So get this

[redsquirrel]

To sort of piggyback from my other thread, I spoke w/ my trainer last week about how I should be working out right now, post pregnancy.

He tells me that I should only be lifting my body weight...really nothing more. For example, things like squats, lunges, push ups, dips...but only w/ my body weight. He said that if I'm banging it all the time, that I will get bigger?? Now, when I started working w/ him I told him I wanted to get that long, lean look, so that's the only thing I can think of. Well, I don't know about all of you, but I'm training naturally, and it's very hard for women to build muscle that way. And, I my muscles did reach a large point and now I'm just trying to slightly reduce my muscle and lose fat.

One thing I am convinced of is women who do what I did, and decide they don't want to compete anymore do run a higher risk of putting on fat once they stop. That's the one thing I really regret. Someone once asked me "what happens when you stop working out?" I never thought of it, but it's true. I think that if you stop for whatever reason at the intensity you once were (and supps) it's much harder to keep the fat off....

Thoughts on my theory? Thoughts on my trainer's theory?

And FYI- my boobs are still too big.

[Shibby]

I think you train your body for so many years to be a certain way. Just like you have to challenge to get bigger when it won't grow, you have sustained a higher level of weight. So you have to spend years training your body to be smaller.

[redsquirrel]

I understand that, and I'm Ok with it.

What I don't get is why my trainer told me to basically stop using weights....for someone like me that's really hard. LOL

However, why is it that once we get to a certain point, and unless we continue to keep doing what we are doing why the body seems to put on more fat? I know the whole more muscle burns more calories thing...I guess my biggest questions is if we continue to work out once we 've reached our goal and workout mainly as maintenance, then why would the body do that? I also understand metabolism speed slows as you age. But, if you've already reached you goal physique, then why doesn't maintenance activity sustain that look?

[go Yankees]

my fiancée's trainer (an IFBB pro) told her to cut her lifting from 4, to 3, then to 2 days a week, and to come off var, in hopes of stripping some muscle, since I guess she carried a bit too much muscle for a fitness competitor.

I'm not too sure about your theory. I think that what will happen if you quit cold turkey is that your muscles will shrink and you will get a bit softer. Beyond that, I don't see how if you keep your diet in check your body composition will stray too far from lean...I dunno...

[Shibby]

Well part of it is how you're not stimulating your muscles the same way. So there is going to be some atrophy. With that atrophy that tissue has to go somewhere and is used as energy. Then your body probably sotres more fat from the food your eating.

[wnabeabeast]

RS wote:
However,why is it that once we get to a certain point, and unless we continue to keep doing what we are doing why the body seems to put on more fat?

As a fact we all know that as we get older our metabolism slows down and when that happens we tend to put on more bf so we have to adjust our diet and life style accordingly. I mean even if you look at the bf charts you can see that. For example take a caliper and do your pinch test now look at your numbers as a 25 year old and than take the same numbers and look at the chart as a 35 or 45 year old you'll see that chart shows more bodyfat


RS wrote:
But, if you've already reached you goal physique, then why doesn't maintenance activity sustain that look?

Well that's when the diet adjustments come in to play. I think it's the bodybuilder in us.I do it myself when I try to maintain my looks I still tend to eat like a bodybuilder or slip a little with couple cheat meal here or there and believe me it makes a huge difference.
And I don't agree with you trainer about stop using weights. You have to use weights. You can start doing super sets,giant sets and drop sets,you can't do them without weights. Just use light weights,and up the cardio.

[redsquirrel]

So, Shib you think he may be on to something?

[redsquirrel]

RS wote:
However,why is it that once we get to a certain point, and unless we continue to keep doing what we are doing why the body seems to put on more fat?

As a fact we all know that as we get older our metabolism slows down and when that happens we tend to put on more bf so we have to adjust our diet and life style accordingly. I mean even if you look at the bf charts you can see that. For example take a caliper and do your pinch test now look at your numbers as a 25 year old and than take the same numbers and look at the chart as a 35 or 45 year old you'll see that chart shows more bodyfat


RS wrote:
But, if you've already reached you goal physique, then why doesn't maintenance activity sustain that look?

Well that's when the diet adjustments come in to play. I think it's the bodybuilder in us.I do it myself when I try to maintain my looks I still tend to eat like a bodybuilder or slip a little with couple cheat meal here or there and believe me it makes a huge difference.
And I don't agree with you trainer about stop using weights. You have to use weights. You can start doing super sets,giant sets and drop sets,you can't do them without weights.

WB- I know what you are saying...I mentioned the fact that I know metab does slow as we age...which means more work and less food!! LOL But, who wants to eat like a competitor their whole life? I know everyone is different, and it takes a lot of work to look the way WE want.

I am in agreeance w/ you about the weights. I mean, women's bone mass decreases as they age, AND the more muscle you have the more cal you burn...I really don't understand why he told me to just use my bodyweight. I KNOW I would have to work extremely hard to put on more muscle naturally. In addition, if I'm wanting to maybe just tone the muscle down a bit, then I should just be doing higher reps....I mean, he told me to do workout w/ exercises and do 30 reps. I get that. What I don't get is why no weights...I mean, how can you achieve a long, lean, muscular look by just doing bodyweight?

