Girls who are cut....

fromaquasar
fromaquasar Posts: 811 Member
edited September 26 in Fitness and Exercise
Hello - so I am near my goal now but I want to work on getting toned up. I want a tummy that has those three vertical lines down it, I want arms that you can visibly see my triceps and biceps, I want that line down my thigh as my muscle moves when I walk. I want to be strong.

I know how to count cals and work out to loose weight - but what do I do to burn fat and gain some nice visible muscle?

I've recently started weight training 3 times a week, and am trying to drink a protein shake everyday (I'm vegetarian so I'm thinking I should maybe even have 2?) -

girls out there who have some muscle would love to hear how you did it and any tips?

Replies

  • melon_e
    melon_e Posts: 58 Member
    I would love to get advice on this as well :)
  • Soccerstar19
    Soccerstar19 Posts: 56
    If you're trying to burn fat while getting stronger I suggest lower the weight but up the reps. Walking at an incline really helps too. Running's good too but walking is better to burn fat. For abs you should start out at as much as you can do and add to it as it becomes easier. Hope this helps!
  • plain_jane
    plain_jane Posts: 49 Member
    Hello - so I am near my goal now but I want to work on getting toned up. I want a tummy that has those three vertical lines down it, I want arms that you can visibly see my triceps and biceps, I want that line down my thigh as my muscle moves when I walk. I want to be strong.

    I know how to count cals and work out to loose weight - but what do I do to burn fat and gain some nice visible muscle?

    I've recently started weight training 3 times a week, and am trying to drink a protein shake everyday (I'm vegetarian so I'm thinking I should maybe even have 2?) -

    girls out there who have some muscle would love to hear how you did it and any tips?

    I'm not cut, but I wanna be!
    Or I should say, I'm not cut YET, but I WILL be?
  • chuisle
    chuisle Posts: 1,052 Member
    I refer you to this thread...it's helped me!

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/153490-not-that-heavy-girls-trying-to-lose-weight?page=18
  • McBody
    McBody Posts: 1,703 Member
    by lifting weights and starting up a protein diet that will help a lot. I lift heavy 2 days a week and lighter weights 3 days a week. I do abs almost everyday- whether it's hanging knee raises, plank, side plank press, or sit-ups on on incline- I work them all the time. I also work every muscle group when I workout, but go harder on one group each time... for example on Monday's I'll spend 40 minutes of my workout on abs and then 20 doing legs and upper body- then I do cardio (usually walk/ jog/ sprint intervals) and adjust the incline as I go.
  • LillysGranny
    LillysGranny Posts: 431
    I used to do some amateur kickboxing and what worked for me when I needed to be lean and mean was 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight per day (maybe 3 protein shakes for you), at least 35 grams of fiber per day, 3/4 gallon of water per day, 45-60 minutes of pretty intense cardio 6 days per week (think Insanity pure cardio or running sprint intervals) and 3 days of weight training. It was tough, but it worked....and then I decided to go back to school and here I am :)
  • Naomi91
    Naomi91 Posts: 892 Member
    Best way is to build muscle. Build muscle by ALWAYS lifting heavy at low reps. Doing high reps at low weight is going to do nothing for you.

    In order to get visible muscle, you just have to lower your body fat % keep up with the cardio, lift HEAVY, and eat clean. Lower your carbs and up the protein a little.

    Remember: Abs are made in the kitchen :]
  • WifeMomDVM
    WifeMomDVM Posts: 1,025 Member
    If you're trying to burn fat while getting stronger I suggest lower the weight but up the reps. Walking at an incline really helps too. Running's good too but walking is better to burn fat. For abs you should start out at as much as you can do and add to it as it becomes easier. Hope this helps!

    NO NO NO NO!!!!! Sorry, this is not what to do if you want the goals that you stated above. Lift HEAVY weights.

