Luthorcrow

You have some options. One you could try eating a little less than the 3100 goal. You could try starting off with just an extra 500 above maintenance, make sure that at least 30% of your calories are quality protein (milk, meat, eggs, etc.) and get good rest. See how far that takes you. Eventually you will need to eat…

You definitely should not be experiencing knee pain if your form is correct. There are several things you could be doing wrong. The most likely is that you are not pushing your knees out enough and keeping them pushed out through the entire movement or your are not going deep enough (partial squats stress your knees). Is…

I would basically second your comment. But I would break it out a bit more by goal. Pure strength then your best bet is to pick up both the "Starting Strength" book and DVD. The book will give you all you need to know to start a program and the DVD is simply the best of demonstration of the five basic lifts. What is so…

I think everyone has covered it. It really is as simple as... 1) Keep it convenient. Whether that is close to work or close to home, your gym needs to be close to your routine. My gym is just across the street from my work. For me working out during my work day ensures I never miss a workout unless I have an injury. 2)…

You are completely right about the physics but absolutely wrong about the value of machines over free weights. Yes, machines do provide a constant level of resistance but they do this while restricting the path on a linear, determine path that both negates the work of stabilizing muscles and attempts to isolate a single…

I would recommend one of two routes. If you are looking for general strength training then I would recommend picking up a copy of "New Rules for Lifting for Women." It is a great basic primer including a clear program, nutrient and examples. If you focus is pure strength then I would suggest picking up "Starting Strength…

Yes but that is like saying to a guy, there are straight chicks at a gay club. It's true but talk about misdirected effort. :)

No, I am going to disagree with you. BB tends to do a lot of things that would contradict the Starting Strength program or any other pure strength programs and would actually derail her efforts. if you following Starting Strength it would better to go to the source and post StartingStrength.com in the forums. They have…

First off, 4 weeks is way too short of a period to expect to see much of a difference. Keep in mind that the first two weeks of lifting, the only thing that really changes your is your brain adapting to the new muscle movements. You should definitely expect to start noticing changes after 2 months or so. But given that you…

Most of the vegetarians I have know have been fat. But I think it is more of result of just poor planning. Look, back gladiator times they often ate vegetarian, or at least very heavy grain diets to fatten themselves up for the games. The reason is if you have a nice layer of subcutaneous fat around your body you cut get…

Why? Aside from the bench press what barbell exercise requires a spotter? Do your squats in a power rack and everything else you just return the rack or ground if you fail. The only machines worth using are the cable machines (seated cable rows, woodchops, etc.). Rather that start blinded, I would suggest started with the…

Yes you will eventually hit a plateau based on your genetics on how long and hard you have been training but you have not been lifting nearly long enough to have hit your genetic potential (think more like 2-3 years). If have been a strict diet like 1200 calories then yes that will keep you from gaining strength and…

LOL, that's true. I think I am the only person at my gym that does them. Never see, straight chin ups. If I had to name the current trendy exercise, the power cleans. 10 years ago no one did them now I see it daily. Must be a bleed over from cross fit.

NROL is a great book. As a man, I can only speak from first hand experience with the original but you picked a good starting point. Creatine is not intended for long term use. Generally you do it for a 8-12 week cycle and then cycle off, etc. Personally, I didn't never notice that much bloating when I have used it but I…

I would suggest you pick up "New Rules for Lifting for Women". It's great starting point and will help you avoid many of the blind allies and pitfalls that women are misdirected to when it comes to strength training. Also to help with form on some of the most important lifts you can't do much better than the DVD Starting…

Great article. I think that should be a most read for women thinking about lifting. Seeing just how fit and feminine she lookse while developing some series strength is impressive.

I think your boyfriend was being silly. Of course women can be buff. I actually thought all three women you post looked fine. Keep in mind the last women was in competitive shape and obviously does not maintain that low of a level of body fat year round. Aside from the rare (genetic or juiced) extreme female body builder…

For most people as close to barefoot as possible is best. They do make special weight lifting shoes but they are only for people lifting at a seriously heavy power lifting level. Most people would be off with either bare feet, five fingers or the long time favorite a pair of Converse Chuck Taylors. What do you not want are…

I think your friend is referring to water intoxication or hyponatremia. Generally that is an issue with babies, endurance sports or people high on ecstasy. I am no expert on the topic but my understand is for an adult it would take an extreme amount of water. Here is a Scientific American article on the subject and a…

One I would say keep your protein up. You don't want it to dip below 15% and I personally prefer a 40/30/30 combo just because i need the extra protein and keeps me satisfied. Two, I think the sugars column is misleading because it is really processed sugars you really should be worrying about not such much natural…

Your trainer is partially correct. Generally you do want to get your body temperature up and joints lubricated. Five minutes of general callisthenics or dynamic stretches is more than enough. Running on the treadmill or elliptic is waste of time because it only works your legs. Keep in mind that your warm doesn't stop…

Bingo! That is also, in theory, the better recipe for weight loss as well. It's the same theory as doing HIT followed by steady state cardio.

Definitely. What is bad manners is not to put the plates back on the stand after using them as well to put them in the order on the stand. Apparently the peeps in my gym never got the memo that plates go from small to large on the stand. Instead they seem to think leaving them on the bar, on the floor or randomly on the…

For women that is extremely low. That is beyond just athletic and lower than most charts for professional athletes. Keep in mind that for a woman essential body fat is in the 10%-12% range. Go lower than that and your health would be at risk. So ya, that is ripped.

...or a squat. Most people consider the 10-15 rep range to be more about endurance rather than building muscle/strength. 8-12 is generally classified as hypertrophy, building muscle size not necessarily strength, and 1-5 being the number of reps for heavy, pure strength lifting. Also the thread starter noted on her rest…

As long it is not causing gastrointestinal distress, you should be fine.

Sounds like you are mixing it well. Doing what you enjoy is always the best approach. You look incredible already. Your husband is going to be very happy when he returns. Hopefully you are finding lifestyle changes that make you happy as well. 130 sound like a good goal. I think women get caught on the sub 120lbs as a…

You can what nutrients are displayed under settings. You can change sugar to something else.

If pumping your ego on internet forums gets your e-penis hard good for you but don't expect me to take you seriously.

It sounds like form. Another thing to look out for is making sure that your knees stay laid up with your middle toe. A common mistake is to let the knee drift either to the left or right of the foot putting pressure on your joint. Also, you could do other equivalent exercises such as the step up or Bulgarian split squat.