Athletic 21/F needs advice

Kyndle · March 22nd, 2007, 11:01 AM

I'm 5'2'' 118lbs. My BF% is around 20%. I have a very athletic build and have been lifting weights (9years) and playing sports all my life. I'm fairly happy with the overall muscle that I have, but I want to be able to see alot more definition. I want to get into the best shape my body can possibly be in and I feel like my fitness never gets better, it just maintains. I just upped my stregth training to 5-6 times/week from an inconstant 3-5 times/per week. And I recently just stated a high protien no sugar no salt diet oppsosted to usually eating healthy and controling my portions. I've been on this diet for 2 days and have already lost 6lbs..prob water weight. I want to know what my ideal diet should look like and what kind of workout I should be doing. Thanks!

**JarheadRI** · March 22nd, 2007, 11:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kyndle

I'm 5'2'' 118lbs. My BF% is around 20%. I have a very athletic build and have been lifting weights (9years) and playing sports all my life. I'm fairly happy with the overall muscle that I have, but I want to be able to see alot more definition. I want to get into the best shape my body can possibly be in and I feel like my fitness never gets better, it just maintains. I just upped my stregth training to 5-6 times/week from an inconstant 3-5 times/oer week. And I recently just stated a high protien no sugar no salt diet oppsosted usually eat healthy and control my portions. I want to know what my ideal diet should look like and what kind of exercise I should be doing. Thanks!

Start looking through the 'Sticky' posts. Seems like you are on the right track though. You will get some great advice on this site. There are some gals on here that are just tremendous. GymGirl, ItalianAngel to name a few. I would look at some of their posts as they have been doing this for a while. Also look through some of the nutrition posts as well. You would be amazed as to what you think you are doing is good only to find out it is not so good.

Welcome to EF!

**justaguy87337** · March 22nd, 2007, 01:47 PM

x2 what the devil dog said

Kyndle · March 22nd, 2007, 04:04 PM

I took your advice and read many of the forums. I don't feel like a pro yet, but I feel more confindent in my diet. I just want to upgrade my workout routine and I can't seem to locate a good one. I'm looking for a full body workout 5-6 days/week. I want to emphasize toning, not bulking. And any calf cutting and building tips would be appreciated too. Thanks!

Kyndle · March 22nd, 2007, 04:23 PM

Okay...I googled full body work out and i think I get it. Just do one exercise for each and mix it up. Should I be doing 3X15 or more sets or lighter reps? And on the site I was reading it said to take an after workout supplement. What should I take? is it neccessary?

**JarheadRI** · March 22nd, 2007, 06:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kyndle

Okay...I googled full body work out and i think I get it. Just do one exercise for each and mix it up. Should I be doing 3X15 or more sets or lighter reps? And on the site I was reading it said to take an after workout supplement. What should I take? is it neccessary?

Could you post what you are doing now? That would help people here! You will get some great advice.

**Insex** · March 22nd, 2007, 11:29 PM

Hi Kyndle, and welcome to EF. We hope you enjoy all of our helpful resources our site has to offer.

From reading your post, I am assuming that you want to get a little more cut. Correct me if I'm wrong. Also, from how you described your fitness levels, you sound like you're on a plateau. A plateau is where you continue to workout, but see no significant improvements in your physique/fitness levels. One of the main reasons for this is your body is tired of doing the same type of workout routine over and over again. It's a sign that your body is ready for a change, it's ready for something new. Post us your current routine, and we'll see if we can help.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kyndle

And I recently just stated a high protien no sugar no salt diet oppsosted to usually eating healthy and controling my portions. I've been on this diet for 2 days and have already lost 6lbs..prob water weight. I want to know what my ideal diet should look like and what kind of workout I should be doing. Thanks!

I would be very careful about restricting your sodium intake so much. In fact, that's probably why you lost an unhealthy amount of weight in just two short days. Sodium causes the body to retain fluids, and if you restrict your sodium intake too much, you'll hinder your body's ability to hold onto bodily fluids, which can be dangerous. Sodium is responsible for many different processes inside the body. Among them are to retain fluids in bodily tissues, regulate heart beat, convert glucose to glycogen (the body's stored form of energy), maintain correct proportions of minerals, and balance acid/base levels within the body. When there is a lack of sodium in one's diet, a person may experience symptoms that are similar to dehydration, like being unable to concentrate and/or experience irritability, hypertension, and hallucination.

This brings up another issue, the electrolytes in your body. Electrolytes can be found in your bodily fluids (like blood for example). At the cellular level, electrolytes are responsible for maintaining voltages and carrying electrical impulses among cells (example: a nerve fires a signal to cause a muscle to contract). Electrolytes are made from:

Potassium
Sodium
Calcium
Chloride
Phosphate
Magnesium
Sulfate

So you see? You need sodium in your diet, but not too much. True, too much sodium (like salt) in the diet can lead to high blood pressure and other aliments. But completely restricting your sodium intake is an unhealthy practice too.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kyndle

Okay...I googled full body work out and i think I get it. Just do one exercise for each and mix it up. Should I be doing 3X15 or more sets or lighter reps? And on the site I was reading it said to take an after workout supplement. What should I take? is it neccessary?

