Ladies who lift.

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  • tiffanylacourse
    tiffanylacourse Posts: 2,985 Member
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    I'm also starting StrongLifts 5x5 next week, as I've heard GREAT things about it. I'm always looking for new friends. Send me a FR if you'd like! :flowerforyou:
  • AmandaHugginkiss
    AmandaHugginkiss Posts: 486 Member
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    There are many, many ways to start. I started with Starting Strength, moved on to 5/3/1, then found my happy place with a combination between Bret Contreras' Strong Curves and the basics of Starting Strength.

    As far as diet, make sure you're getting enough protein, make sure you're getting a good amount of micronutrients, and eat in a deficit. You probably won't lose anything significant in the first month because weight training ups your glycogen to repair muscles, but over the long haul, you will see a nice fat reduction. If you want to burn more calories, incorporate cardio. Optimal results happen with a combination of strength, cardio, stretching, and not-too-aggressive calorie deficit.
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
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    I started with a set of workouts created for me by a personal trainer. Now I'm using a Strong Curves/Greyskull mashup. I would say just pick a program and try it for awhile. You might find that you like it or like parts of it or want to try something different. The core of most good programs are going to be very similar but the delivery/rep scheme will differ. I think you just have to jump in and then find what clicks for you (but give it enough time to figure out if the not clicking is just you getting used to working out or if you just plain old don't like the program.)
  • Ghoulygirl
    Ghoulygirl Posts: 10 Member
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    Thank you all for your replies. :) I feel a little more confident and ready to begin now.
  • yopeeps025
    yopeeps025 Posts: 8,680 Member
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    Ghoulygirl wrote: »
    Thank you all for your replies. :) I feel a little more confident and ready to begin now.

    My perfect world is everyone does some sort of exercise. Bonus for weight training because I know how that changes body composition especially for women.
  • flabassmcgee
    flabassmcgee Posts: 659 Member
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    52cardpickup wrote: »
    New Rules of Lifting for Women is life changing. If you go to a gym, you can ask a personal trainer to show you how to do the lifts in it properly. I'd say it's a great place to start for a beginner.

    This.
  • Ghoulygirl
    Ghoulygirl Posts: 10 Member
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    AmandaHugginkiss wrote: »
    There are many, many ways to start. I started with Starting Strength, moved on to 5/3/1, then found my happy place with a combination between Bret Contreras' Strong Curves and the basics of Starting Strength.

    As far as diet, make sure you're getting enough protein, make sure you're getting a good amount of micronutrients, and eat in a deficit. You probably won't lose anything significant in the first month because weight training ups your glycogen to repair muscles, but over the long haul, you will see a nice fat reduction. If you want to burn more calories, incorporate cardio. Optimal results happen with a combination of strength, cardio, stretching, and not-too-aggressive calorie deficit.

    Thanks for replying I found this really helpful. I think I am gonna aim for around 50-60 grams of carbs per days.
  • Ghoulygirl
    Ghoulygirl Posts: 10 Member
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    tiffanylacourse wrote: »
    I'm also starting StrongLifts 5x5 next week, as I've heard GREAT things about it. I'm always looking for new friends. Send me a FR if you'd like! :flowerforyou:

    Let me know how you get on :)
  • allie_00p
    allie_00p Posts: 280 Member
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    I also started with the New Rules of Lifting for Women, I eat TDEE-15% for a deficit and follow If It Fits Your Macros (IIFYM) http://iifym.com/iifym-calculator/
  • JeffseekingV
    JeffseekingV Posts: 3,165 Member
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    elsie_fair wrote: »
    I also started with the New Rules of Lifting for Women, I eat TDEE-15% for a deficit and follow If It Fits Your Macros (IIFYM) http://iifym.com/iifym-calculator/

    This all the way
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    edited January 2015
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    I found Stronglifts kind of intimidating when I was a complete newby. Starting probably early summer last year, I read the New Rules of Lifting for Women book and played around with it for a while, and worked with a trainer for a while (not saying this is necessary, I did it in part because I was running a lot and wanted something that worked with my running and an injury I'd seen a PT for) and also played around with Strong Curves, which was very similar to the kinds of exercises that had been recommended to me after my injury. More recently I went back and read the New Rules Supercharged book and realized that having more experience with the various lifts it was clicking for me in a way the New Rules for Women hadn't at first, and I've been following the routines there to some extent, which gives you lots of flexibility. I kind of have Stronglifts envy, though, so keep thinking about switching to that now that I know the lifts and am not scared of looking like I'm clueless with the barbell.

    For the record, I am fully aware that one of the main things holding me back with lifting is am not just picking a program and fully committing for a period of time, but keep seeing a new shiny object and wondering "what about that?!"

    On my diet, I originally set it to get at least 1 gram of protein per pound of lean mass (or a bit more) so aimed at 100 grams or more, but as I raised my calories I found that keeping about 30% protein still felt right, so I actually eat more than that now (I'm 5'3, 126). I'm also moving close to maintenance so am trying to focus more on getting some protein and carbs right after a workout (don't know if this matters, but it's helpful overall anyway for me) and pushing my calories up, which I've been struggling with a little. I'd really like to eventually increase my lean mass some, as well as simply getting stronger. I've been at 1600 calories and am trying to move to 1700. (I do either 40-30-30 or 35-35-30.) I'd recommend a smaller deficit (like -15% as recommended above) to minimize muscle loss--that's why I'm pushing up my calories, too.

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