Female Athlete Q&A

Before and after

1 Like

@michell

Thanks for posting!

I have done the strong bodybuilder program before when I was preparing for my figure show. I always like to keep my strength up and this program allowed me to concentrate on both hypertrophy and strength during the prep. The only adjustment I made was adding more shoulder and tricep work instead of chest exercises and I also increased the sets in week 4 to 12 reps and week 3 to 5 reps. The second exercise I raised the reps accordingly and added a second leg day and extra shoulder instead of chest day.

Right now Iā€™m 8 weeks out from the WPC Worlds for powerlifting so my training is geared towards strength now with a little bit of bodybuilding just to maintain necessary muscle mass for figure purposes.

I use a lot of MAG-10 and Plazma as well, Iā€™ve been doing some insane workouts in preparation for the powerlifting meet and have gone up all the way to 4 servings in a workout but I always drop it down to 2 for lighter days. I use A LOT of Biotest products as well and Iā€™ve seen crazy improvements in all aspects of my training and physique. One of my newest favorites is Carbolin 19, if she hasnā€™t tried it yet youā€™ll be interested in looking into the product for her as well.

Does she have a show planned that sheā€™s working towards? I wish her the best of luck and if you need help with anything else let me know. You can post her progress on here too, a lot of people will be happy to follow along with her.

:slight_smile:

Hi Bron,
I just came from a 12 week diet phase and dropped ~10lbs, however I did not reverse diet well and gained back 5lbs in 4 weeks. Instead of going back to a cut and yo-yo dieting (which I had done for that 4 weeks after the cut as I did not know what to do), I am thinking of probably increasing my carbohydrates right now and training hard for a few weeks (timeframe of maybe 4 - 6 weeks) and then do a 6 week mini cut after that?

I have 2x90 capsules of Indigo-3G right now (which would last me about 30 days), and it isnā€™t possible for me to get anymore due to shipping issues, do you think it would be advisable for me to use it in the phase of increased calories and carbohydrates to make use of nutrient partitioning in that phase even though I am only using it for 30 days?

I train high volume style 5x/week, might be including 1xmetabolic complex/ pump sessions as per CTā€™s Hard body article.
Thank you in advance! :slight_smile:

[quote]mimil wrote:
Hi Bron,
I just came from a 12 week diet phase and dropped ~10lbs, however I did not reverse diet well and gained back 5lbs in 4 weeks. Instead of going back to a cut and yo-yo dieting (which I had done for that 4 weeks after the cut as I did not know what to do), I am thinking of probably increasing my carbohydrates right now and training hard for a few weeks (timeframe of maybe 4 - 6 weeks) and then do a 6 week mini cut after that?

I have 2x90 capsules of Indigo-3G right now (which would last me about 30 days), and it isnā€™t possible for me to get anymore due to shipping issues, do you think it would be advisable for me to use it in the phase of increased calories and carbohydrates to make use of nutrient partitioning in that phase even though I am only using it for 30 days?

I train high volume style 5x/week, might be including 1xmetabolic complex/ pump sessions as per CTā€™s Hard body article.
Thank you in advance! :slight_smile:

[/quote]

Hi!

I would definitely use it for the phase with increased carbohydrates, if you are taking the indigo preworkout as directed make sure you are consuming a large majority of your daily carbs in your intraworkout shake. If you have Plazma that would be your best option for carbs to combine with the indigo. If you are by any chance able to figure out a way to get more I would advise to get 2 more bottles and use it for a minimum of 8 weeks but 30 days is better than nothing if you have no choice.

Try to monitor your progress through photos and the mirror rather than the scale because your body composition will be changing and the scale wonā€™t give you an accurate indication of where youā€™re at. When I started taking indigo my body fat level was greatly reduced but I actually gained weight (keeping in mind I was taking Micro-PA at the time as well).

Thanks for posting and I hope everything goes well. Let me know how you like the indigo!

-Bron

Do you feel like youā€™ve hit a plateau in your training and canā€™t seem to get the stimulation youā€™re looking for during your workouts?

TRY adding some different techniques into your sets! Giant sets, Supersets, isoholds, slow negatives, dropsets etc.

