How fast do women put on muscle?

13

Replies

  • Determinednoob
    Determinednoob Posts: 2,001 Member
    Any trainee regarless of gender builds muscle by working at max effort in a reasonable rep range preferably at the proper frequency and volume for their training level\recovery ability (if they are too far outisde of this they may actually NOT get results)adding weight and\or reps while eating a surplus. Of course it eventually gets more complicated with periodization and stalls\resets\deloading etc. but anyway...

    @OP

    Bet you didn't know your thread would be so full of win when you created it did you?
  • kelseyhere
    kelseyhere Posts: 1,123 Member
    considering your purse probably weighs a good 5 pounds, do you really think lifting 5 pounders for 30 minutes is going to make much of a difference? simple answer, no.

    women do not get bulky. period. if you've seen one, she's probably on some kind of drugs. you should be lifting as heavy as you can safely if you really want to do something for your metabolism. little baby muscles don't consume calories, so to get strong and be able to eat more you have to do hard work. there is no easy answer. you may have to start with the 5s, but work up to higher weight to see real "tone."
  • TXHunny84
    TXHunny84 Posts: 503 Member
    Any trainee regarless of gender builds muscle by working at max effort in a reasonable rep range preferably at the proper frequency and volume for their training level\recovery ability (if they are too far outisde of this they may actually NOT get results)adding weight and\or reps while eating a surplus. Of course it eventually gets more complicated with periodization and stalls\resets\deloading etc. but anyway...

    @OP

    Bet you didn't know your thread would be so full of win when you created it did you?

    Nope I sure didn't.... Nor did I expect so many smart A** remarks from people. I'm not joining a gym, I'm not trying to be as strong as womanly possible I just wanted to know if gaining muscle took a long time... All I want to do is tone up.
  • TXHunny84
    TXHunny84 Posts: 503 Member
    considering your purse probably weighs a good 5 pounds, do you really think lifting 5 pounders for 30 minutes is going to make much of a difference? simple answer, no.

    women do not get bulky. period. if you've seen one, she's probably on some kind of drugs. you should be lifting as heavy as you can safely if you really want to do something for your metabolism. little baby muscles don't consume calories, so to get strong and be able to eat more you have to do hard work. there is no easy answer. you may have to start with the 5s, but work up to higher weight to see real "tone."

    I never said I was worried about getting bulky....
  • Picola1984
    Picola1984 Posts: 1,133
    Im not even reading all the comments but I'm going to refere to the comments about the 8lb weights being useless.

    I used 2x3kg weights (8 lbs) thoughout the 30 Day Shred and have started Ripped in 30 with them.

    My shoulders, abs and lower muscles have improved 100% better than when I was lifting heavier at the gym. Why? I don't know. Maybe is the combination of the 321 method. Maybe higher reps with smaller weights work for some people. Maybe I wasn't lifting correctly at the gym. I'm not anti-heavy lifting, and will go back to it.

    But the change I've seen in my body has me hooked on spending just 20-30 mins per day in the comfort of my own home, instead of an hour or so at the gym feeling self conscious.

    So go ahead, do what you feel comfortable with and more importantly enjoy
  • McLifterPants
    McLifterPants Posts: 457 Member
    Thanks to all the well-informed people who responded to this! As someone who IS trying to get strong and build muscle, there was some helpful information in here, whether the OP wanted it or not :wink: Lady (heavy) lifters, please add me, I'm gonna be needing your help in the upcoming months, haha
  • kaervaak
    kaervaak Posts: 274 Member
    Ugh, another toning thread...

    Toning is a meaningless word. Muscles have volume and density and that's it (well ignoring the different kinds of muscle fibers). Your appearance is determined by your bone structure, your muscle size and your subcutaneous fat. What people think of as "toned" is really small muscles and low fat. Bulky is large muscles and moderate fat. Ripped or shredded is large muscles and low fat.

    The only way to get big muscles is to consistently lift progressively heavier weights in the presence of a calorie surplus and adequate protein for a long time.

