training for women...

I've been browsing through the threads and get a lot of mixed information on how women should train. Seems most have the same complaints but different technique so I'm sort of at a stand still and looking for some input :)
I've tried training my own body with a few different techniques...high reps, light weight....heavy weight/3 sets of 12 reps...and pyramid training (12, 10, 8, 6...heavying up by about 10lb each set and lowering the sets...basically aiming for muscle failure) as U can see Im all over the place and my body hates me for it.
I've been into fitness for 6 years and had great results when I first got into it, went from 150 lb to 127 lb. My body frame seemed smaller, less muscular, I was happy with the results I was getting, thinking back I believe my BF% was 21 . Over the next year I put on about 8 lb..up to 135, body fat didnt change but seemed to be putting on muscle. From here my weight yo-yo's between 135-140. weight to me doesnt matter...inches and bf% do.
Back in May I bagan training again after being off for 6 months. I began pyramid training and and started to look more defined, I kept at this till about august as I started to notice that I was getting quite muscular. My bf % was 20 when I started and went down to 16%-18%.
LEGS...I have no idea why women get stuck with massive legs but Im one of them. I hate my legs and no matter how I train them I cannot get them to how I'd like them to be.
I stopped lifting heavy in august and decided to try light weight, high reps. for me... this was a mistake, I feel soft, lost alot of definition and am sure Ive put on weight...I refuse to step on a scale, the mirror tells me enuff. I decided to try lighter weight hoping to take some of the bulk away, My legs to me look massive but after doing this type of training (high reps, low weight) I noticed it does NOTHING for me. does this technique actually work for anyone?
I hate the idea of getting too muscular, Id really like to get my weight down to 125 by Spring...not being unrealistic and have no need to shock my body so I rebound. currently my bf is around 18%, I train 6 days a week...usually hitting heach muscle group 2 times a week (once on machine weights and once free/no weight) it may sound like I'm weight training alot but if I reduce it I really dont see any results. I do cardio 6 days a week..been told dont do more then 20 minutes....then told by others to do 45-60....what would U reccomend? My prefence was running but the impact on my knees and back has caused some damage so I usually use the cross trainers as they r full body (I like the arc trainer & cross ramps but neither has upper body)

Sorry for the long post, as U can see...I'm pretty lost and could Use some advice.

Thanks!
~xo~

changing routines is a good thing..

have you tried..

1 warm up set of 6 reps at 60% of your working set
and
1 set to 20 reps (working set)

the working set is a weight that you can do 20 reps on ... if you get to 20 and you have not neded to really force the last 4... you need to increase the weight..

makes for a faster workout too...

oh.. and do cardio.... at 70% of your max.. for 35-45 minutes..

that's what i find optimal for my wife.. so it should work for you..

and if you hate it in the am.. then just do it before you eat a meal...

you didn't mention your eating routine (diet) which will be critical in reaching your goals..

Also.... heavy weight training for women.... getting toooo muscular... Not without steroids.. you will just get more and more lean.. just my experience..

good luck

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Originally Posted by Girlie

LEGS...I have no idea why women get stuck with massive legs but Im one of them. I hate my legs and no matter how I train them I cannot get them to how I'd like them to be.
I stopped lifting heavy in august and decided to try light weight, high reps. for me... this was a mistake, I feel soft, lost alot of definition and am sure Ive put on weight...I refuse to step on a scale, the mirror tells me enuff. I decided to try lighter weight hoping to take some of the bulk away, My legs to me look massive but after doing this type of training (high reps, low weight) I noticed it does NOTHING for me. does this technique actually work for anyone?

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Big toned legs are hot! Women develop big legs for their size because of wider hips and a bigger pelvis. It means there is muscle to start with and a greater potential for growth. Guys with broad shoulders build huge deltoids...

The difference between high and low reps is this. High reps will train your muscles for endurance and not recruit the fast twitch fibres as much (which are the ones that grow fastest and biggest). By doing high reps you will get more of a cardio workout and will train your slow twitch fibres which will mean technically you will build less mass, but will still build. Also note that most people's legs grow most with reps of 15-20, so you may want to increase either beyond that range or do cycling for half an hour (works calves, hams, quads, glutes, tib anterior, everything).