I know I post a lot of updates are about my main lifts (deadlifts, squats & bench) BUT the majority of my workouts include a lot of accessory work for these lifts and lots of other fun techniques for physique purposes. Hereā€™s an example of a shoulder workout I just did and my shoulder are still burning 2 days later :))

1 arm dumbbell snatch 4 sets x 10 reps
Standing barbell press 4 sets x 8-10rep (2 front/2 back)
Superset 1: dumbbell side laterals & front 3 sets x 12 reps each exercise
Superset 2: rear delt dumbell flies (10 reps) & cable rope facepulls (15 reps) 3 sets
(DB flies facedown on bench @ 45 degrees)
Giant set: neutral grip dumbell press/cable front raises/lateral raise machine 3 sets of 12-15 each

*always finish your repsā€¦ If you get to the end of a set and find that youā€™ve picked a weight thatā€™s too heavy drop it down and finish the reps with a lighter weight!

Hereā€™s an easy recipe for a tasty frozen treat with lots of protein!

Blueberry Vanilla Frozen Yogurt

Ingredients:

1 scoop vanilla Metabolic Drive
1/4 cup blueberries
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups Greek yogurt
1-2 tablespoons honey (or Splenda/stevia to taste)
1 serving Superfood

Directions: (EASY)
Blend for 1minute. Pour into a bowl.
Chill at least 4 hours.

Thanks for the advice Bron! Will give it a shot and update you and how it goes! :slight_smile:

Hi Bron,

We are curiuous how do you prepare meals for yor kids, as we watched some pics grapping FINiBARs and MAG-10. They are so cute! We wanted to use some MAG-10 as well but itā€™s for take some examples from you. Both you and Samir are awesome!

[quote]mimil wrote:
Thanks for the advice Bron! Will give it a shot and update you and how it goes! :)[/quote]

Absolutely, keep me posted on how you like the Indigo! Itā€™s easily one of my favorite supplements everā€¦ Everyone is always looking for a ā€œmagicā€ pill and this is the closest thing to it, youā€™ll love the results.

[quote]michell wrote:
Hi Bron,

We are curiuous how do you prepare meals for yor kids, as we watched some pics grapping FINiBARs and MAG-10. They are so cute! We wanted to use some MAG-10 as well but itā€™s for take some examples from you. Both you and Samir are awesome![/quote]

Hi Michell,

Hope you and your girlfriends training is going well! Our boys want to be just like Dad! They like to eat all of the bodybuilding type food that Amit and I eat but because we generally eat high protein, high carbs & low fat they obviously need other sources of fat and more variety in food typesā€¦ They like to eat cottage cheese, peanut butter, full eggs, cheese, whole milk, vegetables, fruit, egg/oat noodles, chicken, beef, riceā€¦ Lots of variety for these guys, they eat everything!

Our 3 year old likes chocolate cookies, so whenever I want to trick him I warm up 1/2 of a finibar and shape it into a cookie (he caught onto that trick fast). He likes MAG-10, also known asā€¦ ā€œyellow drinkā€ā€¦ I give him a cup of water with 1/3 scoop of MAG-10 and a few drops of lemon flavorā€¦ Itā€™s a HIT!

[quote]Bron Sapir wrote:

[quote]michell wrote:
Hi Bron,

We are curiuous how do you prepare meals for yor kids, as we watched some pics grapping FINiBARs and MAG-10. They are so cute! We wanted to use some MAG-10 as well but itā€™s for take some examples from you. Both you and Samir are awesome![/quote]

Hi Michell,

Hope you and your girlfriends training is going well! Our boys want to be just like Dad! They like to eat all of the bodybuilding type food that Amit and I eat but because we generally eat high protein, high carbs & low fat they obviously need other sources of fat and more variety in food typesā€¦ They like to eat cottage cheese, peanut butter, full eggs, cheese, whole milk, vegetables, fruit, egg/oat noodles, chicken, beef, riceā€¦ Lots of variety for these guys, they eat everything!

Our 3 year old likes chocolate cookies, so whenever I want to trick him I warm up 1/2 of a finibar and shape it into a cookie (he caught onto that trick fast). He likes MAG-10, also known asā€¦ ā€œyellow drinkā€ā€¦ I give him a cup of water with 1/3 scoop of MAG-10 and a few drops of lemon flavorā€¦ Itā€™s a HIT![/quote]

I just ask for advice to Amit. Awsome guidelines. I like a lot your lifestyle.

How are you progressing in your preparation?

BTW, Do you have access to quest bars?

[quote]michell wrote:

[quote]Bron Sapir wrote:

[quote]michell wrote:
Hi Bron,

We are curiuous how do you prepare meals for yor kids, as we watched some pics grapping FINiBARs and MAG-10. They are so cute! We wanted to use some MAG-10 as well but itā€™s for take some examples from you. Both you and Samir are awesome![/quote]

Hi Michell,

Hope you and your girlfriends training is going well! Our boys want to be just like Dad! They like to eat all of the bodybuilding type food that Amit and I eat but because we generally eat high protein, high carbs & low fat they obviously need other sources of fat and more variety in food typesā€¦ They like to eat cottage cheese, peanut butter, full eggs, cheese, whole milk, vegetables, fruit, egg/oat noodles, chicken, beef, riceā€¦ Lots of variety for these guys, they eat everything!