    If you want to looked "toned", lift heavy weights in a calorie deficit until your body fat is low enough. You can also achieve this without lifting, but you will lose muscle mass as well as fat. Lifting low weights for high reps is not much different than running, it will not build muscle and will actually encourage catabolism of your current muscle tissue and a reprioritization of anabolism toward a lower volume of slow twitch muscles, much like endurance training.
  • meshashesha2012
    meshashesha2012 Posts: 8,329 Member
    Bulking myths just won't die.

    Neither will the "low weight high reps" myths

    They are my personal pet-peeve...I WISH I could go to bed one night and wake up completely shredded after just doing 50 reps with a couple of pink dumbbells. *sigh* Sadly, after two years of lifting between 20-30lbs, I'm only just starting to notice a difference. Makes me sad.

    i know right? i'm a heavy lifter and i just took a class on tuesday where we did a zillion reps of girlie movements (you know the ones i mean where you're like flailing your arms around because this will work your triceps, your biceps, etc) using 5 pound weights. the rest of the class was dying, i must have been looking really bored because the instructor was like OMG how are you not feeling this? i was like because i lift very very heavy things.

    i always thought of it as if you're good at calculus then going back and doing a bunch of arithmetic problems isnt going to help you get smarter, even if you do a trillion of those problems. we get better by challenging ourselves in terms of intensity.
  • JosieRawr
    JosieRawr Posts: 788 Member
    Wow - umm ok.... I don't have access to a gym nor do I have the money to get 100+ lbs in weights.... Do the weights have to be that high? I'm at 23.5% BF so I was trying mostly just help get the last of the fat off by introducing strength training instead of doing primarily cardio....

    look up body weight exercises, they can help alot doing pushups squats leg lifts can get u started(if ur not already) you don't have to have a gym to tone... to bulk way up-probably, but not to be fit n tone..
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
    Wow - umm ok.... I don't have access to a gym nor do I have the money to get 100+ lbs in weights.... Do the weights have to be that high? I'm at 23.5% BF so I was trying mostly just help get the last of the fat off by introducing strength training instead of doing primarily cardio....

    I think what the problem is that you just have a different meaning of strength training, when people hear that they think compound lifts with a good amount of weight to get a total body workout. If you add small weights to JM, that is more of a small resistance training, and will achive what you are looking for.

    oh ok- Then I need to edit this to Resistance Training to put on some muscle...and Not strength training. I'm just wanting to tone up and get a bit stronger not WAY stronger.

    Don't think about it in terms of strength... think about it in terms of size.

    Heavy lifting + caloric deficit = what most people think of when they think "toned"
    Heavy lifting + caloric surplus = muscle growth/gaining size (albeit gains are small and very slow)

    Strength gains (i.e. the ability to lift heavier things) will come with either. Muscle gains (i.e. added size/muscle tissue) will really only happen with the second.

    .

    Strength gains will eventually stall without surplus and size gain. A good portion of beginner strength gain comes from increased coordination and nerual adaptation whereby your central nervous system gets more effective at firing muscle fibers and firing more muscle fibers at the same instant. Eventually though you will not get any stronger while in a deficit and not adding any size and getting the full muscle recovery benefits brought by eating more calories than you burn.

    is ths true? are strength gains (strengthening existing muscle NOT adding new tissue) short lived on a deficit? Implying that in order to get stronger OR bigger you still need to be on a surplus?
  • Katahna
    Katahna Posts: 326 Member
    it depends on what this woman does to gain muscle, there is no generic amount, considering everyones body is different.

    Go harder for faster results.
  • subcult
    subcult Posts: 262 Member
    I saw a few lice of the female Olympic litters they are not very bulky at all and I'm sure they out train us all. Edit pics hate auto correct.
  • Determinednoob
    Determinednoob Posts: 2,001 Member
    Wow - umm ok.... I don't have access to a gym nor do I have the money to get 100+ lbs in weights.... Do the weights have to be that high? I'm at 23.5% BF so I was trying mostly just help get the last of the fat off by introducing strength training instead of doing primarily cardio....

    I think what the problem is that you just have a different meaning of strength training, when people hear that they think compound lifts with a good amount of weight to get a total body workout. If you add small weights to JM, that is more of a small resistance training, and will achive what you are looking for.

    oh ok- Then I need to edit this to Resistance Training to put on some muscle...and Not strength training. I'm just wanting to tone up and get a bit stronger not WAY stronger.

