Female lifters: YOU WILL NOT LOOK THIS WAY!

So shouldn't the measure be altered given that?

When I lift, I often triple set and work up a pretty decent sweat. I know I'm burning calories somewhere.

I don't bother to triple set...I just keep my heart rate up via my FT7 HRM. When it drops to 130/140bpm...I start the next set or lift. If you're lifting heavy enough...you're not going to be supersetting anything. You're going to be wanting to die between sets lol.

But the measure of calories isn't relevant to the benifits of strength training. I'd be MORE than happy if it only burned 2 calories, and still gave me the same hormonal benifits, because the calories out aren't what's telling my body to do what I want it to do, it's the hormones etc. The calories help to a small extent by adding deficit...but I don't want a huge deficit either so it works out fine. When it comes down to it, the calories simply do not matter when it comes to this.

With my polar, measured for 45min roughly, I generally burn anywhere from 400-600cal, but that number is skewed due to rest time, and I only use it as a guage of effort/intensity. I do enter it into my MFP exercises, but I don't use MFP as my guide for calories anyhow...so the skewed number isn't a big deal.

Squat day 3-4 total sets.

last set: 245 x 6 squat + 65lb dumbells seated military presses for 6 + crunches

Power cleans last set. 3-4 total sets

135lbs x 6 + press to over head on the last set. + bicep curls.

Deads last set 3-4 total sets

315lbs x 2 + individual should presses using one end of the bench bar with 55lbs + indivdiual bicep curls 30lbs


I wish there was a way to measure what the caloric benefits were of weight lifting was (during and after the fact). But I'll keep on keeping on right?

Not entirely true tho for us broader upper bodied chics.. My frame is broad up top and smaller on my lower half.. and I bulk up easy on top which I can easily look like a body builder chic which I am tryin so hard to stay away from no joke.. I am trying to build a bigger lower body and lean out my top half... AND FOR ALL YOU SMALLER FRAMED GIRLS YEA YOU DONT/WONT BULK UP AS EASY AS GIRLS WITH BODIES LIKE MINE.. I WOULD BE A PERFECT BODY BUILDER BUT I WOULD NOT WANT TO LOOK LIKE THAT CUZ TO ME ITS NASTY..

Not only is it almost impossible for woman to BULK up. It would take years of very hard work. Your program could be stopped or altered at anytime you are not happy with the results.

I don't have a problem with lifting, but lifting won't "give me the body I want". Unless there's a lift that will make my huge gut shrink to flatness, I'm stuck with what my parents gave me.

Here are the pics of her: In case you wanted to see them on here....
It's NOT the look I am going for....

ETA: I put img instead of IMG but it's not working....She has clothes on....Can anyone else see them, I can't on here....UGH!!
I tried!!

See the % signs in the links? Those represent spaces in the file/folder names. MFP's forum software is 900yrs old, and can't parse file/folder names with spaces in them. That's why they don't work.

I started loosing weight 4 months ago:
BW 152
CW 135
GW Now just trying to get rid of fat
Height 5'6.5''
Age 28
Went from size 10 to 6 (kinda loose too)

I do Zumba 3 times a week and lift 3 times a week (full body and as hard as I can for about an hour). I still find that I dont loose fat unless I stick to 1350 cals and dont eat back my work out cals (except a protein shake). Everyone says I need to eat more to gain muscle but I have been lifting for a month now and seeing progress. What do you think I should do if my goal is to loose fat and gain muscle? My body fat was pretty high at 152 at 33% per the bod pod so I was told I didnt need to eat as much. Any help would be great!

If your goal is to gain muscle, you need to be at a surplus calorie wise. While it's true that very overweight people can gain small amounts of muscle eating at a deficit (their body can use their copious fat stores as 'fuel' for awhile), it's not a substantial amount. Additionally, most people who think they're gaining muscle on a deficit, aren't. They're training their muscles to respond as they're supposed to. It's a brain (neural) communication thing.

A perfect example is my right biceps. In February I ripped the lower biceps tendon off of my forearm (meaning it was only connected at the top). I had surgery, and it was partially immobilized for a couple weeks. By the time I finally started working out again...my right biceps was mush (it literally felt like fat...I was NOT pleased), and looked substantially smaller. It was still there, and due to the surgery it was connected, but it was useless. I could barely flex it, and when I did it was still soft.

Within two weeks at the gym, I had 'retrained' my biceps to do its job. It filled out, firmed up...and while it's still not performing to its original potential, it's probably at a good 80% now...and I'm positive within a few more weeks it will look and act the same as the other.

The point of this is that I didn't 'lose' substantial muscle in my biceps in two weeks of limited mobility...and I didn't 'regain' any in such a short time frame. It simply forgot its job (in overweight people it may never have needed to DO its job), and needed to be taught how to react to stimulus again. Many people confuse this natural body mechanism as 'gaining muscle'.

Anyhow, sorry for the long winded explanation...but the overall point is, if you want to gain muscle, eat at a surplus. If you're looking to cut fat, eat at a deficit. There are methods where you can do both at the same time, but if I go into that...it will seriously jack this thread lol.

Good luck!

Found an answer on how to loose fat and gain muscle. But how can this be a way of life? http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/kelly3.htm