Re: women and muscle


"determined" <determined@xxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:yvKdnf1dzMtXyGzbnZ2dneKdnZydnZ2d@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
2 years ago I had a baby. I had managed to pack about 45 extra lbs onto my
5'3" frame. I didn't get very serious about exercise or good nutrition
until around the beginning of this year. I took up cycling, and started
participating in several centuries and other long distance rides. As a
result, I managed to lose all the extra weight. But at a recent bodyfat
test, I discovered that I had lost significant muscle - no doubt from the
lack of cross-training and inadequate diet for the level of activity. I am
currently 118 and 21% bodyfat. My goal now is to switch to a lower
cardio/heavy weights routine, eat more, and recover my muscle, and
eventually reach 18%. My current routine is a full body MWF, and spin
class TU/TH. I'm doing all the big lifts - squat, deadlift, bench, plus
things like chinups, seated row, and some isolation stuff for my upper
body.

After restricting calories for so long, it's really hard for me to accept
that I need to eat more to get where I want to be. My maintenance level
without exercise is around 1600, so I've increased that by 20%. I eat
about 6 times a day, fairly clean diet, and around 120g of protein per
day.

What I am wondering is, if I keep my gain rate around 1/2 lb per week, and
keep doing what I am doing, can I assume I will gain mostly muscle, or at
least minimize how much fat I gain? During my cycling, I managed to lose
almost 50/50 fat and muscle, which really sucked. I know as a female,
it's tough to gain muscle, and my ratio may not be too much better than
50/50. But as long as when I gain it's at least *slightly* in my favor,
and when I lose it's also *slightly* in my favor, in the end I should be
able to reach my goals.

Is there anything anyone would change or recommend in my routine?

Thanks

At a starting weight of 145 pounds I was able to gain 20 lean pounds in one
year. 1/2 pound per week may be a bit ambitious.


.

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