Future women's physique hopeful!

[KRAFTHAUS]

I'm looking to compete in women's physique, hopefully within the next year or two, given proper training and everything else, and was looking for any advice from those of you who have done it already, or are preparing to do so! Training tips, supp use/preferences, diet tips, etc and whatever else there may be to it...

I am not really sure where to start - I am 5'3" and weigh approx. 139lbs at the moment. Unaware of my BF%, will need to get my body comp done at my gym and follow up. I like to think I have a decent amount of muscle for my size and age (forgot to mention I am 21) but I feel there is a lot of mass I am lacking if I want to compete.

Wondering if I should bulk up for a few months to add on some size and start cutting if/when I find a competition I would like enter?


Anything helps!

 

[Flex2019]

I think the best thing to do is to post a couple of full body pictures so that we can see your current level of development. Without some sort of gauge to see where you are now, nobody will be able to give much advice.

 

[KRAFTHAUS]

I think the best thing to do is to post a couple of full body pictures so that we can see your current level of development. Without some sort of gauge to see where you are now, nobody will be able to give much advice.

You're right, I thought about that literally right after I posted this, haha oops!


Here are some photos I took about an hour ago. Ignore the crappy attempt at posing, I have no idea what I'm doing, hahaha.

 

[mslmn]

First off no bulking, lean out some as you build some muscle in the process.

 

[tri-terror]

You look like you have potential. I would say to diet and get as lean as you can and see where you are. You look like you have some muscle so dieted down will give you an idea of what to work on.

 

[KRAFTHAUS]

Thanks for the replies!

Leaning out as much as possible was my first plan of attack, so I am glad I am going in the right direction so far... I have been told by some friends and a few people on here that I have asked to cut the bf% while adding muscle at the same time as the way to go... Was termed as "body recomping" to me a few times, but I don't really know how to go about doing that... Is that a specific way to train (ex. light weight/high rep or heavier weight/lower rep) and diet? I am a little lost on the details.

Right now I am doing cardio every day (M-F) for 30-45min - usually on the stairclimber - post workout. On Mon., Wed., Fri. and Sat. I also do fasted cardio in the mornings for 30min. Should I be doing cardio twice a day every day, or would that be sort of counterproductive to the whole trying to add muscle while cutting the bf%?

 

[tri-terror]

Well, adding muscle while losing fat is hard to do unless on anabolics. My wife has been told by some trainers around here that even with anablolics it is almost impossible for a woman. I don't know that I agree with that completely but it does seem to be harder for women.

Being that you are new to the sport, I would focus on getting lean, and forget about adding muscle right now. During the process of leaning out you will learn a lot about your body and how it processes food, how much cardio you need, etc.

You seem to be doing enough(maybe too much?) Cardio at this point. The only I would suggest is maybe to do your longer session in the AM, and a short one PWO.

A lot of people you will meet will tell you not to lift heavy and do a billion reps etc. My personal opinion is that women should train just as hard as men and strive for progression.

There is a few very knowledgeable women on here now, I'm sure they will help point you in the right direction.

 

[KRAFTHAUS]

Well, adding muscle while losing fat is hard to do unless on anabolics. My wife has been told by some trainers around here that even with anablolics it is almost impossible for a woman. I don't know that I agree with that completely but it does seem to be harder for women.

Being that you are new to the sport, I would focus on getting lean, and forget about adding muscle right now. During the process of leaning out you will learn a lot about your body and how it processes food, how much cardio you need, etc.

You seem to be doing enough(maybe too much?) Cardio at this point. The only I would suggest is maybe to do your longer session in the AM, and a short one PWO.

A lot of people you will meet will tell you not to lift heavy and do a billion reps etc. My personal opinion is that women should train just as hard as men and strive for progression.

There is a few very knowledgeable women on here now, I'm sure they will help point you in the right direction.

Yes, this first part makes sense to me... I have ran a few cycles of lowly dosed AAS (win, var, EQ - not all at once btw lol) and got decent size/strength gains, as well as seeing a decrease in my bodyfat, but only in my upper body - genetically, lower body is my problem area - hold most of my BF in my ass, lol :banghead: - that is why I've been a madwoman about the stairclimber lately. Haven't really had any interest in or looked into running any other cycles of AAS for adding mass, mostly because the insight for a woman's dosage is very little - men can be helpful to ask but as with most on here and who I know in real life, it is based off girlfriend or wives' experiences, and everyones body is different, so it'd really come down to trying things myself... Women I've noticed tend to be a little more quiet about it, and I do not like to prod into their business if it is too personal a subject... out of respect. And I don't like to upset people, lol.

