Ladies, I need some help!

[Chadd77]

My sister is wants to compete in an upcoming fitness show and wants me to be her trainer. I have competed before and have trained other guys but never a female. I'm sure the diet and training would be slightly different. My diet consists of this:

Meal 1 (5:00-8:00)
6-8 egg whites
1 pack oatmeal
Protein shake (1 scoop)


Meal 2 (9:30-10:30)
Chicken breast 6.8 oz
Sweet potato 4 oz


Meal 3 (11:30-12:30)
Rice cakes (2)
Protein Shake (2 scoops)


Meal 4 (1:30-2:30)
1 can tuna (albacore white)


Meal 5 (3:00-4:30)
Chicken breast 6.8 oz
Vegetables 4 oz
Brown or white rice 4 oz cooked


Meal 6 (5:00-6:00)
Sweet potato 4 oz
Top Round Steak 6 oz


Meal 7 (7:00-8:00)
Protein shake (2 scoops)

I'm sure it would be different for her. I would definitely cut out the red meat or only throw it in once or twice a week. And I'm guessing I should cut down the serving size of some of the other meals too.

Also, how many cardio days do you try and get in? I have 3 a week at 30 minutes. Does this differ for a female? Sorry for all the questions but I want to make sure I have all my info before I start training her. Thanks in advance!

[redsquirrel]

Well, first off you need to post up her BF, weight and height.

Are you doing her BF weekly? This info is imperative at determining her daily caloric intake and cardio schedules. When is her show?

You will absolutely need to cut one meal for her, as well as add more solid food. Female competitors are a totally different animal. They metabolize food and burn fat in totally different ways.

[Chadd77]

Thanks for the reply red. I should have posted this in the diet and nutrition forum. O'well. :) Let me get that info from her. I'll talk to her tonight and then post her info. Thanks for the quick response!

[Chadd77]

5'4"
118 lbs
17.1% bf
30 years old

[redsquirrel]

When is the show?? How many weeks?

What sort of cardio is she currently doing?

[Chadd77]

Originally posted by redsquirrel
When is the show?? How many weeks?

What sort of cardio is she currently doing?

Her show is may 7th. About 14.5 weeks out.

She is working out 4 days a week and she typically jogs 2 times a week for a 1/2 hour.

[redsquirrel]

Originally posted by Chadd77
Her show is may 7th. About 14.5 weeks out.

She is working out 4 days a week and she typically jogs 2 times a week for a 1/2 hour.

Is this show an all natural show?

Honestly, with her current BF she may want to pick a later show. Optimum BF loss per week is 1/2%. Some weeks she may only see .25% loss. With her current BF and time allotted, that puts her at about 10.5-11% BF on stage. She needs to be NO MORE than 9.5 on stage. You also can't count the last week because that is used for water and salt manipulation.
Even if you have her do an hour a day, it may not be enough time....ESPECIALLY if this is her first show. Many women's bodies just won't let go of that extra 1-2% BF for their first time competing.

To start, I would say she needs to do 30 min of cardio, 6 days a week. NO jogging. Have her walk at about a 3.8 MPH on a 10 incline. She also needs to do 5 workouts per week. She really needs to gain more mass in order to look good and full on stage. Right now she has 98lbs of LBM.....which will diminish by at least 5-8lbs by the time she gets on stage.

I'm not saying she shouldn't do it...But for the future, she will need to be bigger and leaner. Women on stage will have about 7-9 lbs of fat. At her current weight, if she lost NO muscle (which is virtually impossible) she would be less than 110 on stage. Typical loss for any diet is 15-20 lbs. So, being generous, that makes her 105 on stage. She will be in the med class, and I guarantee you there will be girls that weigh 125 on stage and are the same height. Not trying to be mean, just realistic.

[Chadd77]

Yes, it is an all natural show.

I’m thinking that for the next 4 weeks I should keep her calorie and protein intake sky high and stick to heavy movements in the gym. Once she is 12 weeks out lower the calories, start her contest diet, and start cardio. 8 weeks out stop the heavy movements and keep her rep range to 8-14.

I agree with you that she should have more mass but this will be her first show and I’m hoping that she will gain a lot of knowledge about training and diet doing this show. It will be a good learning experience. Also, it is a local show so there will be a lot of first time competitors there.

Thanks for all your help red. Like you said, women are a totally different breed then men. I’m sure I’ll gain a lot of knowledge from this as well. And I'm sure I'll have more questions for you too. Thanks again!

[redsquirrel]

If you are going to have her follow what you just suggested, she MUST start doing cardio NOW. AT least 5 times a week for 30 min. Her BF is just too high, even for a 14 week diet. She should have started dieting 2 weeks ago. I started at about the same BF when I did my contest, and I needed the FULL 16 weeks to make it.

