Hello everyone,

My name is Alisha and I've been lurking around the forums for a while -- and I finally decided to join yesterday and actually post something. :)

I'm 17, 5 feet, 4 1/2 inches, and 110 pounds. I've been exercising on and off for about 2 years. I was active in school, but I didn't pay much attention to my body until I noticed it changing. I started lifting weights and from there I've gone through low as well as high periods, but I've stuck to it. I'm healthier, and I've gotten stronger and more toned from lifting, mostly in my upper body. My lower body is pretty much the same, and my body as a whole hasn't changed significantly though I've seen little things here and there. I'm trying to be patient and stay motivated, but it's hard because I'm not seeing any more changes and I don't have much support. But I'm still trying! :db:

I'm just looking for some advice about how I'm whether it's about eating properly, exercising better -- anything you think I need to or should know. I've read books and looked around online, but I'd like to know what other people personally think.

This is what I'm trying to get back into (had a half-month long vacation):
Run 3x/week. Can currently run about 2 miles.
Lift weights 4x/week, 2 days each for upper and lower body.
Thanks!

Edited: More concise. :d_smile:

hey alisha we have a similar build - except your body is more toned than mine (im 18 5'4 1/2 112 lbs)

i also feel the same way about eating healthy: no one understands that i dont want to eat ice cream and sundaes all the time.

i lift tues-thurs-sat and do cardio any day that i can, preferably running.

i really got in good shape about 2 years ago when i logged 20 miles a week running ( running 4 miles every day for 5 days of choice)


i'm just a novice too!

Alisha, welcome! You'll notice the guys always like to post in the Female forum.

What are you goals? It looks like to me, if you're motivated, you could really put on some amazing muscle. I think everyone here will agree that you already look great, and I don't think dieting down any more is a good idea. Do you go to a gym? Do you need some good ideas for an upper/lower split? I have some female college athlete friends who do *very* well on a 4-day split like that, and I think you will too. Do you play any sports as well?

I think we all have lots of advice! Let us know what you're looking to do. We can help you with routines, diet, etc.



Hello everyone,

My name is Alisha and I've been lurking around the forums for a while -- and I finally decided to join yesterday and actually post something. :)

I'm 17, 5 feet, 4 1/2 inches, and 110 pounds. I've been exercising on and off for about 2 years. I was active in school, but I didn't pay much attention to my body until I noticed that not everything was as small as it used to be... I was depressed about it for a while, but I started lifting weights and saw results. I gained muscle, but, unfortunately, fat came along with it. I got discouraged again, but by March (of this year) I was determined to start looking better.

I'm healthier, and I've gotten stronger and more toned from lifting, mostly in my upper body (I can do 10 push-ups now as opposed to none :d_smile: ). My lower body is pretty much the same, and my body as a whole hasn't changed significantly. I'm trying to be patient and stay motivated, but it's hard because I'm not seeing any more changes and I don't have much support. I had to beg/argue with my mom to get me running shoes, and I'm still trying to convince her to quit buying junk/fast food and more fruits, veggies, whole wheat foods, etc. The rest of my family either pays little attention or thinks I am afraid of being/getting fat and am dieting. I even had a cousin remark that it was "abnormal" that I was concerned about being healthy! :rolleyes:

I'm just looking for some advice, whether it's about eating properly, exercising better -- anything you think I need to or should know. I've read books and looked around online, but I'd like to know what other people personally think. I have some pictures attached :o, if those would help with anything (sorry, they're not very good). EDIT: The last one is from Jan. 2004.

This is what I'm trying to get back into (had a half-month long vacation):
Run 3x/week. Can currently run about 2 miles, 6-something per OR about 20 minutes continuously. Can't do both. :lol:
Lift weights 4x/week, 2 days each for upper and lower body.
Thanks!

Hey Alisha!

Nice to have you here..welcome :)

You have a nice body to start with..doing a good diet/excercise from here on - its just gonna get better!

Good luck and keep us posted on your progress!

Thanks everyone! I feel better. :)
Alisha, welcome! You'll notice the guys always like to post in the Female forum.

What are you goals? It looks like to me, if you're motivated, you could really put on some amazing muscle. I think everyone here will agree that you already look great, and I don't think dieting down any more is a good idea. Do you go to a gym? Do you need some good ideas for an upper/lower split? I have some female college athlete friends who do *very* well on a 4-day split like that, and I think you will too. Do you play any sports as well?

I think we all have lots of advice! Let us know what you're looking to do. We can help you with routines, diet, etc.I'm mainly concerned about slimming down my lower body and strengthening my upper, and I'm going to hope that I can do away with anything "extra" in the process. I'm not involved in any sports, and I don't go to a gym at the moment, but a friend and I plan to soon, possibly next week. Do you think you could give me an example of a 4-day split?

I do 1-2 moves for each muscle, 2-3 sets, and reps vary though they're usually around 6-10. Is this okay? Sometimes I'm overwhelmed by trying to target all of my muscles, and I'm not sure if I'm doing it right. I have trouble finding effective exercises for my upper and middle back, hamstrings, and glutes, too.

I'm also wondering how much of an influence my diet has. I try to eat as well as I can, but it's not always possible for me to stick to it.

Thanks again!

Edit: Oops. One more thing -- how many calories should I be consuming a day, and how do I keep track? Right now I simply eat when I'm hungry and try not to snack on things when I know I'm not.

Thanks everyone! I feel better. :)
I'm mainly concerned about slimming down my lower body and strengthening my upper, and I'm going to hope that I can do away with anything "extra" in the process. I'm not involved in any sports, and I don't go to a gym at the moment, but a friend and I plan to soon, possibly next week. Do you think you could give me an example of a 4-day split?

