Women strength training... for real

Who says you need to burn the fat off with cardio? Fat loss is a function of being in a calorie deficit. A calorie deficit can come from decreased food intake, increased exercise, or a combination of the two. A deficit is a deficit is a deficit.

The same can't be said for muscle though. There's only one thing that's going to influence that and it's progressive resistance training.

In order to achieve leanness, we know we need to minimize fat mass and maximize muscle mass. From above, it should be obvious that progressive resistance training needs to be prioritized over cardio. At least in the context you find yourself in.

I don't know exactly what your weight is, but let's say it's 135. 1200 seems like a low BMR for someone weighing 135 lbs. How did you come up with that number? BMR is typically around 10 cals/lb assuming a normal functioning metabolism.

I'm 125lbs currently, at 5'2", and I got my BMR from the tool on this site, and subsequently looked up formulae on other sites, and the highest BMR I came up with was in the 1360 range. By your approximation it'd be 1250. My life is very sedentary outside of my daily workout--which usually involves either an hour of light jogging, a session of 30 Day Shred level 2, or a collection of one-legged squats and push-ups (until recently, they were all done with body weight)

If I'm to go with the weight training, is it still okay to be in a calorie deficit and strength train? I feel like I won't possibly be able to get enough protein to grow my muscles if they're primarily going towards the mission-critical functions. I'm aiming for 1200-1300 calories per day, no lower than 1200. I eat back about half of my exercise calories. The reason I've kept the cardio is that I plateaued for a month last fall until i bumped my calories up to 1300 and increased my cardio to 1 hour. At the time, I had no heavy weights so I wasn't losing inches without losing weight, so I was judging my progress just as much by the scale and thinking 'well I have fat to lose anyway.' I broke the plateau and lost another 5 lbs that way and got down to 120 (albeit a flabby 120, but I was smaller nonetheless around my thighs and butt) and then fell off the wagon diet-wise and stopped exercising over the holidays and gained 5lbs back.

So the long and short of it is--I wasn't losing weight without cardio, and I still have a pretty high body fat percentage (again, somewhere between 26% and 28%), which I assumed could still be sufficiently melted by cardio. I don't want to build up muscle under the fat and still be at a high body fat percentage. I'm eating as clean as I can, meal-wise and measure everything I put in my mouth, but I'm just not disciplined enough to deprive myself of a carb-based snack if it fits within my calories for the day.

Thanks a lot for reading my message, I just feel that since I can't afford a personal training, I'm potentially making this journey a lot longer and more complicated than I need to--especially considering my goals are minuscule compared to most folks who use this board.

I like how you understand the issues here! My calorie allowance is about 1650 and its tough getting enough protein in every day. Yesterday, I had two protein drinks, coffee and two slices of pizza (believe me the pizza isn't normal!)! That protein is getting tiring! I eat chicken, turkey, eggs, everything protein related all day. Every meal is protein focused. My weight loss is slow as well. I rarely see actual gains, I lost the first ten pounds in six weeks. The second ten have taken me 6 or so months to lose. I also don't do much "cardio" consistently. Its mostly weight lifting. The toss-up of getting more calories in protein for my muscles vs the restricted calories is frustrating. For now, I do my best at squeezing both together and my meals aren't the most

Thanks so much for the reply! I buy 3 trays of 18 eggs every time I go to the store and eat 5-6 whites and a yolk per day, my lunch almost always has garbanzo beans in it, and I eat one 3oz can of tuna every week...everything else is chicken, chicken, chicken! It took me 3 months to lose 10 lbs last year...one month was spent in a plateau and so I average around 5 lbs per month...I know it's supposed to be harder the lighter you get, but c'mon! I find it unbelievable that I wasn't 200lbs by the way I ate last winter (before I started to work out). I'm eating a tiny fraction of what I used to, eliminated alcohol completely--before that I was a complete lush that subsisted on daily bowls of pasta, chips and bags of candy--my diet has done a complete 180 and it's still just so very slow! There's no way my body can be telling me that a 31-inch waist is where it's meant to be...

On top of that I'm totally bummed that I went out and bought 40 lbs of weights and did my first night of deadlifts and squats, expecting to be deliciously sore the next day because I'd never done weighted squats/deadlifts and it had been a while since I'd done bodyweight exercises. Nothing, nada...no soreness! 30-day shred made me more sore a couple of days before! Off to buy more weight...

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Thanks for posting. Bump to read later. I am new to lifting but loving it so far!

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I feel like..I can never take up 'real" strength training because I have a very messed up shoulder...multiple dislocations have worn down the socket and they haven't invented a replacement for it yet...what do the pro's here think?

I have a recovering shoulder injury (not from exercise, just an accident) so have weaker ligaments & some bursitis also. Doing physio to get full ROM back & then starting light as & doing stuff that doesn't aggravate it is the plan for me.

I would do the typical compound lifts starting very light, working on making sure form is correct. Pretty much the same for anyone new to lifting actually.

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I LOVE lifting and how it makes me feel. Being physically strong is a very empowering feeling! Thanks for the post