The program I am on right now is lighter weight/higher rep - it seems to be working well so far, I am working on focusing more on the muscle contraction and having better form, rather than just trying to hulk out and feed my ego build some kind of a foundation to work from.

So - longer AM cardio, and shorter PWO? In the mornings I am usually only doing incline on the treadmill at a brisk walking pace, because I am always very tired and am not used to doing fasted cardio yet. Not a problem though, I could easily kick my ass into gear and get on the stairs every morning, but was just worried about over training or overdoing the cardio.

 

[tri-terror]

Well the reason I said more am, is just from my own experience. Fasted morning cardio did more for my fat loss than PWO. That being said, any cardio is better than no cardio. I was doing 45 min am and 30 PWO. I have seen some women in aprep doing an hour twice a day. I just think you should ramp up as fatloss stalls.

As far as ass and thigh fat go... Well you are a woman and have estrogen, so no amount of stair climber will get rid of all of it. Eventually if you plan on competing you will most likely need to use an anti e to get that last bit off the lower body.

Dosages? Shit, like you said women are more tight lipped about that than men, that is for sure. I think a lot of them use way more than they lead on. But you are absolutely right about seeing what works for you.
Right now you don't even need any, but a little primo goes a long way toward maintaining strength and muscle if you are so inclined.

 

[KRAFTHAUS]

Well the reason I said more am, is just from my own experience. Fasted morning cardio did more for my fat loss than PWO. That being said, any cardio is better than no cardio. I was doing 45 min am and 30 PWO. I have seen some women in aprep doing an hour twice a day. I just think you should ramp up as fatloss stalls.

As far as ass and thigh fat go... Well you are a woman and have estrogen, so no amount of stair climber will get rid of all of it. Eventually if you plan on competing you will most likely need to use an anti e to get that last bit off the lower body.

Dosages? Shit, like you said women are more tight lipped about that than men, that is for sure. I think a lot of them use way more than they lead on. But you are absolutely right about seeing what works for you.
Right now you don't even need any, but a little primo goes a long way toward maintaining strength and muscle if you are so inclined.

I imagine that would probably be a better idea... Seeing as, well, it's fasted, haha! I think I will try that starting on monday - longer AM sessions and 30min PWO sessions. Did you have better results than others using different machines for cardio? I burn the most calories (I feel this goes without saying) using the stairclimber... I can burn a pretty high amount on the treadmill also but only in longer durations, which I suppose would be ok for AM.

You have a point there, I forget about that sometimes, damn me and my body that is constantly prepping for a pregnancy that isn't happening :cheeky-s; lol. I've also had the suggestion throw at me to use diuretics but I haven't bothered, seeing as that only gets rid of water weight and is temporary... seems like, why waste the money if I'm not competing yet?

And yeah... That's kind of a bummer, since I suppose being more muscular than normal or being into bodybuilding is some kind of "taboo" for women - which I think is silly, the dedication and hard work shows on the outside and I think that's great for anyone - man or woman. As for the primo I have heard a lot of good things about it, but haven't done much of my own research on it, so it's kind of an unknown to me ATM... I'd be inclined to take all the gear in the world if it wouldn't make me go bald, and grow a beard and a dick... So obviously that's out of the picture bwahahahaha.

 

[anthrogeekuconn]

First of all, it is not nearly impossible for women to gain muscle and lose fat at the same time. This sounds like something a trainer says to a women when they want to make an excuse for not knowing how to do this for their client. For the first couple years I was training (and natural) this is exactly what I did. Also, when I was working as a trainer, I was able to do this for many of my female clients.
Second, (I'm not trying to be a bitch but...) it is VERY concerning to me that someone who does not know what body recomp means or how to go about getting there has done AAS! This is like running a marathon before you know how to walk. :banghead::banghead::banghead::banghead:
You should focus on nailing down your training and diet. Your best bet would be to hire someone for a diet and/or training. Sounds like you need to get ahold of the basics.

 

[wizim]

diet is key.

 

[Goody]

Sure you have some potential there. Lets stop the talk of the next step of AAS usuage for now...lets talk about that diet....
What does a typical days eating look like for you? Please give us an outline.
What is your current macro breakdown? How do you time those macros throughout your day?
On your cardio....how intense are you going? Specifically, what is your average BPM while your doing cardio...both on days you hit it PWO and days you hit the A.M. fasted cardio.

 

[ironblaster]

diet is key.

Agree 100%