    Don't think about it in terms of strength... think about it in terms of size.

    Heavy lifting + caloric deficit = what most people think of when they think "toned"
    Heavy lifting + caloric surplus = muscle growth/gaining size (albeit gains are small and very slow)

    Strength gains (i.e. the ability to lift heavier things) will come with either. Muscle gains (i.e. added size/muscle tissue) will really only happen with the second.

    .

    Strength gains will eventually stall without surplus and size gain. A good portion of beginner strength gain comes from increased coordination and nerual adaptation whereby your central nervous system gets more effective at firing muscle fibers and firing more muscle fibers at the same instant. Eventually though you will not get any stronger while in a deficit and not adding any size and getting the full muscle recovery benefits brought by eating more calories than you burn.

    is ths true? are strength gains (strengthening existing muscle NOT adding new tissue) short lived on a deficit? Implying that in order to get stronger OR bigger you still need to be on a surplus?

    Well it is just me answering so it's not like you are getting a second opinion, but yes. Eventually you will maximize the potential for what you have. Strength beyond that can not be conjured out of nothing. Many many times have I seen posts from people trying to figure out why they are stalling and eventually coming to the conclusion, either on their own or with help, that it was because they were not eating enough. One lift stalling while you are still gaining weight is localized to the muscles in question and may just need a deload, but all lifts stalling along with you bodyweight gain stalling indicates a need for increase in cals. This is why you see so very often people saying that lifting while in a decific is mostly about preserving the muscle you have. A noob on a decifit will gain strength for the previously mentioned reasons, but someone past the newb stage who is say switching from bulking to cutting will have strength affected somewhere in the range of only slight increase all the way to possible slightly negative.
  • chrishgt4
    chrishgt4 Posts: 1,222 Member
    Wow - umm ok.... I don't have access to a gym nor do I have the money to get 100+ lbs in weights.... Do the weights have to be that high? I'm at 23.5% BF so I was trying mostly just help get the last of the fat off by introducing strength training instead of doing primarily cardio....

    I think what the problem is that you just have a different meaning of strength training, when people hear that they think compound lifts with a good amount of weight to get a total body workout. If you add small weights to JM, that is more of a small resistance training, and will achive what you are looking for.

    oh ok- Then I need to edit this to Resistance Training to put on some muscle...and Not strength training. I'm just wanting to tone up and get a bit stronger not WAY stronger.

    Don't think about it in terms of strength... think about it in terms of size.

    Heavy lifting + caloric deficit = what most people think of when they think "toned"
    Heavy lifting + caloric surplus = muscle growth/gaining size (albeit gains are small and very slow)

    Strength gains (i.e. the ability to lift heavier things) will come with either. Muscle gains (i.e. added size/muscle tissue) will really only happen with the second.

    .

    Strength gains will eventually stall without surplus and size gain. A good portion of beginner strength gain comes from increased coordination and nerual adaptation whereby your central nervous system gets more effective at firing muscle fibers and firing more muscle fibers at the same instant. Eventually though you will not get any stronger while in a deficit and not adding any size and getting the full muscle recovery benefits brought by eating more calories than you burn.

    is ths true? are strength gains (strengthening existing muscle NOT adding new tissue) short lived on a deficit? Implying that in order to get stronger OR bigger you still need to be on a surplus?

    Well it is just me answering so it's not like you are getting a second opinion, but yes. Eventually you will maximize the potential for what you have. Strength beyond that can not be conjured out of nothing. Many many times have I seen posts from people trying to figure out why they are stalling and eventually coming to the conclusion, either on their own or with help, that it was because they were not eating enough. One lift stalling while you are still gaining weight is localized to the muscles in question and may just need a deload, but all lifts stalling along with you bodyweight gain stalling indicates a need for increase in cals. This is why you see so very often people saying that lifting while in a decific is mostly about preserving the muscle you have. A noob on a decifit will gain strength for the previously mentioned reasons, but someone past the newb stage who is say switching from bulking to cutting will have strength affected somewhere in the range of only slight increase all the way to possible slightly negative.

    Here's your second opinion.

