Help talk some sense into my girlfriend..

[HeavyHands]

Hey guys.

So here's the scenario. Finally got my girlfriend to start going to the gym with me. She has made it clear that she wants to lose a little bit of BF (though in reality there is none for her to lose! ha). She is no stranger to working out and being conditioned: all through school she was an incredible swimmer. Anyway, I have tried to give her some suggestions as to some routines and some ideas for what kinds of things to eat.

I suggested that before she hops on that treadmill or eliptical that she should consider doing some weight lifting. She has agreed, but is not convinced it would help her goals...

I have also said she needs to get more protein in her diet (which she makes difficult because she doesn't eat much meat), less carbs and more EFA's and she won't believe this will help her either. She said she was planning on eating mostly HIGH carbs...

I can't seem to get it across to her. So I'm hoping you guys can help out. I was wondering if you guys could give me some advice on what I could tell her in regard to her doing some work with weights as well as with her diet and how PROTEIN HELPS (she is non-believer!). If there are any links i could send her or just some facts i could tell her, I'd really appreciate it!

Thanks in advance!!

 

[JUSTKIDDING]

All women have thats strange thinking! mine here to she always knows better " she thinks"

 

[JETHRO TULL]

Well, all I can say is ...my girl friend eats 220 grams of protein every day.

...low to moderate carbs....low fat. She lifts her ass off and is lean. Let your girl friend know that if she wants to look like all the other gooey cardio queens on the treadmill for hours [whose physiques never change] soft because they eat too many carbs and not enough protein...then that's her choice.

220 grams protein daily-

50 grams carbs-

not sure on the fat...but she eats almonds and fish oil....

Barbell benches, barbell rows, squats....dumbell curls with 40 pounds ....

I am proud of the way she looks. A lot of girls walking on the treadmill who are putting in time ask her how she stay so lean.....first question she asks them is "how much protein are you getting in?" She gets this blank stare....Which is usually followed by and answer along these lines...."oh, I had a chicken salad for lunch....for breakfast I had a bagel ....shit like that.

Those girls don't end up looking like this picture.

 

[njpooldude]

#1 i know this is a BODYBUILDING site but Have her look into P90X i shit u not, that is an amazing dvd set. My brother is a PT and has the dvds... i took a peek and couldnt believe how well this guy put together an amazing set of workouts... be warned, its not like yor mommies workout dvds... the "warm up" had me winded lol

also, there is a women here named marilyn ( think i spelled it right) who has made some AWESOME progress... see if u can hook up with her and maybe if your GF heres it from another women she will beleive her??

Hope this helps

 

[njpooldude]

...low to moderate carbs....low fat. She lifts her ass off and is lean. Let your girl friend know that if she wants to look like all the other gooey cardio queens on the treadmill for hours [whose physiques never change] soft because they eat too many carbs and not enough protein...then that's her choice.

220 grams protein daily-

50 grams carbs-

not sure on the fat...but she eats almonds and fish oil....

Barbell benches, barbell rows, squats....dumbell curls with 40 pounds ....

I am proud of the way she looks. A lot of girls walking on the treadmill who are putting in time ask her how she stay so lean.....first question she asks them is "how much protein are you getting in?" She gets this blank stare....Which is usually followed by and answer along these lines...."oh, I had a chicken salad for lunch....for breakfast I had a bagel ....shit like that.

Those girls don't end up looking like this picture.

holy moley

jethro, i would be very proud too! u lucky dog

 

[Big Bapper]

Good advice

...low to moderate carbs....low fat. She lifts her ass off and is lean. Let your girl friend know that if she wants to look like all the other gooey cardio queens on the treadmill for hours [whose physiques never change] soft because they eat too many carbs and not enough protein...then that's her choice.

220 grams protein daily-

50 grams carbs-

not sure on the fat...but she eats almonds and fish oil....

Barbell benches, barbell rows, squats....dumbell curls with 40 pounds ....

I am proud of the way she looks. A lot of girls walking on the treadmill who are putting in time ask her how she stay so lean.....first question she asks them is "how much protein are you getting in?" She gets this blank stare....Which is usually followed by and answer along these lines...."oh, I had a chicken salad for lunch....for breakfast I had a bagel ....shit like that.

