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ryan, can i ask for some advice?


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Hi!

I read your replied to Joe, and I was wondering if you know about fitness for women as well as men?

 

I've just gained some weight, which im happy with, because i've finally reached my healthy bodyweight (119 lbs at 5'6'') ...

However, the sideeffect of this was some flabby yucky stuff around the thighs ... It's just starting to build up, and i wanna get rid of it SOON... hehe...

so - what kind of exercises do i need?

i obviously dont want to build huge muscles like a guy, - just no flabby stuff, and some muscle showing.

should i be exercising with weights? if so, how do i pick the weight & the number of repetitions?

should i be doing cardio? ... im playing tennis twice a week or so - is that enough?

diet-wise, should i be on one?? i normally eat whatever i want, as much as i want...

 

thanks!!!

-yes

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Of course I know about fitness for women....because fitness between genders is not all that different. Women have a heart and lungs just like men. Women have the same muscles and the same types of composition as men. Women have the same hormones as men, albeit in different levels. The principles of fitness apply to anyone. The specifics come on a person-to-person basis and that's where some tailoring comes in.

 

Now, you say you've just gained weight to reach a healthy bodyweight. My first question is....how did you go about this? By simply eating more? If so, what you added was bodyfat. It is very rare that an individual needs to add bodyfat. Those who are underweight are typically lacking in muscle tissue. What has collected around your thighs is bodyfat. On women, the hip/thigh area is typically the first place fat is stored and the last place it is removed. It sounds like you've been chowing down and this is the result. I see you have no dietary system and your activity consists of playing tennis. While tennis can be a fun way to stay active, it is not going to do much for improving your body composition.

 

Now, as I have stated before, it is impossible to remove bodyfat from one specific area of the body. You must facilitate fat loss system-wide and wait for your goals to be met. No particular thigh exercises are going to diminish these fat stores. The most effective way is by dietary manipulation. Since you are coming from a situation of weighing too LITTLE, I believe it is imperative that you increase the muscular quantity of your body. This will add meaningfully to your bodyweight AND it will increase your metabolism, meaning more calories (potentially more fat) burned on a daily basis.

 

It is a common concern of women that they will "build huge muscles like a guy." I ask you, how many women have you seen that are of comparable muscular size to a muscular man? I see very few and they tend to be elite athletes in powerlifting, bodybuilding, and similar fields. Much like the typical male weight trainer looks nothing like a male bodybuilder, a typical female weight trainer is going to look nothing like a female bodybuilder. If you REALLY had the possibility to attain significant muscular size, do you think you'd have a problem being UNDERweight? Or is it more likely you would have some notable muscular size without any training? Surely you've known some men who are large individuals without any formal exercise.

 

Weight training is an essential part of any fitness approach, but it must be done properly (you should be wondering what properly means). Women are done a disservice by being discouraged from weight training or told to do it in a meaningless manner with ridiculously light weights and minimal effort. Women are relegated to monotonous and ineffective aerobics classes where the only people who LOOK fit are the women who would be as such with anything they do.

 

Before I can begin making any specific recommendations, I need to know more about EXACTLY what you do now in terms of diet and exercise. Please be as complete as possible.

 

And continue asking questions....I want people to learn, not mindlessly follow.

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I remember wearing a size 5 in my school days. After highschool, I took on a full time job and withing months I lost close to 15 lbs. None of my clothing fit anymore. I had to go out and buy all new pants, jeans, skirts, whatever for the waist down. I went down to a zero. I had second, third, fourth opinions from doctors to find out why I lost a dramatic amount of weight in a few months time. I was told I was perfectly healthy. So I gave up. Now just assume that it was some sort of trasformation from teen to adult and the new responsiblities just triggered my metabolism.

 

I use to drink protein shakes two and three times a day, spending a fortune at the GNC, which turned out to be a waste of money and all the suppliments I ingested made me to the point of being sick.

 

I eat fast food all the time, Im single, I dont want to cook a meal and have to eat the left overs for three days! I hit the fast food chains daily for lunch and dinner. I dont eat breakfast. Somtimes If Im consumed during a busy day I want eat till its time to go to bed. Im nuclear at times. But I eat a combo from here and there on average twice a day. These burgers and fast food deals are loaded with fat. Im a meat eater, but I dont like steaks, I prefer chicken over steak everytime. I eat alot of pasta. With anything I eat I like to drown in sauce. I drown my burgers in ketchup, chicken sandwh. in ketchup, extra pita sauce, extra pasta sauce. Extra sauce on everything you can think of!

 

Im average 99 lbs. I can mention that at one time I was living in another state, had a completely different life now than at the time I could not get my weight over 95 lbs. I have managed to stay at a steady 99 over the last two years.