    There are a few situations whereby you can gain muscle whilst on a deficit and they are all short lived.

    As a general rule you cannot gain muscle whilst on a deficit.

    The trick is to cut it as close as possible eating clean as possible on a gain to minimise the fat gain while you are gaining muscle and then to get your diet balanced out properly and train hard so that when you are cutting you maintain as much of that muscle as possible.

    The facts are, though, that if you want to gain muscle, you will inevitably gain fat as well.

    If you want to lose fat, you will inevitably lose muscle as well.

    It's all about making sure you build/hold onto as much muscle as possible.
  • chrishgt4
    chrishgt4 Posts: 1,222 Member
    Any trainee regarless of gender builds muscle by working at max effort in a reasonable rep range preferably at the proper frequency and volume for their training level\recovery ability (if they are too far outisde of this they may actually NOT get results)adding weight and\or reps while eating a surplus. Of course it eventually gets more complicated with periodization and stalls\resets\deloading etc. but anyway...

    @OP

    Bet you didn't know your thread would be so full of win when you created it did you?

    Nope I sure didn't.... Nor did I expect so many smart A** remarks from people. I'm not joining a gym, I'm not trying to be as strong as womanly possible I just wanted to know if gaining muscle took a long time... All I want to do is tone up.

    I think any comments that you have taken as smart *kitten*, perhaps aren't, but are just blunt.

    However, questions like this come up very often because people don't seem to realise how slow a process gaining muscle is, whether you are a man or a woman.

    You asked about the little pink weights - those are all but useless...in fact scratch that - they are less than useless...

    I think sometimes it doesn't matter how many times it is said, people don't take certain things in until they experience them and have that- 'oh my god!' moment.

    Those sorts of 'womens exercise' dvd workouts take advantage of the fact that a lot of women believe that they can put on muscle in a matter of days and will end up looking like a man.

    This is not the case - men have the hormones to build muscle a lot more easily than women, and yet it is a damn hard slog for us. It takes a massive amount of effort and dedication, and even then is sloooowwwww..........

    It is good that you are looking at actually doing weights as opposed to sticking with purely cardio, but those dvds and baby weights are practically pointless.

    You should have a look at new rules of lifting for women and get a good plan where you are lifting such weight that you can only manage between 8 and 12 reps before failure. (Failure being that you physically can't move that weight one more time).

    That is how to work out the right weight for you.

    If you can't afford weight, then that is fine, there are things you can do with bodyweight that can be effective and there are many many mannnny routines that you can google.
  • gxm17
    gxm17 Posts: 374
    Any trainee regarless of gender builds muscle by working at max effort in a reasonable rep range preferably at the proper frequency and volume for their training level\recovery ability (if they are too far outisde of this they may actually NOT get results)adding weight and\or reps while eating a surplus. Of course it eventually gets more complicated with periodization and stalls\resets\deloading etc. but anyway...

    @OP

    Bet you didn't know your thread would be so full of win when you created it did you?

    Nope I sure didn't.... Nor did I expect so many smart A** remarks from people. I'm not joining a gym, I'm not trying to be as strong as womanly possible I just wanted to know if gaining muscle took a long time... All I want to do is tone up.

    I think any comments that you have taken as smart *kitten*, perhaps aren't, but are just blunt.

    However, questions like this come up very often because people don't seem to realise how slow a process gaining muscle is, whether you are a man or a woman.

    You asked about the little pink weights - those are all but useless...in fact scratch that - they are less than useless...

    I think sometimes it doesn't matter how many times it is said, people don't take certain things in until they experience them and have that- 'oh my god!' moment.

    Those sorts of 'womens exercise' dvd workouts take advantage of the fact that a lot of women believe that they can put on muscle in a matter of days and will end up looking like a man.

    This is not the case - men have the hormones to build muscle a lot more easily than women, and yet it is a damn hard slog for us. It takes a massive amount of effort and dedication, and even then is sloooowwwww..........

    It is good that you are looking at actually doing weights as opposed to sticking with purely cardio, but those dvds and baby weights are practically pointless.

    You should have a look at new rules of lifting for women and get a good plan where you are lifting such weight that you can only manage between 8 and 12 reps before failure. (Failure being that you physically can't move that weight one more time).