I do 1-2 moves for each muscle, 2-3 sets, and reps vary though they're usually around 6-10. Is this okay? Sometimes I'm overwhelmed by trying to target all of my muscles, and I'm not sure if I'm doing it right. I have trouble finding effective exercises for my upper and middle back, hamstrings, and glutes, too.

I'm also wondering how much of an influence my diet has. I try to eat as well as I can, but it's not always possible for me to stick to it.

Thanks again!

Edit: Oops. One more thing -- how many calories should I be consuming a day, and how do I keep track? Right now I simply eat when I'm hungry and try not to snack on things when I know I'm not.

Using the Harris-Benedict equation, your BMR is 1356, so I would guess you would need around 2100 cal/day to maintain your weight. A lot of us here use www.fitday.com to track our calories and exercise - it's a really good tool, and it's free. They have tons of foods in their database and you can customize your own. I have to say that I'm completely jealous of your body as it is now, and with a little weight-lifting, you could get really toned. When you're lifting, are the last few reps of each set really hard? If not, you may want to try adding more weight. As for your diet, most folks here swear by a 40%protein/40%carb/20%fat split. I'm just starting to try that, so we'll see how it goes! I'm finding it pretty hard to get that much protein though, so I'm just eating a lot of chicken and may add some protein powder soon. I'm not a body-building expert, but I think it's pretty important to get enough protein, so that your muscles can rebuild themselves. Anyhow, there's my 2cents - good luck and let us know how it goes!

Fitday is a great place to track food. I have you at around 1900-2000/cals per day to maintain your weight. (The activity modifier is always a little high, in my opinion) Read the stickies at the top of the fat loss and bulking forums.

I think the other women should chime in here about their routines, but if you're serious about weight training and your fitness level, joining a gym is a great idea, and having a workout buddy will help a lot. You might actually be better off doing a 3-day, fullbody workout if you're just starting out too. jsbrook (you should PM him, since I don't know how often he comes into this forum) has his sister on a routine, and I think she's doing pretty well.

Don't worry about targetting your muscles. I would say that once you get to the gym, start incorporating more compound exercises (the ones that use the most muscles and bodyparts at once) rather than isolation exercises. Start focusing on assisted pullups and assisted dips (there should be a machine at any good gym that has something like this- ask someone who works there how to use it). If you've never done freeweights, and aren't quite ready to take the plunge, a lot of machines can get you ready for them. The bench press and overhead press machines are great when you're starting out. As for legs, you might not be ready yet for squats and deadlifts (but you better do them soon!), but the leg press machine is almost as good.

If you'd like a sample 3- or 4-day split, I'll be happy to post one.






Thanks everyone! I feel better. :)
I'm mainly concerned about slimming down my lower body and strengthening my upper, and I'm going to hope that I can do away with anything "extra" in the process. I'm not involved in any sports, and I don't go to a gym at the moment, but a friend and I plan to soon, possibly next week. Do you think you could give me an example of a 4-day split?

I do 1-2 moves for each muscle, 2-3 sets, and reps vary though they're usually around 6-10. Is this okay? Sometimes I'm overwhelmed by trying to target all of my muscles, and I'm not sure if I'm doing it right. I have trouble finding effective exercises for my upper and middle back, hamstrings, and glutes, too.

I'm also wondering how much of an influence my diet has. I try to eat as well as I can, but it's not always possible for me to stick to it.

Thanks again!

Edit: Oops. One more thing -- how many calories should I be consuming a day, and how do I keep track? Right now I simply eat when I'm hungry and try not to snack on things when I know I'm not.

Thanks! FitDay looks great. I'm going to see how much of everything I've been eating, adjust accordingly and see how that goes. As for the stickies, I think I've skimmed through them once or twice, but I'll go and read them more thoroughly.

I've been weightlifting for a while now, actually; just trying to actually stick with it this time! :) I used to do full-body workouts (a year ago), but they started taking too long, and laziness + school = what I'm doing now. Is a full-body workout more effective? How do you hit all your muscle groups?

I usually go with a weight heavy enough so that by the 7th or 8th rep I'm struggling to finish. The problem with my lower body is that the weights I have aren't heavy enough -- 28 lbs max. When I do squats, deadlifts, lunges, etc. it usually takes a while before my muscles tire, and going slower gets a little tedious sometimes. Suggestions?

And yes, I'd like to see a sample 4-day split. Thanks. :d_smile:

BTW, the picture of my stomach is of it tensed; normally it's not so flat-looking. I originally had it as a comparison to the picture below, which was from 01/2004.

Well, here's a modified version of ABBH (http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=459341) designed by Chad Waterbury. I don't know your strength or training levels, but since you're just starting out again, a moderate rep/set scheme would be more sufficient and not so taxing.

Monday: Dips/Pullups, 5x8-10. Do 1 set of 10 dips (you can do assisted), rest 1 min, do 1 set 10 pullups, rest 1 min, repeat.

Tuesday: Squats/Abs/Calves, 5x8-10. Abs: crunches. Calves: Standing calf raise. Same idea, except you giant set all three, rotating through all three, before starting over, with 1 min rest intervals.

Wed: Off.

Thurs: Bench/Rows, 6x8. If you have a gym, seated machine rows or machine bench would be fine, if you don't want to use freeweights just yet. Same routine as above, with 1 min rest intervals.

Friday: Deadlift/Abs/Calves, 6x8. Abs: hanging knee raises or pikes. Calves: calf machine, or calf raise on leg press machine.


Check out the link above as well. Let me know if you have any questions.