Minimum BF % for AAS

[malibu barbie]

What is the minimum BF % that a female should have to take AAS?

[Shibby]

That's probably to general of a question. It's going to partialy depend on your goals.

[malibu barbie]

I want to compete in figure this upcoming August. I need to put on more muscle. I am 5'9" 140 pounds, 17.5% BF. I eat 6 times a day(high protein). I have been following a diet and training program that Red Squirrel advised many months ago. I have made alot of strength gains, but the "visible" muscle gains are little. I am tall with very long arms and legs and my muscles are very long as well. After doing research for many months, I am still researching and considering an 8 week cycle of Anavar. I am concerned that my BF is too high for this cycle? Any thoughts.

[Strengthminx]

I have been following a diet and training program that Red Squirrel advised many months ago.

ok, judging from this statement i am (tentatively) assuming that you have not tried changing up your program? IMO you should do that before you start a cycle. i went from a high-volume "bodybuilding" routine to a max-effort (4-6 reps) "powerlifting" routine, tweaked my diet, and gained 8lbs of muscle while losing BF - completely drug free. what is your current rep range and training split, along with total cal intake? it could be as simple as adding more weight and changing up your exercises. if you do all of the above and still haven't made gains, then try a cycle. i like to think of aas as "dessert", with training and diet as the main course...
~MINX

[malibu barbie]

Strengthminx-

Thanks for the response.

Stats:
30 years old, 5'9" tall, 143 pounds, 18% BF.

DIET: (With a couple of cheat meals on the weekend)
Meal 1: 3 egg whites w/ 1 piece wheat toast
Meal 2: 1 scoop whey, strawberries, 1/2 cup oatmeal, 2 fish oil caps
Meal 3: Chicken breast, 1 cup lettuce (romaine/spinach), 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar dressing, 1cup sweet potato or new potato or brown rice
Meal 4: 1 Apple and 1 scoop whey, strawberries, , 2 fish oil caps
PWO: 1 scoops whey, 1 tbsp. flax oil, strawberries and glutamine
Meal 5: Chicken breast or (salmon 1/wk, pork chop), 2 cup lettuce (romaine/spinach), 2 tbsp. balsamic vingegar, 1/2 cup new potato or sweet potato or brown rice
Meal 6: 1 scoop casein protein before bed
1 Gallon of Water, multivitamin and 1200 mg calcium everyday

I WAS training 1 bodypart per night, 3-4 exercies, 3 sets 4-6 reps HEAVY for about 6 months now and just changed it up last week to see if it made a difference.

Lifting 3 sets of 8-12 reps for 3 or 4 exercises
Cardio 65-85% max HR

M- Chest,Biceps, Yoga/Pilates class
T-Body Pump & Spin 45 minutes
W- Back, Triceps, Abs
R- Body Pump & Spin 45 minutes
F- Legs/Shoulders
S-Body Pump & Spin 45 minutes
S-OFF

[Strengthminx]

ok girl we've got some serious work to do!! first of all, you need to cut out the spin and BP classes. these are counterproductive for gaining mass- too many reps and not enough weight. i teach BP AND Spin, and before my shows i have to cut them out almost completely to keep from overtraining. your cardio should optimally be lower intensity/longer duration walking on the treadmill on an incline or elliptical. i don't have time to add up your cals right now, but at a glance it looks like you are doing ok. cut your cardio WAY down and i think you'll see a difference. oh, and you *could* split it like this:
Day 1: chest
Day 2: back
Day 3: off
Day 4: shoulders
Day 5: legs
Day 6: bi's & tri's
Day 7: off
This is the program that worked best for me- giving my shoulders a break after chest day before working them again. you also get an extra rest day let me know if you need any more suggestions!
~MINX

[malibu barbie]

Originally Posted by Strengthminx

ok girl we've got some serious work to do!! first of all, you need to cut out the spin and BP classes. these are counterproductive for gaining mass- too many reps and not enough weight. i teach BP AND Spin, and before my shows i have to cut them out almost completely to keep from overtraining. your cardio should optimally be lower intensity/longer duration walking on the treadmill on an incline or elliptical. i don't have time to add up your cals right now, but at a glance it looks like you are doing ok. cut your cardio WAY down and i think you'll see a difference.
~MINX

I am not surprised about this. The tough thing is that I want the best of both worlds, I want to put on more muscle, but I also want to start leaning down for summer. It sounds like I have to pick one. Huh?

[Puddles]

Originally Posted by Strengthminx

Day 1: chest
Day 2: back
Day 3: off
Day 4: shoulders
Day 5: legs
Day 6: bi's & tri's
Day 7: off

I love a split like this!

For a while I incorporated calf training into shoulders day and left the rest of leg training to be done on a day of it's own. I found I was able to push more weight this way without throwing up. LOL

I tend to get sore 48 hrs. later so doing shoulders 2 days after back does not work well for me. I'd have to switch days 4 and 5 for myself.