 

It erks me that I have no butt, no boobs, no waist, no thighs, no muscle, nothing! Just last night I went out and had to clip a safety pin on the back of my pants so they wouldnt hang on my hip bones.

 

My body is not weak, Im always on the go. I feel healthy. I just want to look better. Im on my for breast implaints soon but I cant buy a butt or a new pair of legs.

 

Should I just accept that this is my weight and just live with it, because I can no problem. I still feel sexy but I know that skinny is not sexy in the public eye.

 

What are my options? Thank you for your reply!

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thanks so much for your reply!

 

my diet..... i eat like 5 times a day, but in small portions... mostly sandwiches or noodles or salads... i get a real meal maybe 4 nights a week (i mean meat, veggies, etc) ... it's not a particularly healthy diet... but i never had a weight issue so i never bothered to think about it ... what is the diet i should be keeping? (im 20 btw, if that makes any difference. 5'6'' and 119 lbs).

 

so you say weights... i do weights now and then, but i keep wondering how heavy the weight should be and how many repetitions to do. i usually pick a weight such that i can do 3 sets of 10 repetitions without dying, but with pain. is there a more sane strategy? =)

 

so as far as i get it from your reply, i should start weight-training, watch my diet, and forget aerobics, right? so sweating on a bike or treadmill has nothing to do with healthy weight?

 

tennis and rollerblading...... those are just for fun then?

 

please let me know if you need to know more ...

i dont mind the butt-fat going last, since i'd love to get rid of most of the fat altogether...

by the way, if i follow your recommendations re: diet, weights, etc, how long should it take me to get rid of the flabby stuff? i'm thinking several months?

 

Thanks,

-yes =)

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you asked how i gain my new 4-5 pounds:

ive been having exams, so i didn't have any physical activity for like a month... i also eat a lot more when i study... so that added up...

 

i had a lot of flabby-ish areas before as well. it's just a lil more obvious now...

 

:)

-yes

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To velvet - my experience has been that doctors are fairly poorly educated in matters of nutrition and exercise, which is sad because so many tend to seek their advice.

 

Typically, one's metabolism slows after the teen years since the growth and change is greatly diminishing. It's highly unusual for someone to drastically increase metabolic needs across that age period....there is some possibility of something like a thyroid disorder...but that is great speculation. I'm going to guess that your metabolism is higher than the average individual.

 

I have to say that your dietary habits are rather atrocious. You eat far too infrequently and irregularly. If this is indicative of how you have been eating during the period you lost all this weight, it's fairly clear what the problem is. You aren't eating enough. One or two meals a day is likely not giving you the calories you need and I doubt your stomach has the capacity to hold enough food for you to binge like this. You really need to consider spreading your eating out 4-6 times a day and finding some better sources.

 

As for adding some size to you, that may be very difficult with your metabolism and genetics. It will certainly be impossible with the way you eat right now. Only proper weight training will consistently add muscle mass to your frame, but I can't recommend you start that until you vastly improve your diet.

 

I can't say I'm all for this breast implant plan either. You may not feel weak of body...but I'm a bit worried about your mental strength.

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To yes - It sounds like your dietary approach is fairly solid. It is best to distribute your food throughout the day with multiple smaller feedings rather than "3 squares a day." This provides a more constant stream of nutrients to your body, meaning whatever your body may need is not far from your blood stream. It also avoids periods of lethargy due to large meals drawing blood from the body and the periods where you aren't eating. Furthermore, it promotes a more efficient use of the calories you eat. Eating a few big meals means you are consuming quite a bit at one sitting. If that food is not used soon after consumption, it will be stored as fat.

 

Try to eat DECENTLY. You don't have to eat perfect or suffer for your diet. If you want a little chocolate or some pizza now and then, it's fine. We look at the bigger picture rather than particular foods. In order to lose bodyfat, you are going to need to consume less than you burn. I would recommend getting your exercise program going first and then manipulate your diet. You're going to want sufficient calories and nutrients when you get started.

 

Bikes and treadmills are not going to offer you much in the way of calorie burning. You could cover something like 40 miles on foot with the calories in a single pound of bodyfat. It is more important to just lead an active lifestyle that you ENJOY (such as tennis) and save exercise for the sake of exercise.

 

The reason I promote PROPER weight training is because it is the most effective way to improve the 5 areas of general fitness: muscular strength, muscular endurance, cardiovascular ability, flexibility, and body composition. People often come to me about various activities, insisting they are great exercise. I proceed to point out where they lack in these areas.

 

Proper weight training consists of 4 basic tenets: intensity, brevity, infrequency, and safety.

 

When you've digested this, we'll talk more about proper weight training. Can't give you too much all at once.

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thanks for all the advice!

i'm keeping it all in mind...

please do write more about weight-training when u get a chance -how often, how heavy, how many repetitions, etc.