    That is how to work out the right weight for you.

    If you can't afford weight, then that is fine, there are things you can do with bodyweight that can be effective and there are many many mannnny routines that you can google.

    No. I think she's right on. But, apparently, some people, like you, are confusing frankness with rudeness. I checked the OP and there is no mention of "little pink weights." The OP asked about 5lb. and 8lb. weights. Using terms like "little pink weights" and "baby weights" is condescending, snide, and sexist. The truth is that light weights are perfectly fine for some people and in using them they will get leaner, feel stronger, and eventually they may want to heavy up. But that's their choice, not yours. And it's a perfectly valid choice, completely undeserving of the scorn and ridicule the "heavy lifters" often resort to.

    And, FTR, I have 5lb. and 8lb. weights and neither set is pink. One is black and the other is blue. I guess that means they're meant for men.
  • chicpeach
    chicpeach Posts: 302 Member
    Wow - umm ok.... I don't have access to a gym nor do I have the money to get 100+ lbs in weights.... Do the weights have to be that high? I'm at 23.5% BF so I was trying mostly just help get the last of the fat off by introducing strength training instead of doing primarily cardio....

    I can't afford a gym. What I did is find weights thru garage sales and purchased them for basically loose change. The weights I use most are 15-50 pounds. Lighter weights I only use when walking.

    To answer the OP's question, I've been lifting for 6 months now and could not even begin to tell you if I have accumulated any muscle mass, but I do lose weight every week with a daily burn of about 200 cals and eating about 1700 daily. I'm also 50, so someone younger should be able to achieve better results.
  • jbella99
    jbella99 Posts: 596 Member
    Jillian Michaels is a weightloss guru not a body builder her videos are to help people lose weight. If you are looking to gain muscle try someone like Jamie Eason. Lifting 5to8 pound weights will help muscle endurance and help shed weight but not build muscle. You need to eat significant amounts of high quality protein, and give your body proper clean fuel to gain muscle weight. If you are only trying to lose weight and tighten up JM is a good place to start.
  • Determinednoob
    Determinednoob Posts: 2,001 Member
    You both may be right about the comments, but no one is right about people getting stronger doing bosu ball curls and kickbacks with 5 lbs. To suggest so is a disservice to uneducated people looking to truely get strong.
  • RobynMWilson
    RobynMWilson Posts: 1,540 Member
    It's been my experience that 5 to 8lb weights didn't help me "tighten everything up". I had to go heavy (for me lol) and slow reps to fail between 8 and 12 reps to start tightening everything up. And how fast you put the muscle on depends on your nutrition, your genetics and what program you're using. I don't know anything about the Jillian Michael's dvds but I know I did ChaLEAN Extreme, started building muscle in the first month (my profile pic is Day 60 of that program) and I'm hoping to continue to build on that with P90X. But I'm following the nutrition and making sure I'm drinking tons of water and eating tons of protein...
  • chrishgt4
    chrishgt4 Posts: 1,222 Member
    Any trainee regarless of gender builds muscle by working at max effort in a reasonable rep range preferably at the proper frequency and volume for their training level\recovery ability (if they are too far outisde of this they may actually NOT get results)adding weight and\or reps while eating a surplus. Of course it eventually gets more complicated with periodization and stalls\resets\deloading etc. but anyway...

    @OP

    Bet you didn't know your thread would be so full of win when you created it did you?

    Nope I sure didn't.... Nor did I expect so many smart A** remarks from people. I'm not joining a gym, I'm not trying to be as strong as womanly possible I just wanted to know if gaining muscle took a long time... All I want to do is tone up.

    I think any comments that you have taken as smart *kitten*, perhaps aren't, but are just blunt.

    However, questions like this come up very often because people don't seem to realise how slow a process gaining muscle is, whether you are a man or a woman.

    You asked about the little pink weights - those are all but useless...in fact scratch that - they are less than useless...

    I think sometimes it doesn't matter how many times it is said, people don't take certain things in until they experience them and have that- 'oh my god!' moment.

    Those sorts of 'womens exercise' dvd workouts take advantage of the fact that a lot of women believe that they can put on muscle in a matter of days and will end up looking like a man.