I also like to mix up the order of exercises from week to week so that I don't always start with the same thing. Similarly, when training 2 bodyparts like bi's/tri's on the same day I like to super-set (say you start with a bicep exercise, before going on to the next exercise, go ahead and do an exercise for your tri's, then go back to bi's, then tri's, etc. I find by doing this I can give nearly equal energy to both sets of muscles. The next time you do those sets of muscles, start with the one you ended with last time. Or of you're weaker in one area, focus on that first, then proceed to your stronger/more developed area.

[redsquirrel]

Originally Posted by malibu barbie

I want to compete in figure this upcoming August. I need to put on more muscle. I am 5'9" 140 pounds, 17.5% BF. I eat 6 times a day(high protein). I have been following a diet and training program that Red Squirrel advised many months ago. I have made alot of strength gains, but the "visible" muscle gains are little. I am tall with very long arms and legs and my muscles are very long as well. After doing research for many months, I am still researching and considering an 8 week cycle of Anavar. I am concerned that my BF is too high for this cycle? Any thoughts.

You do need top constantly change your workout regime every 6-8 weeks. Change days, change combo's, change reps.

The absolute MOST important thing here to produce the visible muscle gains, is you have to eat. If you're wanting to gain, you have to eat like it.

So, if you're wanting to get on a gaining diet to help gian more muscle, here are some changes to make to the diet:

Meal 1: add 2 whole eggs and instead of toast, 1/2c oatmeal
Meal 2: Add another scoop of protein, no oats
Meal 3: Make sure your chicken is 5oz POST cooked weight
Meal 4: Add 1 scoop of protein, no strawberries
PWO: 2 scoops of your protein, OR youcould try Beverly's Mass Maker....it has worked really well for a lot of women wanting to put on some lean muscle...AND it tastes like cake!!

Try this diet for 2-3 weeks and update us on your progress. There are additional nutrients to be added, but I want to see how you respond. IMHO, I think an 8 week cycle of Anavar may be good for you. By doing so, youshould be able to put on about 5-8 lbs of lean muscle. 90% of this is diet. You have that down pretty well, so Anavar may be a viable option for you after you try a new diet and training regimen




If you do a workout as SM suggested, your body will simply require more calories to sustain the changes. I do agree to cust the cardio down for now, and do it 4 times a week for 20 min.

[redsquirrel]

MB- how have things been going?? Any changes?

[malibu barbie]

Originally Posted by redsquirrel

MB- how have things been going?? Any changes?

Thanks for asking. I am finally seeing changes. I am getting much stronger. Every week I pick up bigger weight. My arms, quads, shoulders, and back are starting to show muscle. I have also dropped a little bodyfat.

I switched to Beverly Nutrition proteins and my stomach shrunk inches in a matter of a week. I think the Optimum Nutrition whey was causing some bloating/ intestinal issues for me.

Cutting back on cardio, changing it and lowering the Max HR range to 60-80% has been key for me. I miss taking the spin classes with my buddies, but it was not right for my goals. I think this and the lack of food is where I was going wrong for so many years.

Since I have been lifiting more weight and really pushing myself, it seems like 8 hours of sleep is not enough. I am not getting headaches during the day anymore, but usually by Wednesday or Thursday morning I feel like I have been hit by a bus. It is so hard to get up for work after 8 hours of sleep. (maybe I should keep some caffeine bedside? Ha!) Adding the oatmeal with breakfast has helped quite a bit.

I am finally organized and have gotten used to preparing/packing the food I need. (This was key for me)

Thank you so much for your support/advise. The contest is mid August. I will probably be looking for some critiquing over the next several months.

[redsquirrel]

Originally Posted by malibu barbie

Thanks for asking. I am finally seeing changes. I am getting much stronger. Every week I pick up bigger weight. My arms, quads, shoulders, and back are starting to show muscle. I have also dropped a little bodyfat.

I switched to Beverly Nutrition proteins and my stomach shrunk inches in a matter of a week. I think the Optimum Nutrition whey was causing some bloating/ intestinal issues for me.

Cutting back on cardio, changing it and lowering the Max HR range to 60-80% has been key for me. I miss taking the spin classes with my buddies, but it was not right for my goals. I think this and the lack of food is where I was going wrong for so many years.

Since I have been lifiting more weight and really pushing myself, it seems like 8 hours of sleep is not enough. I am not getting headaches during the day anymore, but usually by Wednesday or Thursday morning I feel like I have been hit by a bus. It is so hard to get up for work after 8 hours of sleep. (maybe I should keep some caffeine bedside? Ha!) Adding the oatmeal with breakfast has helped quite a bit.

I am finally organized and have gotten used to preparing/packing the food I need. (This was key for me)

Thank you so much for your support/advise. The contest is mid August. I will probably be looking for some critiquing over the next several months.

THAT IS SUCH GREAT NEWS!!!! I am so happy for you!!!!

AS for the training, yes- you will feel like you got hit by a bus, and I'm sure you sleep like a brick!! When I was training that I hard, I remember those days.

One more thing- I'll probably hold off for another 2-3 weeks, but at that time we should probably add a little more food...the goal here is to make you push yourself to that next level of lifting. When we add a little more food,you have just a little more energy to go for that additiona 5-10 lbs!

Did you get the Mass Maker as a PWO shake?

Kudos to you, girl!