NY- What does your fiance do now? Did what he told her to do work? Also, I'm not taking Var, so that may be why he told her to stop lifting so much.

[Shibby]

So, Shib you think he may be on to something?

I don't think you should stop weights. I think you should add in body resistance exercises. Start doing a lot of compound movements. Doing pull ups, dips, stuff that can really be strenous. But for like squats and bench and stuff like that, I think you need some weight, just a lot less. I guess a way to describe it is to start training more like a decathlon athlete than a bodybuilder.

[dreamgirl]

that is wierd to me to hear a trainer say to cut out all weights. I can understand doing lower weights with really high reps, but no weight? it is hard to lift your own body weight in those kinds of exercises... if you have a gymnastics background it should be somewhat easy for you to do them or get accustomed to lifting your own weight.

to me the perfect body is a gymnasts body, they are lean and muscular - I'm thinking that is also what more of your goal is to look like.

right now my trainer is having me do plyometrics and weights on big muscle groups and cardio to help me burn fat which is what I need.

[redsquirrel]

I don't think you should stop weights. I think you should add in body resistance exercises. Start doing a lot of compound movements. Doing pull ups, dips, stuff that can really be strenous. But for like squats and bench and stuff like that, I think you need some weight, just a lot less. I guess a way to describe it is to start training more like a decathlon athlete than a bodybuilder.

Well, tonight, I sort of took his advice and combined it w/ all of your input. I did shoulders and hams and did 20-30 reps for each set. I did 7 sets of shoulders (3 diff movements) and 6 sets of hams. We'll see how I feel in the morning as far as soreness. I'm the type that if I don't feel sore the next day, I don't feel I had a good workout or did what I was supposed to do

Shib- what do you mean by "body resistance movements"? For the past 5 years, compound movements is all I've done. Squats, bench, rows...I think that's what he's trying to get me away from since it does build a bit of a thickness in people who train that way...

And yes- DG the gymnast look is what I'm hoping for.

I did buy this Chitosan based fat burning combo thing...so we'll see how it works. This Sat. will be 6 weeks since I delivered, so I'm hoping I've given my body ample time to get back to normal and start dropping some of this weight. Again, though- I thought since I'd been sedentary for 8 weeks and then start working out again that I would have lost some lb's. The BF is down, but if that's down a little, then why isn't the scale?

[Shibby]

Body resistance is using your body weight as the resisting force. Which is good for bi/back pull ups, dips... but not for squats. Combine these with other weighted exercises, maybe add pilates, go swimming, play a sport, do a lot of different things. This will keep your whole body fit and you won't get bored from the repetitiveness of the high reps.

[wnabeabeast]

I think after all of our inputs RS your solution comes down to TIME=RESULTS. And I know you don't wanna hear that.
Looks like you are doing everything right,but RS since your body went through a huge ordeal you are not normal (I mean you are normal,but you know what I mean :nerdnew: ) You said this sat will be 6 weeks since your delivery. In case of normal delivery Doctors won't even give you the OK to train until at least 6 weeks after the delivery. I forgot how many weeks you were in before the delivery.( I kinda got lost when you said about being sedentary for 8 weeks and it's been 6 weeks since delivery)
My whole point is be patient. And again I know u don't wanna hear that.
I just don't want you to over train your body and cause some kind of an injury. Like I said you are doing everything right. Your diet is in check,workouts are in check, I am sure you are doing enough cardio,so just a little more patience. It'll all come together. :nerdnew:

[redsquirrel]

I think after all of our inputs RS your solution comes down to TIME=RESULTS. And I know you don't wanna hear that.
Looks like you are doing everything right,but RS since your body went through a huge ordeal you are not normal (I mean you are normal,but you know what I mean :nerdnew: ) You said this sat will be 6 weeks since your delivery. In case of normal delivery Doctors won't even give you the OK to train until at least 6 weeks after the delivery. I forgot how many weeks you were in before the delivery.( I kinda got lost when you said about being sedentary for 8 weeks and it's been 6 weeks since delivery)
My whole point is be patient. And again I know u don't wanna hear that.
I just don't want you to over train your body and cause some kind of an injury. Like I said you are doing everything right. Your diet is in check,workouts are in check, I am sure you are doing enough cardio,so just a little more patience. It'll all come together. :nerdnew:

LOL. You're right- I don't want to hear that!! But, we never do, right?? When I delivered I was 19 weeks pregnant...almost 5 months.

And, my doc did tell me 4-6 weeks for the body to go back to normal and I did read women shouldn't even begin banging it or dieting for at least 6 weeks....well that's not going to happen! LOL!

An update on the training- My hammies are a bit sore today, shoulders are just a little tender, so we'll see. But, here's what else I was thinking- what happens when I get to where I'm not sore? Increase to 30-40 reps? Increase weight? It all kind of contradicts what the trainer said about no weight. Once you cease from challenging your body, it ceases change.... :hmmm:

[Shibby]

I would increase the weight. It's not going to take more than about 5lbs to really feel the difference at that number of reps. You will move up a lot slower, but that's why I think you should have a great deal of variety. It keeps you from dominating an exercise too quickly.