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fenix237
12-01-09, 1:09 pm
hey all- i was hoping for a little help for my sister! she asked me for an outline to get in better shape. i originally asked Toni69 for her take, but she could be busy at the moment.

first off- a little background; my sister just turned 40 this year- she is 5'2" 110lbs with around 18% bodyfat. she wants to lose 5lbs of fat and add 5 in muscle- she goes to the gym regularly, does lots of aerobics classes, yoga, and light weight training, usually a circuit style faster pace w/o's. she feels like she's in a rut with her routine/food and asked me for assistance. she is careful about what she eats, but there is room for improvement

i was thinking she might do well on a more strength oriented routine, not necessarily a 5X5, 5/3/1 or anytihng that heavy duty- what type of split would you suggest she do? i was thinking about her doing weights 3x/wk alternating between upper/lower/upper body, then lower upper, lower the next wk. i've always been about power, mass, strength, so this is new territory for me. any suggestions with simple routines, sets, reps would be great

as far as diet goes, i am going to suggest all the usual stuff, whole unprocessed foods, lean proteins, complex carbs, good fats, fruits, veggies, lots of fiber, water etc... what macronutrient ratio do you suggest? 40/40/20 seems like a good start??? i seem to do well doing 1/3 each (Evan style), but not sure if it's what she should start with. i'm going to suggest she eat 5 meals at 300cals each- does this sound right? also, please remember my sister is not into BB'ing, PL'ing, etc... she just wants to look athletic and healthy

i was going to have her start doing fasted am cardio for 30 mins first thing out of bed (this worked for me but i was 275 and 50lbs overweight) at a heartrate of 120bpm (she does have a Polar HR monitor)- is this a good idea?

anything anyone can suggest is much appreciated!!!

thnx again!

Bibendum

squattingtillipuke
12-01-09, 5:28 pm
Start her on the machines instead of free weights if she is new to the whole idea. She will be able to isolate the muscles and feel what they are supposed to do. This is my opinion and many on here will probably disagree but it was I have found worked best for a couple of ladies that I helped. After a month on the machines you should be able to put her into the free weights on a normal 3 day split. If she has been inactive she should have an instant effect on her body comp so the 5lbs of fat should come off relatively quickly.

shizz702
12-01-09, 8:19 pm
Training women is no different. The same shit that works for us, will work for them. Put her on a basic routine and as long as she stays consistent and eats well the rest will take care of itsself.

Read through this and pick one of these, you really can't go wrong with any of them: http://www.ironaddicts.com/forums/showthread.php?t=12663



As far as diet goes, keep it simple like you said, all whole, unprocessed, good stuff. Lean meats, complex carbs, and healthy fats. Three square meals of that, with a post workout whey shake on training days should work well. I'd start off like that and adjust from there.

theharjmann
12-02-09, 5:29 am
tell her to train how any other bodybuilder male woould train with a little more cardio (and obviously less weight)

then give it time

and she will come through.

i did the same thing with my sister (who is also 40). she started off using machines and didnt seem to get anywhere....i tehn told her not to go neear a machine and to use free weights only. she now looks a LOT better for it.

fenix237
12-02-09, 2:37 pm
alright, i appreciate the input guys!

i spoke with her a bit last night about what type of routine would work with her busy schedule. i told her a 3x/wk split is a great way to go- and furthermore, she liked the idea of a full body routine. i done 3 full body w/o's a week in the past and got great results myself. it was a powermass routine and looked like this:

3x8 bb squats
3x8 bench press
3x8 bb rows
3x8 standing shoulder press
3x8 lat pulldowns
3x8 bb curls

* i would substitute db's for the bb's on occasion

i did 3x8 for 2 weeks, then 4x6 for 1 month, then 5x6 for 1 month, then 6x6 for 1 month- i increased the weight as i got stronger (and believe me i got strong on this routine!)

do you guys think this would be a good routine for her?- i feel since she always did lighter weight w/o's, this would be a nice change of pace and a good way for her to add 5lbs of muscle.

shizz702
12-02-09, 5:43 pm
alright, i appreciate the input guys!

i spoke with her a bit last night about what type of routine would work with her busy schedule. i told her a 3x/wk split is a great way to go- and furthermore, she liked the idea of a full body routine. i done 3 full body w/o's a week in the past and got great results myself. it was a powermass routine and looked like this:

3x8 bb squats
3x8 bench press
3x8 bb rows
3x8 standing shoulder press
3x8 lat pulldowns
3x8 bb curls

* i would substitute db's for the bb's on occasion

i did 3x8 for 2 weeks, then 4x6 for 1 month, then 5x6 for 1 month, then 6x6 for 1 month- i increased the weight as i got stronger (and believe me i got strong on this routine!)

do you guys think this would be a good routine for her?- i feel since she always did lighter weight w/o's, this would be a nice change of pace and a good way for her to add 5lbs of muscle.

That looks pretty good, I'm sure she'd do just fine on something like that. Stick with a basic 3x5 sets across scheme and have her add weight weekly. Once she stalls change the reps up.

fenix237
12-03-09, 12:26 pm
thanx shizz- so you think a 3X5 is a better choice than what i posted- you don't think 5 reps is to low for her? the only reason i ask is that she never really lifted intensely for power/mass/strength and i have concerns that she would not have the mind-muscle connection yet to hit 5 reps with proper intensity IDK??

either way, thanks for your help bro!

shizz702
12-03-09, 7:18 pm
thanx shizz- so you think a 3X5 is a better choice than what i posted- you don't think 5 reps is to low for her? the only reason i ask is that she never really lifted intensely for power/mass/strength and i have concerns that she would not have the mind-muscle connection yet to hit 5 reps with proper intensity IDK??

either way, thanks for your help bro!

Ah you know what, I didn't even realize you had that 3x8 scheme posted, that would be fine too. Either or, a basic full body routine is gonna serve her well.