Those girls don't end up looking like this picture.

If you want her to eat more protein, tell her it makes up most of her body bar water. So she needs to eat enough protein for new skin growth, hair growh the works before she has enough to build some muscle. I told this to my better half and she was on the synthepure protein powder stright away. She says her hair and skin look allot better.

 

[Paul Bunyan]

If she wants to do all that cardio and no lifting she will just end up "skinny fat". People don't realize that cardio in the traditional sense only burns calories while you are doing it. The weight training will elevate your metabolism for an extended period of time thus burning more calories at rest. Couple that with the right nutrition and she will get the results she's after. As for the high carb diet, it's a recipe for disaster for most people. She may have been able to get away with that while swimming because she was burning a ton of calories.

PB

 

[Mash1]

#1 i know this is a BODYBUILDING site but Have her look into P90X i shit u not, that is an amazing dvd set. My brother is a PT and has the dvds... i took a peek and couldnt believe how well this guy put together an amazing set of workouts... be warned, its not like yor mommies workout dvds... the "warm up" had me winded lol

also, there is a women here named marilyn ( think i spelled it right) who has made some AWESOME progress... see if u can hook up with her and maybe if your GF heres it from another women she will beleive her??

Hope this helps

P90X hahaha

Well my .02 I train girls at my gym and I've been tinkering around a while with diets to see what works best for them. It seems to me it's working better when they shut off carbs after 5-6 pm, their still taking in high carbs with me though. Around a 40/40/20 ratio, eating when hungry, and that's not grams, it's percent. Their doing a high intensity split, similar to mine in all honesty. They love it and are seeing the best gains and fat loss they ever have. Their getting that "fitness physique" that they couldn't get being cardio bunnies.

I'll never train another girl any other way besides heavy weight and compound movements like I do. It's crazy how ridiculously misinformed a lot of females are on how to lose weight and get "lean muscle" by doing 20 reps each exercise and 45 minutes of cardio everyday.

 

[mature muscle]

My wife is the same way with the cardio just crazy with it. I have to put my foot in her ass to stick to her weight routine.tell her she needs both. i fought the cardio thing for years before i started now i would never give it up. you just have to get her to see the weights in the same way once shes hooked your problems are solved.

 

[bugaboo0]

I think for us girls the "diet" is the hardest part to get through your head that it is good to eat more. Especially since fashion mags, movie stars, models are super skinny and is marketed that every girl needs to look like that. I have always been skinny and hated it. I had trouble gaining muscle until I hired a proper trainer that gave me a diet to follow. Now at 5'5'' and 132lbs I am still a size 2 in the waist part only. I have changed alot in the past year while the cardio queens and guys at my gym haven't changed at all.

 

[FordTurboDiesel]

Found this with a quick search. It seems simple enough for someone to grasp.

http://ririanproject.com/2008/03/18/top-10-ways-to-build-muscle-mass-fast/

Have you thought about getting her to talk to some of the ladies on here?
The women here seem to be some of the classiest well put together bunch I have come across.

Good luck.

Jethro - All I'm gonna say is this ----> WOW!

You know, I wanted to add this as well. We never see what others see when we look in the mirror. I'm just a little puke compared to some of you guys, but your average person picks up on your lifestyle right away. We are our own worst enemies and more often then not we'll take the easiest route we've convinced ourselves we need to take. Listening to others isn't always easy. She needs to be open to that before she moves ahead, or anyone for that matter.

 

[mature muscle]

Found this with a quick search. It seems simple enough for someone to grasp.

http://ririanproject.com/2008/03/18/top-10-ways-to-build-muscle-mass-fast/

Have you thought about getting her to talk to some of the ladies on here?
The women here seem to be some of the classiest well put together bunch I have come across.

Good luck.

Jethro - All I'm gonna say is this ----> WOW!

You know, I wanted to add this as well. We never see what others see when we look in the mirror. I'm just a little puke compared to some of you guys, but your average person picks up on your lifestyle right away. We are our own worst enemies and more often then not we'll take the easiest route we've convinced ourselves we need to take. Listening to others isn't always easy. She needs to be open to that before she moves ahead, or anyone for that matter.

you hit that rite on head bro . i think that doctor you see on all the AAS shows that talks about bigorexia has a point.