3 sets of 15 repetitions for each exercise is a good start. While lifting the weight, concentrate on really squeeeeezing the muscle during each contraction of each repetition. Try making each rep last about 2 or 3 seconds long. After your workout, you should try to get some carbohydrates and protein in you as soon as you can. This is why you might see some people consuming protein shakes after their workouts. A good choice would be a whey or caseain protein shake. You girls tend to have a thing for Soy Protein, but I'm not sure if it's the best thing to take after a workout. I'm a man, so I don't touch anything Soy.

Kyndle · March 23rd, 2007, 10:42 AM

I was alternating upper and lower, but now I'm starting a new plan. I'm doing the total body 3-4 times per week and I'm going to start doing 30 min. of cardio(Reluctantly!) 2 times per week. Wish me luck! I'll keep you updated and thanks for the input .

**Italianangel** · March 23rd, 2007, 03:04 PM

I would go with the idea of a 5 day split, 3 x15-20, 8 exercises per day, 10 at most, maybe try chest, obliques and calves / hams back core / quads, inner/outer thigh and shoulders / arms and abs/ circuit with very light weight for reps of 30 on 10-12 exercises on machines.
Do light cardio on elliptical for 20 mins 3 times per week, moderate pace, very light intensity/low level.
Linda

**JarheadRI** · March 23rd, 2007, 04:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Italianangel

I would go with the idea of a 5 day split, 3 x15-20, 8 exercises per day, 10 at most, maybe try chest, obliques and calves / hams back core / quads, inner/outer thigh and shoulders / arms and abs/ circuit with very light weight for reps of 30 on 10-12 exercises on machines.
Do light cardio on elliptical for 20 mins 3 times per week, moderate pace, very light intensity/low level.
Linda

What she said! Listen to this gal she knows what she is talking about. Heck I espescially like the low level cardio 3x a week. I have only been doing it two. One thing I may add is mix the cardio up. Even the elliptical can get boring for all that time. Do the bike,treadmill, stair stepper... etc.

Kyndle · March 23rd, 2007, 04:22 PM

Thanks, I'll try this. I didn't understand all of it though. When do I circiut And just add cardio to the end of my workout 3 days/week?

**Italianangel** · March 23rd, 2007, 04:31 PM

Yes add the cardio after weights on non circuit days.......when you say you did not understand circuit, do you mean you are not sure what kind of training that is?
Linda

Kyndle · March 23rd, 2007, 05:24 PM

no I know what it is. I dont understand when to do it. I have day1 chest obs calves/ day 2 hams back core/ day 3 quads inner/outter thigh shoulder/ day 4 arms abs/ day 5 circuit?

**Italianangel** · March 23rd, 2007, 06:37 PM

Yup, that is it. For circuit day you can hit the whole body, once or twice.
Linda

Kyndle · March 27th, 2007, 11:26 AM

I really like this workout so far. The 20 min. of cardio great. I can do the whole 20 and w/ out getting bored or overwhelmed. And I don't have to feel like a quitter b/c I set my goal too high. I love working out more than one muscle each day too. It keeps me interested and again not overwhelmed. What kind of excercises should I do for my core? I know squats work the core, but that feels more like legs...

**Italianangel** · March 27th, 2007, 04:43 PM

Good work, I am so thrilled to hear that, its a trainers goal to help with results yet make it enjoyable so to know that any bit of advice we gave could help is great!
Core - Vsits, prone hyperextensions, plank, side plank, Hip drop on ball which also hits butt- BONUS, Ball Busters, belly rolls.........hows that for a start?
Linda

**JarheadRI** · March 27th, 2007, 09:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kyndle

I really like this workout so far. The 20 min. of cardio great. I can do the whole 20 and w/ out getting bored or overwhelmed. And I don't have to feel like a quitter b/c I set my goal too high. I love working out more than one muscle each day too. It keeps me interested and again not overwhelmed. What kind of excercises should I do for my core? I know squats work the core, but that feels more like legs...

I was actually steered toward this webpage below from other members. Has good info and they show you the correct way to do the exercises.

http://www.exrx.net/index.html

Kyndle · March 28th, 2007, 12:13 AM

url doesn't work

**Insex** · March 28th, 2007, 01:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kyndle

url doesn't work

That's because there's a smiley face connected to the url.

Just go to www.exrx.net and you'll see the page.

Kyndle · March 30th, 2007, 05:42 PM

Thanks.

So... in only 1.5 weeks of eating clean and almost 1 full week of my new exercise program I have dropped 4 pounds! I look a lot more toned and tight and I'm loving it. ***I gained some of the water weight from completely and unhealthily eliminating salt from my diet.

Thanks for all the tips!