    This is not the case - men have the hormones to build muscle a lot more easily than women, and yet it is a damn hard slog for us. It takes a massive amount of effort and dedication, and even then is sloooowwwww..........

    It is good that you are looking at actually doing weights as opposed to sticking with purely cardio, but those dvds and baby weights are practically pointless.

    You should have a look at new rules of lifting for women and get a good plan where you are lifting such weight that you can only manage between 8 and 12 reps before failure. (Failure being that you physically can't move that weight one more time).

    That is how to work out the right weight for you.

    If you can't afford weight, then that is fine, there are things you can do with bodyweight that can be effective and there are many many mannnny routines that you can google.

    No. I think she's right on. But, apparently, some people, like you, are confusing frankness with rudeness. I checked the OP and there is no mention of "little pink weights." The OP asked about 5lb. and 8lb. weights. Using terms like "little pink weights" and "baby weights" is condescending, snide, and sexist. The truth is that light weights are perfectly fine for some people and in using them they will get leaner, feel stronger, and eventually they may want to heavy up. But that's their choice, not yours. And it's a perfectly valid choice, completely undeserving of the scorn and ridicule the "heavy lifters" often resort to.

    And, FTR, I have 5lb. and 8lb. weights and neither set is pink. One is black and the other is blue. I guess that means they're meant for men.

    Ok, first and foremost - I took some time to write a post that gave good information, so please get off of your high horse and if you feel some of what i said was negative, please focus on the positive. Don't get arsey at people who are trying to help. That is just rude.

    Secondly - Sometimes things need to be said in a certain way to try and make your point.

    Thirdly - I don't care what colour they are, fact is they are useless. No one ever got stronger from using them. Also - they are a waste of money given that they are fixed weight. There is so little range in weights that they cannot possibly accommodate the range of weights one needs when working a whole body.

    Screw anyone who focuses on how something was said and not the content when that person was answering the question with genuine information.
  • m60kaf
    m60kaf Posts: 421 Member
    Any trainee regarless of gender builds muscle by working at max effort in a reasonable rep range preferably at the proper frequency and volume for their training level\recovery ability (if they are too far outisde of this they may actually NOT get results)adding weight and\or reps while eating a surplus. Of course it eventually gets more complicated with periodization and stalls\resets\deloading etc. but anyway...

    @OP

    Bet you didn't know your thread would be so full of win when you created it did you?

    Nope I sure didn't.... Nor did I expect so many smart A** remarks from people. I'm not joining a gym, I'm not trying to be as strong as womanly possible I just wanted to know if gaining muscle took a long time... All I want to do is tone up.

    I think any comments that you have taken as smart *kitten*, perhaps aren't, but are just blunt.

    However, questions like this come up very often because people don't seem to realise how slow a process gaining muscle is, whether you are a man or a woman.

    You asked about the little pink weights - those are all but useless...in fact scratch that - they are less than useless...

    I think sometimes it doesn't matter how many times it is said, people don't take certain things in until they experience them and have that- 'oh my god!' moment.

    Those sorts of 'womens exercise' dvd workouts take advantage of the fact that a lot of women believe that they can put on muscle in a matter of days and will end up looking like a man.

    This is not the case - men have the hormones to build muscle a lot more easily than women, and yet it is a damn hard slog for us. It takes a massive amount of effort and dedication, and even then is sloooowwwww..........

    It is good that you are looking at actually doing weights as opposed to sticking with purely cardio, but those dvds and baby weights are practically pointless.

    You should have a look at new rules of lifting for women and get a good plan where you are lifting such weight that you can only manage between 8 and 12 reps before failure. (Failure being that you physically can't move that weight one more time).

    That is how to work out the right weight for you.

    If you can't afford weight, then that is fine, there are things you can do with bodyweight that can be effective and there are many many mannnny routines that you can google.

    No. I think she's right on. But, apparently, some people, like you, are confusing frankness with rudeness. I checked the OP and there is no mention of "little pink weights." The OP asked about 5lb. and 8lb. weights. Using terms like "little pink weights" and "baby weights" is condescending, snide, and sexist. The truth is that light weights are perfectly fine for some people and in using them they will get leaner, feel stronger, and eventually they may want to heavy up. But that's their choice, not yours. And it's a perfectly valid choice, completely undeserving of the scorn and ridicule the "heavy lifters" often resort to.