Our 3 year old likes chocolate cookies, so whenever I want to trick him I warm up 1/2 of a finibar and shape it into a cookie (he caught onto that trick fast). He likes MAG-10, also known asā€¦ ā€œyellow drinkā€ā€¦ I give him a cup of water with 1/3 scoop of MAG-10 and a few drops of lemon flavorā€¦ Itā€™s a HIT![/quote]

I just ask for advice to Amit. Awsome guidelines. I like a lot your lifestyle.

How are you progressing in your preparation?

BTW, Do you have access to quest bars? [/quote]

Progress is going great! I did rack deads from below my knee with 405 yesterday and in my last heavy deadlift day I got 405 off the floor but I couldnā€™t lock it out!! Grrrrrr! Next time Iā€™ll get it :slight_smile: Bench press is still progressing slowly, I have shoulder issues from years ago and itā€™s a very weak lift for me but Iā€™m slowly improving.

Iā€™ve tried Quest bars before but I am not a big fan. The Dark Chocolate FINiBARs are taking up all of my cupboard spaceā€¦ Iā€™m in love with them!!

Hey Bron,

Big fan of both you and Amit, thank you for all the knowledge you both share on this site.

Quick question from someone who has a passion for lifting and would love to share that with my gf. She is new to lifting and it took a little time to get her to understand the need for heavy lifting in her training. That is no longer an issue, she actually enjoys hitting the weights hard, but she often lacks the motivation for that ā€˜initial pushā€™ to get up and get to the gym. She enjoys training with me but when our schedules do not align i find she does not get herself to the gym on her own. Any advice from a womanā€™s perspective on how to motivate her without seeming like im telling her i dont love her the way she is already?

Shes about 5ā€™2 110lbs, so I in no way want her to feel like she needs to change, I personally just enjoy our gym time together and would love it if she had more of a passion for it like I do.

I was just wondering what your insight is, not only as an experienced lifter, but as a woman who knows what its like to have a partner who has an intense passion for lifting.

Any help is greatly appreciated, thanks again!

Hi Joe,

Thanks for posting here. You mentioned that sheā€™s a beginner so Iā€™m thinking perhaps she lacks motivation to go to the gym by herself because sheā€™s unsure of what to do there without your guidance. Maybe if you set her up a program that she can follow when you arenā€™t there with to prevent her from feeling lost in the gym.

I like to set goals so that I know what Iā€™m training for. Obviously if Iā€™m preparing for a powerlifting meet then my training style will be completely different than if I were preparing for a figure show. Even a small goal to work towards, like looking good in a bikini for an upcoming vacation is a good startā€¦ So you could plan a little tropical vacation :wink:

You have probably read a thousand times on here about how much I love my supplements and I think that if you get her going on some of the supplements from the store here sheā€™ll start to see faster results and feel more motivated and energized at the gym. If you mix her Plazma for her (being the caring boyfriend that you are!) then sheā€™ll have to go to the gym because her shake is already made!! :wink:

What is her goal now? I think she will get addicted to it once she starts seeing results because when she sees the improvements in the mirror and in photos then itā€™s hard to go back to a lifestyle without training knowing how much better she looks from consistent hard training. Also, I donā€™t think sheā€™d be offended from you motivating her to go to the gym, sometimes we all need a little encouragement and motivation from the people in our livesā€¦ Just donā€™t be negative about itā€¦ā€œGet your fat ass to the gym!ā€ā€¦ This probably wonā€™t go over too well!!! LOL

Amit and I go to the gym together 2-3 days a week and even though our training is completely different itā€™s still nice to go together once and a while. Itā€™s actually our Friday night date night at the gym! Yayyyy!

Maybe you can sign her up for an account here on T-Nation and sheā€™ll pick up on some ideas through reading and interacting with us. I always learn and get very motivated from reading the articles here.

Take care & good luck on your mission!

Hi Bron,

I appreciate you getting back to me so quickly and going so in depth with your response, it really shows your dedication to helping everyone on this site. Iā€™m lucky I stumbled across your individual forum last week! We do have a trip to Florida planned mid winter so that is definitely something i will keep in the motivational toolbox, and I have been working on a reasonable beginner program for her this morning.

Currently her goal if I would have to label it is body comp. She would like to gain some strength and muscle while leaning out and tightening up some.