 

thx,

-yes

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I will now attempt to touch on the 4 basic tenets of proper weight training that I mentioned before.

 

 

Intensity - Intensity is a term that refers to your muscular output relative to your maximum output at a given point. Intensity should be HIGH, as we are trying to stimulate the body to change. In practice, this means pushing yourself VERY hard. Our gauge is at or very near a point called muscular failure. This is when you can no longer perform a repetition IN GOOD FORM. Beginners should take some time (3-4 weeks) practicing movements and gradually increasing the resistance before they get to such a point. Why do we do this? Clearly, the goal is to overload the muscular structures of the body so that they adapt. It is well known that the human body adapts for survival only when necessary. Training to failure places great threat on a fundamental element of survival - MOVEMENT. This process can be as much of a mental challenge as a physical one. It takes time to develop the mindset to continue pushing through the discomfort of true exercise.

 

Brevity - Workouts must not be in high duration. In fact, this is a necessary condition of training with a high intensity. Why? Well, we have finite levels of energy. Intensity and duration are inversely proportional. People do not run a mile at the same speed they do a 100 yard dash. Generally, we advise people to keep workouts under an hour. If you are training with proper intensity, this is not a problem, and you will often need less than an hour to complete. Take as little rest between sets as possible. This is not a time to be social or take breaks. Finish a set, setup your next exercise, get some water, get in position, take some breaths and go. The conditioning effect of this is far superior to any other activity, but it does take time to make your rest periods shorter and shorter. Another means of maintaining brief workouts is by focusing on multi-joint movements that incorporate large amounts of muscle mass. These compound movements are: squat, deadlift, leg press, bench/chest press, dip, overhead press, chin/pulldown, and row. The basis of any workout should be a selection of some (not all) of these to effectively tax the 4 significant muscle groups of the body: hips, thighs, back, and chest. A few additional sets can be added for assistance work, such as abs, calves, neck, lower back, and grip. These are secondary and should not be the main focus.

 

Infrequency - Most people do not realize that exercise is a NEGATIVE thing. Nobody leaves the gym stronger. Proper weight training serves to stimulate the body to adapt a greater degree of fitness, but this can only occur when provided with adequate rest and nutrients. In order to provide sufficient recovery, it is suggested that people train no more frequently than 3x per week on non-consecutive days. Most people can be successful at 2x per week once they reach a high intensity level. The necessary frequency for a given individual can vary, but the basic guidelines are usually effective for beginners.

 

Safety - This may be last but it is by far the most important. Part of the goal of proper weight training is injury PREVENTION. It makes no sense to place our bodies in dangerous situations to try to be safer. This means ALL movements are to be performed IN GOOD FORM. If you do not understand good form, ask (most trainers don't know good form, unfortunately). There is no excuse for allowing form to break down in order to get one more repetition. Another crucial element of safety is that all repetitions are performed in a SLOW, CONTROLLED manner. Why? Injury occurs when forces exceed the capacity of our muscles/tendons/ligaments/bones. Unfortunately we cannot determine what these levels are until we surpass them, which means it is already too late. So, the goal is to reduce force as possible. Force, in physics terms, is mass times acceleration. The mass in question is fixed, being whatever chunk of metal you are moving. Acceleration we can adjust. By moving slowly, the weight does not have high levels of acceleration, meaning the forces are lower. Consequently, this makes lifting HARDER and more PRODUCTIVE. Why? With a slow, controlled movement, the momentum of the mass is lessened. This means the lifter must exert a more constant force through the full range of motion, meaning the involved muscles are USED through the full range of motion. It's a win-win situation. A general guideline for beginners is that you should be able to count 3-4 seconds per stroke on a repetition. This means 3-4 seconds lifting AND 3-4 seconds lowering a weight for a given movement.

 

 

It is important to understand these principles before talking about specific routines. Throw me questions about the above information before we move on.

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This is really interesting. As you can see from my profile, I live in eastern Europe. Western style weight training is starting to catch on, but for the most part people still exercise like we used to in the states about 25 years ago (really fast toe-touching, kicking legs up high in the air really fast as a "warm up" - it's comical). But I do belong to a nice gym with some good trainers.

 

What I prefer to do is take a class on stationery bikes. It's probably in the US too - you can change the tension on the bike to make it harder or easier. I am now taking an hour and a half long class once a week, and two hour long classes. Sometimes I use the treadmill. That's about it.

 

BUT...I find that when I leave there (after drinking a huge jug of water and feeling completely exausted) that I could eat an entire horse. And I usually do! What should I do - and when is the best time to eat? I find that if I eat two hours before the class I'm ok, but then after the class I'm dying! If I eat an hour before the class, I'm less hungry afterwards, but I feel like barfing during the class! My legs are starting to get some muscle tone, but now I've got this disgusting stomache from this binge eating!

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