Conditioning normally wins at the natural level, so the better condition she is in the better. Since it is a natty show, her muscle mass isn't as big of a factor. So, since she doesn't have a lot of mass, she's going to have to come in great condition. You can add mass and still have her do cardio. I would say she needs to lift very heavy at the gym 5 TIMES a week for the next 4 weeks. DO NOT, I repeat- DO NOT keep her calories sky high. It will be too hard to lose and there just is NOT enough time. She could actually end up adding more BF, making it even more dificult....Especially if she's not doing enough cardio.

[Chadd77]

Why do you suggest walking on an incline instead of jogging? Should she continue that throughout her training?

I'll have her start her diet right away. How does this sound:

Meal 1 (6:00-8:00)
6 egg whites
1 pack oatmeal

Meal 2 (10:30-11:30)
Chicken breast 6 oz
Brown Rice 4 oz


Meal 3 (12:30-1:30)
Rice cakes (2)
Protein Shake (1 scoop)


Meal 4 (2:30-3:30)
1 can tuna (albacore white)


Meal 6 (5:00-6:00)
Chicken breast 6 oz
Brown Rice 4 oz


Meal 7 (7:00-8:00)
Protein shake (1 scoop)

*Flax seed oil* (once a day)

[redsquirrel]

Originally posted by Chadd77
Why do you suggest walking on an incline instead of jogging? Should she continue that throughout her training?

I'll have her start her diet right away. How does this sound:

Meal 1 (6:00-8:00)
6 egg whites
1 pack oatmeal

Packets of oatmeal has NO PLACE IN ANY DIET!!! WAY to much sugar. She has to eat the quick oats.You also need to add in 3 oz of lean meat!!!!

Meal 2 (10:30-11:30)
Chicken breast 6 oz
Brown Rice 4 oz
Where are the green veggies?


Meal 3 (12:30-1:30)
Rice cakes (2)
Protein Shake (1 scoop)
She needs another scoop of protein, AND 1 less rice cake.




Meal 4 (2:30-3:30)
1 can tuna (albacore white)

Again- AT LEAST 2 cups of green veggies here.



Meal 6 (5:00-6:00)
Chicken breast 6 oz
Brown Rice 4 oz

NO carb at this meal. Add 2 c veggies



Meal 7 (7:00-8:00)
Protein shake (1 scoop)

*Flax seed oil* (once a day)

She is also eating too frequently. Meals need to be 3 hours apart. You also need to drop this last meal, and her fasting time needs to be at least 10 hours to start.

[redsquirrel]

Originally posted by Chadd77
Why do you suggest walking on an incline instead of jogging? Should she continue that throughout her training?

I'll have her start her diet right away. How does this sound:

Meal 1 (6:00-8:00)
6 egg whites
1 pack oatmeal

Packets of oatmeal has NO PLACE IN ANY DIET!!! WAY to much sugar. She has to eat the quick oats.You also need to add in 3 oz of lean meat!!!!

Meal 2 (10:30-11:30)
Chicken breast 6 oz
Brown Rice 4 oz
Where are the green veggies?


Meal 3 (12:30-1:30)
Rice cakes (2)
Protein Shake (1 scoop)
She needs another scoop of protein, AND 1 less rice cake.




Meal 4 (2:30-3:30)
1 can tuna (albacore white)

Again- AT LEAST 2 cups of green veggies here.



Meal 6 (5:00-6:00)
Chicken breast 6 oz
Brown Rice 4 oz

NO carb at this meal. Add 2 c veggies



Meal 7 (7:00-8:00)
Protein shake (1 scoop)

*Flax seed oil* (once a day)

She is also eating too frequently. Meals need to be 3 hours apart. You also need to drop this last meal, and her fasting time needs to be at least 10 hours to start.

Walking on an incline is better because your body is exerted a bit mroe than jogging. Also- jogging can make the legs smaller, making it harder to maintain muscle there as well.

[Chadd77]

I shouldn't have had a packet of oatmeal listed. I have always used the rolled oats not the packets.

When you say she should drop the last meal are you referring to the protein shake?

I really appreciate all your help. Are you the only female on this board that competes? I knew you did but thought there were some others as well. Thanks again!

[redsquirrel]

Ok, just checking.

And yes. The trick with the whole diet is obviously to keep her body guessing. Change up the cardio, cycle carbs, limit calories.

I don't know of really anyone else that comes on here regularly who competes. I know Sana was dieting for a show, so if she gets on here she should have some more input.

[Chadd77]

Originally posted by redsquirrel
Ok, just checking.

And yes. The trick with the whole diet is obviously to keep her body guessing. Change up the cardio, cycle carbs, limit calories.

I don't know of really anyone else that comes on here regularly who competes. I know Sana was dieting for a show, so if she gets on here she should have some more input.

I trust your input, it's not that at all. I just thought we had more females competing here.

I'm sure I'll have some more questions for you down the road. You know.... Some of the tricks at the end of the diet! :) Thanks again for all your help!