What supps do you suggest for a female with that goal who is also under a budget (we recently moved out on our own after graduating college last may and arenā€™t exactly rolling in the dough LOL), I know you have your favorites but if you had a similar situation what would they be?

I have a tendency to be selfish in my training, getting so wrapped up in my own goals and progress I may neglect hers, so i believe your advice was perfect. I will work on doing more in the ways of motivating and keeping her on track by making her goals my goals and visa versa. I think working together that way will benefit us both in a positive way.

I am sure once her progress comes she will be even more excited about training as you said, and much more willing to read/interact here on the site. Its on my list of how to get her hooked for sure!

Thanks again, any other insight on training or supps would be fantastic, and I will be sure to keep you posted on her progress!

Hi Bron!

I love the time and effort you put into helping others! I was hoping you wouldnā€™t mind answering some questions I have about my training/nutritionā€¦

Iā€™ll give a little background info. I have been training/exercising regularly for 4 years. I never really trained ā€œhardā€ (ie, heavy weights) until after college. My first year out I saw AMAZING results. Since then, I have plateaued (which I knew would happen, and know is normal).

But Iā€™d really like to take my figure and training to the next level. I know my body already looks lean and athletic (I have long, lean muscles), but my biggest problem spots are my stomach and glutes. I need one to shrink and the latter to grow :wink: unfortunately, when looking at the women in my family, I know I really need to step up a notch to battle my genetic body symmetry. The women in my family have thin arms/legs, no butt, and put all their weight on their bellies.

I am currently 5ā€™7 and 124 lbs. 24 years old. Roughly 15.3% BF. I work in the medical field so I am constantly on the go. I eat really healthy, protein with every meal, only complex carbs (I really only eat ezekiel bread and gluten free oats outside of sweet potatoes and veggies)ā€¦ but I feel like I havenā€™t found my ā€œtrueā€ macro breakdown that works best for me. Iā€™m not sure how to upload photos but I will once I do!

Last fall I worked out 6x per week :frowning: and ate roughly 1600-1800 cals per day. I looked my BEST but I also had less muscle tone than I do now. Iā€™m hoping to keep that. Now I train 3x per week and play in an intramural volleyball league 1-2x per week.

I havenā€™t been keeping track of calories but make sure to eat protein with every meal and make healthy choices 80% of the time. Since slowing down my training I have had GREAT strength gains, but my glutes have shrunk and my stomach has lost its ā€œleannessā€. Itā€™s really hard to take!

So my question isā€¦ how do I grow my glutes but flatten my tummy? I know most sites will tell me to choose one or the other, ā€œbulkā€ or ā€œcutā€ thereā€™s no middle ground. But Iā€™m curious as to if itā€™s my training or nutrition? Maybe both? Iā€™ll be more than glad to give you any more info that you need!

[quote]JoeAnderson wrote:
Hi Bron,

I appreciate you getting back to me so quickly and going so in depth with your response, it really shows your dedication to helping everyone on this site. Iā€™m lucky I stumbled across your individual forum last week! We do have a trip to Florida planned mid winter so that is definitely something i will keep in the motivational toolbox, and I have been working on a reasonable beginner program for her this morning.

Currently her goal if I would have to label it is body comp. She would like to gain some strength and muscle while leaning out and tightening up some.

What supps do you suggest for a female with that goal who is also under a budget (we recently moved out on our own after graduating college last may and arenā€™t exactly rolling in the dough LOL), I know you have your favorites but if you had a similar situation what would they be?

I have a tendency to be selfish in my training, getting so wrapped up in my own goals and progress I may neglect hers, so i believe your advice was perfect. I will work on doing more in the ways of motivating and keeping her on track by making her goals my goals and visa versa. I think working together that way will benefit us both in a positive way.

I am sure once her progress comes she will be even more excited about training as you said, and much more willing to read/interact here on the site. Its on my list of how to get her hooked for sure!

Thanks again, any other insight on training or supps would be fantastic, and I will be sure to keep you posted on her progress![/quote]

Thatā€™s awesome! Iā€™m sure sheā€™ll be very happy to have a program to follow and if you have any questions or want some suggestions for her program feel free to post what you come up with and Iā€™ll see how it looks.

Congratulations on graduating and getting your own place togetherā€¦ I definitely understand budget issues!! If I had to choose only one supplement for her then I would pick Indigo for body composition purposesā€¦ As long as sheā€™s eating the right foods and training hard (indigo will allow her body to absorb nutrients more efficiently) she will be able to gain quality muscle and stay lean even while eating consuming the same or more amounts of food. If budget allows for a second product I would say Plazma, even if she can do 1 servings during her workout she will experience great improvements in her training and because of the indigo she will be utilizing the nutrients from the Plazma even more efficiently. More intense workouts, faster recovery, increased energy, greater strength, faster results in body composition and so onā€¦ Sheā€™ll love it!