    Ladies do yourself a favor and read this book! "The New Rules of Weight Lifting for Women" by Lou Schuler. Here is a link to it, read the reviews on Amazon. Best $10 you will ever invest in your health!

    http://www.amazon.com/New-Rules-Lifting-Women-Goddess/dp/1583333398/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1303441126&sr=8-1

    Need more convincing, look at this article:

    http://members.rachelcosgrove.com/public/505print.cfm


    Lift like a man, look like a goddess! :love:
  • WifeMomDVM
    WifeMomDVM Posts: 1,025 Member
    Best way is to build muscle. Build muscle by ALWAYS lifting heavy at low reps. Doing high reps at low weight is going to do nothing for you.

    In order to get visible muscle, you just have to lower your body fat % keep up with the cardio, lift HEAVY, and eat clean. Lower your carbs and up the protein a little.

    Remember: Abs are made in the kitchen :]

    Yes, yes! This is what I was trying to say!
  • roylawrence87
    roylawrence87 Posts: 970 Member
    Do the classic version of P90X!
  • Goal_Seeker_1988
    Goal_Seeker_1988 Posts: 1,619 Member
    bump:bigsmile:
  • millerll
    millerll Posts: 873 Member
    Naomi91 and Wifemom are correct. Keep the weights heavy and go hard. Definition (which is what you're aiming for) comes from lowering body fat. That is primarily done through diet. Lean protein, lots of veggies, no processed food, etc. It is definitely hard work, but the results are worth it!
  • fromaquasar
    fromaquasar Posts: 811 Member
    Thanks girls - and guy ;) Am feeling super inspired now, have upped my protein to 1 gram for each pound in my goals and am looking forward to pushing some heavy *kitten* weights - bring it on! x
  • bizco
    bizco Posts: 1,949 Member

    NO NO NO NO!!!!! Sorry, this is not what to do if you want the goals that you stated above. Lift HEAVY weights.

    Ladies do yourself a favor and read this book! "The New Rules of Weight Lifting for Women" by Lou Schuler.
    Lift like a man, look like a goddess!
    [/quote]
    Thank you for the recommendation. I just put it on hold at my local library.
  • heatherfrancis
    heatherfrancis Posts: 100
    I agree, lift heavy and switch it up, to confuse your muscles, dont worry you wont get bulky unless of course you are taking a type of hormone., Increase your protein to about 1 gram per lb that you weigh. Lower your carbs a couple days a week and bring them back up to normal during the week as well, eat plenty of fiber, drink a ton of water. Basically the food you put in your mouth has the biggest impact on how you look even if you exercise your butt off. Dont strength train the same body part on back to back days. subscribe to Oxygen magazine. It is the best fitness magazine made for women trying to look the way you wanna look.
  • heatherfrancis
    heatherfrancis Posts: 100
    I agree, lift heavy and switch it up, to confuse your muscles, dont worry you wont get bulky unless of course you are taking a type of hormone., Increase your protein to about 1 gram per lb that you weigh. Lower your carbs a couple days a week and bring them back up to normal during the week as well, eat plenty of fiber, drink a ton of water. Basically the food you put in your mouth has the biggest impact on how you look even if you exercise your butt off. Dont strength train the same body part on back to back days. subscribe to Oxygen magazine. It is the best fitness magazine made for women trying to look the way you wanna look.
  • vhuber
    vhuber Posts: 8,779 Member
    I agree! Go heavy or go home!!! It takes hours and hours to get the "ugly" bulky manly stuff but a good hour everyday (upper one day lower the next) will shoe results! But as the saying goes "Abs are made in the kitchen" is very true, you got to eat clean to get results! I am 52 and STILL working on it!!! Best wishes!!!
  • natskedat
    natskedat Posts: 570 Member
    I've got nice arms (for the first time in my life!). I do 2-3 sets of 12-15 reps each. It's taken me about 9 months to get them the way I wanted them - no flab, defined shoulders, defined triceps, and I have just seen some smaller muscles showing up in my forearms (although I think that's mostly from swimming). Increasing reps builds up your red muscle fibers (those long lean fibers) which we need during endurance exercises. I don't lift heavy weights, but I do more reps than most of the big guys around me. I like using dumbbells as well, because they force you to use small muscles to balance the weights.

