A former student of mine wrote me an email asking advice. I'm going to answer her here to encourage some of the rest of you to chime in with encouragement and ideas.
I would like to get into body building myself. You have inspired me. I have several questions for you though. I exercise everyday except of course Sunday. I workout for about 2 hours a day. I get sooo frustrated though because I do workout extremely hard and I don't see the results I really want meaning defined muscles. I wandered if you could tell me what it is that makes the definition in the muscles? Is it all in the supplements?
If so what should I be taking?
I have done Body for Life once. I take the protein shakes and bars especially after a workout. I haven't been keeping a food diary but, I don't eat junk.
I just get so discouraged when I workout so hard and don't see that in my body.
Is there any advice you can give me? Or books I can read? I hope that you will be able to reply. Thank you-- Wendi
Congratulations on your dedication to fitness! And you trust an old man like me to give you advice? Well, I'll share some things I've learned. Hopefully you'll get some ideas.
Not knowing what your current fitness level is (body fat %, body weight, strength, etc.) I'll just make a few general observations. Two hours a day is excessive. It's not getting you any closer to your goal of muscle definition than one hour a day would. Remember, our goal of good fitness and health should still keep its proper place in life's overall priorities. Spend that second hour doing some of the other to-do things on your list. The only time I've spent more was the month previous to my competitions, and then it was just a half-hour of extra cardio in the evening to get the body fat low enough for a show.
Getting some good muscle definition is dependent on 2 things--thin enough skin so the muscles aren't all padded with fat and then enough muscle size so that there is something to show once the skin is thin.
What are you currently doing when you "exercise?" The Body-for-life plan of 3 days of weights alternating with 3 days of cardio is really a pretty good concept. I'm doing 4 and 2 right now. There have even been times with I've just done weights every day. On your weight days, what guidelines do you follow in choosing the exercises, weight levels, set and rep numbers? Some women I see in the gym are doing too many reps with not enough weight. Muscle definition will only come if you're lifting heavy enough to reach fatigue at 8 to 12 reps. Otherwise you are just hitting the fast-twitch muscle fibers which will give you smooth, sleek muscles like a runner or other endurance athlete.
Some women think good nutrition is under 1000 calories and all salad. Here again, the Body-for-life book outlines some pretty good concepts for eating. I'm a 6-meal-a-day guy, with about half of each meal's calories coming from protein. Shoot for 1 to 1.5 grams of protein a day for each pound of body weight. If you still need to lose body fat, don't get too extreme. It will come off as you build your muscle mass and with the 3 sessions of cardio each week. Don't go less than 9 calories per pound of body weight per day.
You ask about supplements. Protein powder is a basic. I'll make a shake for one of my meals just for the convenience of it. Use the bars only in emergencies--the protein quality is not as good as real food. Be sure you are getting a good multi-vitamin. After that, the supplementation is just to put the finishing touches on an otherwise solid base of proper nutrition and exercise. A good creatine product might be your next logical choice. I take 3-XL by iSatori. It helps in muscle recovery and encourages muscle growth. By the way, don't be afraid of that word "growth." You know that you will NEVER be all muscle-bound and bulky like those hulks on the muscle magazine covers, don't you? It takes a lot more than either of us is going to do to get like that. And a woman's normal hormones will keep you looking feminine no matter how much you lift weights.
Another basic supplement would be some good BCAAs (branch-chained amino acids). I take Amino Phase, again by iSatori.
People might tell you to take some kind of fat burner. I don't think you'd want that now, nor do you need a pre-workout supp, although I use one called Morph. I also take a testosterone booster, but then, you aren't an old man :)
Keep asking questions until you are clear about things. You could even post a log of your eating for a couple of days or of your workouts.
Good to hear from you again.
Old Man Skinny