 

[ojs]

I'd like to present an alternative to Jethro Toll's post.

I'm also very proud of my girl's accomplishments. However, she has followed almost the complete opposite path as Jethro's girl and still attained very respectable results. Her concern has always been not wanting to get big and bulky and losing her femininity despite me telling her countless times that women simply can't put on that much size without super supplementation.

My girl eats about 75g of protein per day. Keeps her fats relatively high and only eats cruciferous veggies and no starches. She allows herself a cheat meal once or twice a week.

She typically does three 45 minute weight workouts a week. Her workouts are extremely intense. And she does two or sometimes three 30min cardio sessions per week keeping them on her non-workout days.

Mon - Quads, Adductors and Calves
Wed - Full Upper Body Workout
Fri - Abductors, Hams & Glutes

The point being that when we are dealing with women, it's important to remember that the goals vary so much. And so the best approach to those goals should also vary appropriately. And it's not always necessary to follow conventional bodybuilding protocols. I'm a personal trainer.

80% of my clients are women. It's surprising to hear what some women see and want as the 'perfect' finished product sometimes. And too often it's nowhere near what you are thinking.

...and that's it. The results speak for themselves.

 

[ubermensch]

try hitting her

 

[Iceman1800]

Anyway, I have tried to give her some suggestions

that was your 1st mistake. no point in trying anything else. be thankful she's working out. best of luck to you

 

[njpooldude]

P90X hahaha

yea.... thats what i said too at first,

u laugh now, but id bet u would be CRYING halfway through the chest and back dvd....

that shit is NO joke

 

[JETHRO TULL]

px-90- Of all the late night advertisement workouts.

yea.... thats what i said too at first,

u laugh now, but id bet u would be CRYING halfway through the chest and back dvd....

that shit is NO joke

That one looked the best to me as well. My friend [who I've know since college and teaches at our school] bought those px-90 dvd's'. He's a former powerlifter and he said those workouts were killer. His goals have changed and he wants to be lean and athletic. Not just big, strong and able to squat a lot for example. He wants to be mobile and muscular. Scott is a tough guy and he said those workouts kicked his ass.

I am not saying it would be great for someone who wanted to pile on the muscle mass, but it definitely would be good for someone who is looking for a change of pace or an active break from normal training.

Look at the UFC guys. They aren't all huge, but I don't think you could say they aren't muscular and athletic.

 

[njpooldude]

That one looked the best to me as well. My friend [who I've know since college and teaches at our school] bought those px-90 dvd's'. He's a former powerlifter and he said those workouts were killer. His goals have changed and he wants to be lean and athletic. Not just big, strong and able to squat a lot for example. He wants to be mobile and muscular. Scott is a tough guy and he said those workouts kicked his ass.

I am not saying it would be great for someone who wanted to pile on the muscle mass, but it definitely would be good for someone who is looking for a change of pace or an active break from normal training.

Look at the UFC guys. They aren't all huge, but I don't think you could say they aren't muscular and athletic.

exactly.... Women dont usually want to pack on pounds of mass... which is why i recommended it...

we are ALL bodybuilders, who have egos and sometimes lift more weight then we should... sometimes we stick out our chest while we walk, or some like to flex their lats while walking through the gym( I HATE THAT!!!! hahah)

so of course a "dvd" workout wouldnt get our attention, but if your gf/wife is looking to get that sexy, ripped lean body... i would look into it

hope it works out for you "HEAVY HANDS".. im going through the same with my GF,

JT- i showed my grl your post about the "gooey cardio queens" and then showed her lynx's picture
she now believes me about weight training THANKYOU FOR THAT POST

 

[MartyMcFly1]

interesting thread. I'm in the "lift like a powerlifter with slow cardio" group.
my personal training clients all lift very hard and very heavy followed by slow walking. if they choose to have me do their diet for them as well, its based upon high pro, med-high fat, low carb. the results have been stunning especially when i got my girls deadlifting 2 plates and the 16 year olds just stare with wide eyes as some of my clients look like fitness models

 

[njpooldude]

Hey Marty.. LOVE the screenname man

Awesome movie!! hahah