However, whatever exercise you do, it will not increase/decrease muscle tone. Any type of exercise on muscle that has never been worked will increase muscle tone. Once you've got tone from generally working out it can't be lost unless you stop working out. Definition is all about diet and greater development of the muscles. Bigger muscles are more developed and therefore are better shaped according to predestined genetics.

The only way you will lose bulk on your legs is by reducing protein intake slightly and doing an hour or so of lowish intensity cardio at a time (cycling is best as its easy on the joints). Then your body would realise that bulk was not the answer and would catabolise the fast twitch mass and replace it with high endurance, slow twitch highly vascularised muscle.

I hope this helps. How exactly do you want your legs to be?

How many inches are your thighs non pumped?

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Originally Posted by Flexor

Big toned legs are hot! Women develop big legs for their size because of wider hips and a bigger pelvis. It means there is muscle to start with and a greater potential for growth. Guys with broad shoulders build huge deltoids...

The difference between high and low reps is this. High reps will train your muscles for endurance and not recruit the fast twitch fibres as much (which are the ones that grow fastest and biggest). By doing high reps you will get more of a cardio workout and will train your slow twitch fibres which will mean technically you will build less mass, but will still build. Also note that most people's legs grow most with reps of 15-20, so you may want to increase either beyond that range or do cycling for half an hour (works calves, hams, quads, glutes, tib anterior, everything).

However, whatever exercise you do, it will not increase/decrease muscle tone. Any type of exercise on muscle that has never been worked will increase muscle tone. Once you've got tone from generally working out it can't be lost unless you stop working out. Definition is all about diet and greater development of the muscles. Bigger muscles are more developed and therefore are better shaped according to predestined genetics.

The only way you will lose bulk on your legs is by reducing protein intake slightly and doing an hour or so of lowish intensity cardio at a time (cycling is best as its easy on the joints). Then your body would realise that bulk was not the answer and would catabolise the fast twitch mass and replace it with high endurance, slow twitch highly vascularised muscle.

I hope this helps. How exactly do you want your legs to be?

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good post!

Thanks for the responces :) I havent tried what U suggested spy, I started pyramid training last week (1x12reps 50%, 1x10reps 70%, 1x8reps 80%, final set 6 reps 90-100%...struggling by the last 2 reps) but dont know if I should b doing things that way which is why Im asking for opinions here :)

I know diet is an issue...I find I get best results following low carb/high protien...lately I've been pretty bad with my diet, sugar cravings kill it for me. I've been buying Interactive Nutrition iso whey...they have sum great new flavors that help curb my cravings for sweets.
I usually eat 6 small meals throughout the day, biggest issue is I dont really like meat and am allergic to fish so getting proper protien from real foods is the hard part.
if I cleaned up my diet I'd probably start seeing better results...discipline, planning and preparing meals ahead of time would be the smart thing to do.

I always train first thing in the morning, I loose my drive if I dont do it right when I get up and prefer to workout on an empty stomach. I do my weight training for about 30-45 min depending what muscle group Im working and cardio I do at about 80 % max heart rate for anywhere from 30-60 min...depending how much time I have. I thought maybe if I focused on just cardio for a few weeks I may shed more fat and lean out a little? At the same time I know weight training is important.. muscle burns fat :shrug:

I'd like to start fresh Monday but feel like Im just yo'yo'ing between different opinions. Ive been on this board for quite a while but think Im just confusing myself by taking bits and peices of whats said and not asking

Right now My stats are:

Neck:12.5
Shoulders 39.5
chest: 34
waist: (3 fingers above bellie button):28
Stomach: (3 fingers below bellie button):32
hips: (butt included): 38-39
thighs: (widest part) 23
calf: 16 *ugh!*
bicep: 12

weight...I dont know...140 last I check and dont really wanna know right now
bf% 18%

legs

back

back

I apologize for the question from left field, but is that you in your avatar, Girlie?

I remember what it was like when I used to get frustrated by all the different options I wanted to try. Sometimes its good to just step back, relax about it all and then look at everything in a simpler way with a fresh mind.

