press, etc. All you have to do, is increase the weight in slight increments every time you work out. It works!

But as the writer admitted, it can be BORING, verrrry boring! But it works!

This is very similar to the article I read the other day:

http://www.fitocracy.com/knowledge/7-training-rules-to-lift-by/?utm_source=Fitocracy+Users&utm_campaign=1231b48b16-Content_Scared_I_m_going_to_cheat&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_c1f25ec28f-1231b48b16-249160001

That was a great article.

To answer the OP, I follow the concept of SL 5x5 but have incorporated other accessory exercises because I have the time to do it. However, when in a time crunch, I make sure to get in the major compound lifts: squats, deadlifts, chest press, overhead press, barbell rows.

if you are into the DVDs then Charlene Extream is good but what i most often hear women talking about is Body Beast

I did Starting Strength to begin with, am now on my third cycle of All Pro's Beginner's Workout. I like All Pro's better than Starting Strength, I find I can recover a bit better. But, I'm thinking I'm going to switch to a 4-day split when I'm done with this cycle. I'm getting bored, and I want to do some other lifts (like pullups and dips) but I just don't have enough left in the tank after the 7 main compound lifts.

So annoying. I can do a set of about 5 strict pullups/chinups if I'm relatively fresh (and I want to increase that to > 10), but after I've done All Pro's workout, I can't even get one, LOL. One day, I'd like to be able to manage a muscle-up

I've gotten several programs off of Simply Shredded and have had good results. There's enough on there to keep you busy for years!

NROL4W. I'm really enjoying it. Just finished phase 1 and am excited about phase 2. I like that it's simple and I can see week to week how much stronger I've been getting. Deadlifts are awesome!!