    Good luck. Your body is a constantly evolving work of art. My next group to tackle are my abs. Good luck with your goals!
  • natskedat
    natskedat Posts: 570 Member
    Best way is to build muscle. Build muscle by ALWAYS lifting heavy at low reps. Doing high reps at low weight is going to do nothing for you.

    In order to get visible muscle, you just have to lower your body fat % keep up with the cardio, lift HEAVY, and eat clean. Lower your carbs and up the protein a little.

    Remember: Abs are made in the kitchen :]

    Lifting heavy is great for strength and power. If she's looking for long and lean, 2-3 sets of 12-15 reps is recommended. It depends on what you're looking for. If you're an endurance athlete (open water swimmer, runner, distance cyclist, power walker), recruiting your long-twitch muscle fibers through lighter weights with more reps will improve performance. For speed and power sports with explosive movements (tennis, basketball, golf, power lifting, body building, baseball), fewer reps of higher weights is definitely the way to go. And, you do get those great arms! Endurance athletes can have nice arms too, but bulky is just impractical.
  • meggiemaye
    meggiemaye Posts: 117
    I've recently started weight training 3 times a week, and am trying to drink a protein shake everyday (I'm vegetarian so I'm thinking I should maybe even have 2?)

    Hey! I don't mean to insult you if you already know this (forgive!) but I'm also a vegetarian (actually ALLERGIC to meat products) and my doctors won't let me anywhere near most of those protein shakes--they don't just get the protein from thin air. MANY of them disguise the ingredient list using chemical compounds that sounds as if they're just whipped up in a lab but in fact are just animal products.

    In the US there was even a huge scandal when people tried to get the FDA to require that animal products be correctly labeled, because people who have severe allergies like I do have died. However, these companies literally pump millions into lobbying to prevent this from happening.

    Don't depend on something not having a blatant meat product in the ingredient list--look for vegetable protein shakes that advertise being animal-product free. :smile:
  • cutmd
    cutmd Posts: 1,168 Member
    I'm working on being cut, thus the wistful screen name :laugh: I have really improved over the months, my shoulders back and arms are very strong, and can see those 3 lines on my abs in certain light, trying to get them in every light, and would also like the line on my thighs (the last hold outs)

    I am doing Rachel Cosgrove's "female body breakthrough" which is basically heavy lifting dynamic workouts and alternating days of metabolic resistance training. Bodyrock.tv has great routines for fat loss and strength building as well. P90x is good but frankly I think Cosgrove is better for women because of our lower strength ceiling we need more compound moves.

    For beginners I recommend 30 day shred (I feel like I beat the drum in every thread but I consider it a critical rite of passage :happy: ), followed by more intense moves like found in this article http://figureathlete.t-nation.com/article/training/kiss_bodybuilding_workouts_goodbye&cr=

    The hardest part is the diet, high protein and lower sugar/carbs are the hardest part, but the most important for fat loss
  • seemichellerun
    seemichellerun Posts: 219
    Best way is to build muscle. Build muscle by ALWAYS lifting heavy at low reps. Doing high reps at low weight is going to do nothing for you.

    In order to get visible muscle, you just have to lower your body fat % keep up with the cardio, lift HEAVY, and eat clean. Lower your carbs and up the protein a little.

    Remember: Abs are made in the kitchen :]

    Lifting heavy is great for strength and power. If she's looking for long and lean, 2-3 sets of 12-15 reps is recommended. It depends on what you're looking for. If you're an endurance athlete (open water swimmer, runner, distance cyclist, power walker), recruiting your long-twitch muscle fibers through lighter weights with more reps will improve performance. For speed and power sports with explosive movements (tennis, basketball, golf, power lifting, body building, baseball), fewer reps of higher weights is definitely the way to go. And, you do get those great arms! Endurance athletes can have nice arms too, but bulky is just impractical.


    Ugh!!! No!