I personally believe that you're looking great the way you are. High intensity exercise is not strictly necessary to lose weight, although obviously it helps by raising the level of fat burning. A lot of people just do low cardio. Also an hour of cycling is different to an hour of jogging even if heart rate is the same because cycling is harder on the legs.

I'd personally do cycling cardio and maintain 65% MHR for fat burning. At the end of the 45 mins, either switch up the bike machine or push a high gear to get a powerful leg burnout (for some high intensity fat burning). That way you can combine low cardio and a weights type exercise all in one.

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Originally Posted by Keyser Sozey

I apologize for the question from left field, but is that you in your avatar, Girlie?

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Sorry for answering for her, but judging by the hot pics she provided in her last message...yes its her in the avatar :wg:

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Originally Posted by Flexor

Sorry for answering for her, but judging by the hot pics she provided in her last message...yes its her in the avatar :wg:

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She definitely has a hard bod already. All I have to say is DAMN!

girlie whos that in the avator??

Guys on test, test and guys, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera.;)

It is frustrating isnt it!
I'll try the pyramid training for a few weeks and re-assess in 4-6 weeks. also going to try switching up my cardio and maybe dropping the intensity from 80% to 65%. I'll lay out a proper diet tomorrow...I'll post and maybe I can get a few suggestios on what may need to b changed. I'd like to lean out a bit, my goal isnt anything drastic but would like to get down to 125-130 lb over the winter.

Yes the avatar is me :)

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Originally Posted by Keyser Sozey

Guys on test, test and guys, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera.;)

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Even natural levels are beyond my level of control :lol:

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Originally Posted by Girlie

It is frustrating isnt it!
I'll try the pyramid training for a few weeks and re-assess in 4-6 weeks. also going to try switching up my cardio and maybe dropping the intensity from 80% to 65%. I'll lay out a proper diet tomorrow...I'll post and maybe I can get a few suggestios on what may need to b changed. I'd like to lean out a bit, my goal isnt anything drastic but would like to get down to 125-130 lb over the winter.

Yes the avatar is me :)

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Best way to approach it...

no shit girl!!! you look damn good! but i know how you feel, the whole self image thing. you prolly dont see what other people see. as far as the legs go, i found that my legs get hyooge if i train them heavy even over the course of a few weeks. i play soccer and used to run a lot so i think my legs have muscle memory or something and just get big quick. the thing i have found that works for legs as well as all over my body (i lost 6% BF this way) is doing supersets or compount sets (even trisets sometimes). i find i get the most results from this while cutting

also, like some already mentioned, cardio and diet are important for fat loss also

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Girlie

It is frustrating isnt it!
I'll try the pyramid training for a few weeks and re-assess in 4-6 weeks. also going to try switching up my cardio and maybe dropping the intensity from 80% to 65%. I'll lay out a proper diet tomorrow...I'll post and maybe I can get a few suggestios on what may need to b changed. I'd like to lean out a bit, my goal isnt anything drastic but would like to get down to 125-130 lb over the winter.

Yes the avatar is me :)

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LOL....I'm sorry. Usually, I'm able to read and answer posts quite dilligently, but my eyes are glued to your back. :D
When you post your diet, I will cover your avvy and read with all my attention. I will say something, where I live there are a plethora of models and what not, and I'm used to it. However, I know you want to improve, but that's a smokin' bod already.

very nice indeed girlie!!you are lookin fine!!

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Originally Posted by booz

very nice indeed girlie!!you are lookin fine!!

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:aabanhiml :lol:

Women deserve respect, not our drool, hehe.

Let's all calm down before we have multiple strokes... :lol:

Girlie, let the compliments encourage you to look even better. I'm away for about a week so Keyser can comment on your diet, since weights is my specialty... :wg:

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Originally Posted by Flexor

Women deserve respect, not our drool, hehe.

Let's all calm down before we have multiple strokes... :lol:

Girlie, let the compliments encourage you to look even better. I'm away for about a week so Keyser can comment on your diet, since weights is my specialty... :wg:

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i think youl find that where girlies concerned kersey will be lost for words!! :lol: