the right training program for desired body composition?

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Replies

  • mom23mangos
    mom23mangos Posts: 3,069 Member
    edited January 2018
    oat_bran wrote: »
    JerSchmare wrote: »
    Motivation to lift: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/977538/halp-heavy-lifting-made-me-supah-bulky/p1

    Um, this is exactly what I was talking about? The quality of most of the pictures is poor and I didn't go though all of the 115 pages, but what I saw didn't motivate me. Most of the women have very pronounced muscles, many have "curves". I think there's a certain assumption about how the women want to look, or how they should want to look, or what men like a woman to look (which I don't care about), which is so normalised that one can't imagine someone wanting a different body composition? I don't know...

    Yes, I think that thread can have the opposite effect of what it was probably originally designed to do for a lot of women. I think it would be great to have a similar thread of those ladies in relaxed poses like what you posted above so that posters like you would not be afraid of lifting. I would say that if the lady from your pics were to flex, she would definitely have visible muscles. In fact, you can see a pretty defined back and arms already (especially the bottom photo). Very few women have visible muscle definition relaxed unless they are very, very lean.

    Anyway, OP - I think you would be fine with body weight exercises and a deficit. You can gain a lot of strength without bulk doing calisthenics. I think a pair of rings is all you need for upper body training. Get some bands for lower body.

    Edit - also, if you don't want visible musculature, shoot for keeping your BF in the low to mid-20's.
  • sjp_511
    sjp_511 Posts: 476 Member
    rainbowbow wrote: »
    Wheelhouse15 wrote: »
    I see a lot of good discussion here but I'm curious since I haven't seen any recommendations for New Rules of Lifting For Women. Has this program gone out of style as a general introductory program for women?

    I think the program itself is fine, but misaligned with what OP wants to acheive (which is essentially, a "waifish" physique). Other than that the program is kind of tedious to complete, requires a ton of equipment in supersets that can't actually be done in most gym settings, and takes quite some time to complete (about an hour per workout). I find that the book itself is helpful more-so for individuals who need the mental shift that "lifting weights won't make you look like arnold", but i'm finding less and less people who believe that to be the case anyway. For those reasons alone i generally don't recommend it.

    The authors of New Rules of Lifting For Women released a newer book/program a couple years ago that, in my opinion, is a much better beginner program. The new book, Strong, really improves upon a lot of the criticism that @rainbowbow mentions here.
  • sardelsa
    sardelsa Posts: 9,812 Member
    mom23mangos wrote: »
    oat_bran wrote: »
    JerSchmare wrote: »
    Motivation to lift: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/977538/halp-heavy-lifting-made-me-supah-bulky/p1

    Um, this is exactly what I was talking about? The quality of most of the pictures is poor and I didn't go though all of the 115 pages, but what I saw didn't motivate me. Most of the women have very pronounced muscles, many have "curves". I think there's a certain assumption about how the women want to look, or how they should want to look, or what men like a woman to look (which I don't care about), which is so normalised that one can't imagine someone wanting a different body composition? I don't know...

    Yes, I think that thread can have the opposite effect of what it was probably originally designed to do for a lot of women. I think it would be great to have a similar thread of those ladies in relaxed poses like what you posted above so that posters like you would not be afraid of lifting. I would say that if the lady from your pics were to flex, she would definitely have visible muscles. In fact, you can see a pretty defined back and arms already (especially the bottom photo). Very few women have visible muscle definition relaxed unless they are very, very lean.

    Anyway, OP - I think you would be fine with body weight exercises and a deficit. You can gain a lot of strength without bulk doing calisthenics. I think a pair of rings is all you need for upper body training. Get some bands for lower body.

    Edit - also, if you don't want visible musculature, shoot for keeping your BF in the low to mid-20's.

    That is a great point @mom23mangos....I added my photo/results to the last page of the thread, to show what relaxed vs flexed looks like

    community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/977538/halp-heavy-lifting-made-me-supah-bulky/p115
  • jjpptt2
    jjpptt2 Posts: 5,650 Member
    edited January 2018
    Having defined muscles is far less about which program you choose, but rather about how lean you allow yourself to get. Get on a good, established lifting routine. Get into a small, manageable, sustainable deficit. Then be patient. When you feel yourself getting too muscular, increase cals a bit to maintenance and/or reduce (not eliminate) your lifting.
  • oat_bran
    oat_bran Posts: 370 Member
    mom23mangos wrote: »
    oat_bran wrote: »
    JerSchmare wrote: »
    Motivation to lift: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/977538/halp-heavy-lifting-made-me-supah-bulky/p1

    Um, this is exactly what I was talking about? The quality of most of the pictures is poor and I didn't go though all of the 115 pages, but what I saw didn't motivate me. Most of the women have very pronounced muscles, many have "curves". I think there's a certain assumption about how the women want to look, or how they should want to look, or what men like a woman to look (which I don't care about), which is so normalised that one can't imagine someone wanting a different body composition? I don't know...

    Yes, I think that thread can have the opposite effect of what it was probably originally designed to do for a lot of women. I think it would be great to have a similar thread of those ladies in relaxed poses like what you posted above so that posters like you would not be afraid of lifting. I would say that if the lady from your pics were to flex, she would definitely have visible muscles. In fact, you can see a pretty defined back and arms already (especially the bottom photo). Very few women have visible muscle definition relaxed unless they are very, very lean.

    Anyway, OP - I think you would be fine with body weight exercises and a deficit. You can gain a lot of strength without bulk doing calisthenics. I think a pair of rings is all you need for upper body training. Get some bands for lower body.

    Edit - also, if you don't want visible musculature, shoot for keeping your BF in the low to mid-20's.

    Thanks! You know I think, it's not just that muscles are visible in my of these photos and relaxing makes them less visible. I actually didn't even use the word "bulky" in my original post, and people started explaining how lifting in itself won't make me bulky. Ok, if we actually think about the word "bulky" it doesn't necessarily means muscular, it means big. And that's how some of these women look to me, a little too big for how I'd won't to look, wether they are flexed or relaxed and whether their muscles are visible. Please, don't misunderstand me, there's nothing wrong with being big or muscular, and most of these women are in great shape and are very strong, and that's so cool! But personally I won't feel most comfortable with such physique. Despite the popular belief, not everyone wants to lose just fat, some want to lose weight in general and be a certain size.

    So yeah, I'd say forget the pictures, that I posted. I'll rephrase my goals: I want to lose more weight, about 15 pounds), but I don't want to end up what they call "skinny fat". So I was wondering if lifting is necessary to avoid this, or if I'm fine with just body weight strength training to preserve the muscle mass I already have.
  • middlehaitch
    middlehaitch Posts: 8,486 Member
    Why not run with a bodyweight programme for a few months and then reassess.
    Nerdfitness is effective, and the whole site is informative.
    I did it, a dumbbell routine, then moved to a barbell.

    I am not curvy at all, or bulky, and have been lifting for 2 years, with a large break last year. It takes years of dedicated lifting to reshape your body. I just lift recreationally for muscle and bone retention.

    Remember, you can decide to do body weight and change to lifting, or start lifting and change to body weight or do a dumbbell routine (I've heard good things about the 'aworkoutroutine's dumbbell routine) you are not tied to either.

    Cheers, h.

    Here is the link again as it has the 2 programmes in that I mentioned.
    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10332083/which-lifting-program-is-the-best-for-you/p1
  • oat_bran
    oat_bran Posts: 370 Member
    middlehaitch wrote: »
    Why not run with a bodyweight programme for a few months and then reassess.
    Nerdfitness is effective, and the whole site is informative.
    I did it, a dumbbell routine, then moved to a barbell.

    I am not curvy at all, or bulky, and have been lifting for 2 years, with a large break last year. It takes years of dedicated lifting to reshape your body. I just lift recreationally for muscle and bone retention.

    Remember, you can decide to do body weight and change to lifting, or start lifting and change to body weight or do a dumbbell routine (I've heard good things about the 'aworkoutroutine's dumbbell routine) you are not tied to either.

    Cheers, h.

    Here is the link again as it has the 2 programmes in that I mentioned.
    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10332083/which-lifting-program-is-the-best-for-you/p1

    Yeah, you are right. Thanks again for the advice ! I'll check out those programs!
  • DancingMoosie
    DancingMoosie Posts: 8,619 Member
    edited January 2018
    When I lost weight(when I first joined mfp) and lost 40 lbs, I was doing 30 Day Shred, Ripped in 30, The Firm super cardio mix, Denise Austin Boot Camp...all workouts with light dumbbells and body weight plus cardio. Yes, I probably lost some muscle along the way(especially since I lost very quickly) but I did not end up skinny fat at all. I was pretty skinny though, and my butt "fell", but I was also pretty ripped in the upper body. I was not curvy because my body isn't really shaped that way when I strip off the excess fat. I've been lifting for a few years now, trying to build the booty back up, but it doesn't come quickly. I've gained around 6-7 lbs from my low weight, but not bulky or even what most would consider curvy.
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