    As a woman, she will NOT get bulky. Females do not have the testosterone levels that men do that get them to "bulk up" without the use of supplements/hormones and hours a day at the gym. low REPS high WEIGHT is the way to go. The only way her muscles are going to get "longer" is if she grows a couple of inches. A "toned" muscles is a "developed" muscle.
  • alliecore
    alliecore Posts: 446 Member
    I was gonna reply, but looks like every horse has already been beaten to death here. :bigsmile:

    There is some good stuff here. What works for one person may have to be tweaked to work for the next, so don't be afraid to experiment and find what works for YOU. But in a nutshell, what everyone else said: clean diet; plenty of protein; and heavy weights. You'll get there!
  • JDMPWR
    JDMPWR Posts: 1,863 Member
    Hello - so I am near my goal now but I want to work on getting toned up. I want a tummy that has those three vertical lines down it, I want arms that you can visibly see my triceps and biceps, I want that line down my thigh as my muscle moves when I walk. I want to be strong.

    I know how to count cals and work out to loose weight - but what do I do to burn fat and gain some nice visible muscle?

    I've recently started weight training 3 times a week, and am trying to drink a protein shake everyday (I'm vegetarian so I'm thinking I should maybe even have 2?) -

    girls out there who have some muscle would love to hear how you did it and any tips?

    If you are serious about gaining muscle you need to up your protein, cut some carbs to real clean and healthy ones and cycle between light weight/more reps and heavy weight/less reps
  • Steph_135
    Steph_135 Posts: 3,280 Member
    Ladies do yourself a favor and read this book! "The New Rules of Weight Lifting for Women" by Lou Schuler. Here is a link to it, read the reviews on Amazon. Best $10 you will ever invest in your health!

    http://www.amazon.com/New-Rules-Lifting-Women-Goddess/dp/1583333398/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1303441126&sr=8-1

    Lift like a man, look like a goddess! :love:
    I LOOOVED that book!! It's the best advice in the world! I can't wait to get a gym membership and start this program!!
    For beginners I recommend 30 day shred (I feel like I beat the drum in every thread but I consider it a critical rite of passage :happy: ), followed by more intense moves like found in this article http://figureathlete.t-nation.com/article/training/kiss_bodybuilding_workouts_goodbye&cr=
    I'm glad someone else suggested this, cause I was thinking it! I loved the 30 Day Shred. I did it for 41 days, and now I've got some bicep muscles going on, and I can see the outline of ABS!!! It's fantastic!! Now I feel like I can take on the world, and I haven't stopped working out since I started it on Feb 6th.
  • schnarfo
    schnarfo Posts: 764 Member
    Best way is to build muscle. Build muscle by ALWAYS lifting heavy at low reps. Doing high reps at low weight is going to do nothing for you.

    In order to get visible muscle, you just have to lower your body fat % keep up with the cardio, lift HEAVY, and eat clean. Lower your carbs and up the protein a little.

    Remember: Abs are made in the kitchen :]

    I have been doing body pump for about a month and although its not given me a visible increase in muscles it has made me stronger so im just wondering where you guys think body pump and other similar classes fit in with this thread. I too would love to increase the amount of muscle i have and look 'cut' but i dont want to be wasting my time killing myself in a class thats not improving my muscle tone or increase in muscle
  • amysj303
    amysj303 Posts: 5,086 Member
    did someone already direct you to this thread:
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/113609-relatively-light-people-trying-to-get-leaner
    great stuff there.
  • glfprncs2
    glfprncs2 Posts: 625 Member
    Go heavy or go home! (Chalene Johnson speak)...I'm finding that as I'm lifting heavier weights with lower reps, I'm leaning out a LOT. Diet has to be spot on as well...they always say that abs are made in the kitchen. Sometimes, for some of us, abs are made by walking OUT of the kitchen! ; P
  • shreddingit
    shreddingit Posts: 1,133 Member
    check this out!
    http://shreddingandlosing.blogspot.com/2011/04/i-love-sprinting.html
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