    And, FTR, I have 5lb. and 8lb. weights and neither set is pink. One is black and the other is blue. I guess that means they're meant for men.

    hmmmm - I look at the profile pictures of people who are advocating higher weights and ask myself, "hmmmm who looks like they know about weights"

    Come on admit it you sell little 2lb pink weights don't you - the only possibility can be that you have some vested interest in talking rubbish
  • zenchild
    zenchild Posts: 680 Member
    I have 6 JM DVDs. I've been doing two levels a day (about an hour), 6 days a week since April. My calves are fantastic. They are much more defined. I have a brand-new hard bulgy spot on the backs of my lower thighs. My thighs are smaller and I can feel more muscle under the (shrinking) layer of fat. The pudge around my middle is moving. Instead of an all-around spare tire I now have love handles and a bit in the middle. The space between each handle and the middle is concave (!!!) and the bits above and below the middle are hard and flat. There's even a line going all the way down the center. My upper arms are much firmer when relaxed and I have a noticeable bicep when I flex.
    I'm netting around 1200 calories a day. I make sure to get plenty of protein and fiber. I drink tea and water throughout the day. I am getting stronger. My muscles can do things they couldn't do in April. I'm doing real push-ups now. I can go all the way down in squats and do the entire set. I've also lost 12 pounds.
    There are plenty of people who will say I'm doing it wrong. But really, my muscles are bigger and my belly is smaller. I'd say I'm doing just fine.

    AWESOME! Thatnk you!! This is what I am wanting to do- rotate her dvds for a total body workout but changing up the workouts so my body doesn't plateau! What dvds do you have and what order do you do them in?

    I have 30 Day Shred, Ripped in 30, Kickbox FastFix, 6 Week 6 Pack, Extreme Shed and Shred and Killer Buns and Thighs. 4 days a week I do a level of one of the harder DVDs (ES&S, 6W6P, KB&T) plus a level of one of the less hard ones (30DS, RI30, KBFF). That gives me about an hour. I try to pair the hard levels of the harder DVDs with the easier levels of the less hard ones and vice versa. On Wednesdays I just do one of the harder DVDs. That's the day my husband and I discuss anything that needs discussing (business, family, etc.). One Saturday or Sunday I do 2 levels of the harder DVDs and work for an hour to an hour and a half. I rest one day a week.
    6W6P is starting to get easy so I think I'll be replacing it with something harder in the next month or so and moving it to the "less hard" group.
  • hesn92
    hesn92 Posts: 5,966 Member

    I love that the people insisting that everyone is different because of body type, metabolism etc are the very ones saying you MUST use heavy weights. ;)

    thats because the sentence you say after what I quoted is wrong.

    if anything women need to follow bodybuilding/strongman/etc advice MORE strictly then men... because they dont have the hormonal benefit helping them.

    think about it.. its HARDER for women to make muscle.... for the best results, they should be following the best advice possible...

    but whatever. :)

    I totally agree. I am actually TRYING to bulk up and it's going nowhere fast.
  • Biggest mistake women make when trying to add good weight is being afraid of calories. I took me 4 years to build the muscle i have today and i was able to do it simply because i was never afraid of slamming the calories needed to do so. I of course was still very active and kept my macros pretty protein dominant. you WILL NOT gain weight on a 1500 calorie diet doing 2 hours of cardio a day. Lift heavy and hard, eat for a purpose and it will come together, eventually. It is difficult to put a time frame on something like this. I always say you get out of it what you put in. It really isnt easy but it isnt impossible!!!
  • Determinednoob
    Determinednoob Posts: 2,001 Member
    ZOMG empirical data. So rare to get in relation to women gaining muscle ;)
  • Thanks cool reply! I put my time in and love what i do!

    ZOMG empirical data. So rare to get in relation to women gaining muscle ;)
  • CelestinoZ
    CelestinoZ Posts: 15
    I am going to start doing weights with my Jillian Michaels exercise videos but have a couple questions.

    1. How long does it take a woman to put on one pound of muscle?
    2. How long after strength training or how much muscle do you need to gain, for the new muscle to speed up your metabolism and start burning more fat faster?

    Aslo- will 5 and 8 pound weights be enough to to tighten everything up?

    Thanks for the help!:wink:

    1. This will vary depending on age, hormone level, caloric intake, metabolic level.
    2.This to will vary, some people can gain muscle faster than others depending on the type of worksout they do.

    3. To build muscle you should focus on compound lifts that work many body parts. Squats and deadlifts are really good for putting on muscle. Standing overhead presses are also very good, and from time to time bench presses are good to do.
    Excericises that target smaller muscle groups, such as bicep curls, and tricept pushdowns are very ineffective at building muslce. You can curl 25 pound barbells all day, but not see much improvement in the way of bicep size.
  • Reneefit135
    Reneefit135 Posts: 170
    Wow - umm ok.... I don't have access to a gym nor do I have the money to get 100+ lbs in weights.... Do the weights have to be that high? I'm at 23.5% BF so I was trying mostly just help get the last of the fat off by introducing strength training instead of doing primarily cardio....

    I think what the problem is that you just have a different meaning of strength training, when people hear that they think compound lifts with a good amount of weight to get a total body workout. If you add small weights to JM, that is more of a small resistance training, and will achive what you are looking for.

    Thanks - This is one of the best most clear cut explanation on this. We see so many posts about this because those of us who haven't reached are goal yet or who are beginners get so confused with all the different info. But since i got similar answers to this on a recent post i sent out, i think the heavy lifting calorie deficit is helping me lose fat and def get more toned already. You are right that is what most females are looking for unless they just want bodybuilding...most of us want to get rid of the fat and be shaped and toned not necessarily add muscle mass. We only say we want to add muscle because we hear it helps burn fat and we like the curvy look of women that have lost fat and their muscles show toned and tight....not large.

    oh ok- Then I need to edit this to Resistance Training to put on some muscle...and Not strength training. I'm just wanting to tone up and get a bit stronger not WAY stronger.

    Don't think about it in terms of strength... think about it in terms of size.

    Heavy lifting + caloric deficit = what most people think of when they think "toned"
    Heavy lifting + caloric surplus = muscle growth/gaining size (albeit gains are small and very slow)

    Strength gains (i.e. the ability to lift heavier things) will come with either. Muscle gains (i.e. added size/muscle tissue) will really only happen with the second.

    .
  • Determinednoob
    Determinednoob Posts: 2,001 Member
    Wow - umm ok.... I don't have access to a gym nor do I have the money to get 100+ lbs in weights.... Do the weights have to be that high? I'm at 23.5% BF so I was trying mostly just help get the last of the fat off by introducing strength training instead of doing primarily cardio....

    I think what the problem is that you just have a different meaning of strength training, when people hear that they think compound lifts with a good amount of weight to get a total body workout. If you add small weights to JM, that is more of a small resistance training, and will achive what you are looking for.

    Thanks - This is one of the best most clear cut explanation on this. We see so many posts about this because those of us who haven't reached are goal yet or who are beginners get so confused with all the different info. But since i got similar answers to this on a recent post i sent out, i think the heavy lifting calorie deficit is helping me lose fat and def get more toned already. You are right that is what most females are looking for unless they just want bodybuilding...most of us want to get rid of the fat and be shaped and toned not necessarily add muscle mass. We only say we want to add muscle because we hear it helps burn fat and we like the curvy look of women that have lost fat and their muscles show toned and tight....not large.

    oh ok- Then I need to edit this to Resistance Training to put on some muscle...and Not strength training. I'm just wanting to tone up and get a bit stronger not WAY stronger.

    Don't think about it in terms of strength... think about it in terms of size.

    Heavy lifting + caloric deficit = what most people think of when they think "toned"
    Heavy lifting + caloric surplus = muscle growth/gaining size (albeit gains are small and very slow)

    Strength gains (i.e. the ability to lift heavier things) will come with either. Muscle gains (i.e. added size/muscle tissue) will really only happen with the second.

    .

    requoted the requote soley for the purpose of requoting