I think everyone tends to be a little selfish when it comes to their own training but thatā€™s ok because youā€™ve got to make progress too. As long as sheā€™s getting some kind of support and assistance in her own training it will be greatly appreciated. As I mentioned, the worst thing for a beginner is to feel lost but I think with a new program, some supplements and encouragement then sheā€™ll be good to go!

[quote]ashleymariex wrote:
Hi Bron!

I love the time and effort you put into helping others! I was hoping you wouldnā€™t mind answering some questions I have about my training/nutritionā€¦

Iā€™ll give a little background info. I have been training/exercising regularly for 4 years. I never really trained ā€œhardā€ (ie, heavy weights) until after college. My first year out I saw AMAZING results. Since then, I have plateaued (which I knew would happen, and know is normal).

But Iā€™d really like to take my figure and training to the next level. I know my body already looks lean and athletic (I have long, lean muscles), but my biggest problem spots are my stomach and glutes. I need one to shrink and the latter to grow :wink: unfortunately, when looking at the women in my family, I know I really need to step up a notch to battle my genetic body symmetry. The women in my family have thin arms/legs, no butt, and put all their weight on their bellies.

I am currently 5ā€™7 and 124 lbs. 24 years old. Roughly 15.3% BF. I work in the medical field so I am constantly on the go. I eat really healthy, protein with every meal, only complex carbs (I really only eat ezekiel bread and gluten free oats outside of sweet potatoes and veggies)ā€¦ but I feel like I havenā€™t found my ā€œtrueā€ macro breakdown that works best for me. Iā€™m not sure how to upload photos but I will once I do!

Last fall I worked out 6x per week :frowning: and ate roughly 1600-1800 cals per day. I looked my BEST but I also had less muscle tone than I do now. Iā€™m hoping to keep that. Now I train 3x per week and play in an intramural volleyball league 1-2x per week.

I havenā€™t been keeping track of calories but make sure to eat protein with every meal and make healthy choices 80% of the time. Since slowing down my training I have had GREAT strength gains, but my glutes have shrunk and my stomach has lost its ā€œleannessā€. Itā€™s really hard to take!

So my question isā€¦ how do I grow my glutes but flatten my tummy? I know most sites will tell me to choose one or the other, ā€œbulkā€ or ā€œcutā€ thereā€™s no middle ground. But Iā€™m curious as to if itā€™s my training or nutrition? Maybe both? Iā€™ll be more than glad to give you any more info that you need!
[/quote]

Thanks for posting! If you can post some pictures that would be greatā€¦ Go to the bottom of the page and click on ā€œadvancedā€ it should give you an option for uploading a photo there.

Without seeing any photos or knowing more of your background I would assume the decrease in the glutes is due to the lowered volume in your training and probably the type of training and exercises you are doing. Also, in order for your glutes to grow you need to make sure theyā€™re getting enough activation and stimulation in specific exercises. I have always had troubles activating my glutes in my lifts, I am back and quad dominant in all of my lifts and recently found out my glutes arenā€™t "firing"appropriately so I have been seeing a specialist here in Vancouver who does neural activation techniques on me in order to helpā€¦ Now I am lifting more weight and my ass is growing, finally!

The issue of stomach leanness is going to come down to your diet. The phrase that ā€œabs are made in the kitchenā€ is no word of a lieā€¦ It sounds to me like your diet isnā€™t 100% on track right now but once you get back onto a strict nutritional plan then youā€™ll see your stomach fat reduced. You mentioned that genetically you tend to carry weight in your abdominal area so itā€™s likely that this is the last area on your body that you will see definition. Donā€™t be discouraged if your abs arenā€™t coming in as fast as everything else, it will come!!

I donā€™t think itā€™s an issue to accomplish both of these goals at the same time. You donā€™t have to be fat in order to put on new muscle, you can be lean and still gain muscle(obviously not stage condition but 10-15% bodyfat isnā€™t an issue). Are you working with any coaches now? If not, I would suggest to get onto a new meal plan that is designed specifically for you and a training program that is suitable to your needs and goalsā€¦ 3 days a week is on the low side, I would increase it back up to 4-6 if possible :slight_smile:

For increasing muscle mass & strength while losing bodyfat Carbolin-19 is one of my favorite supplements and I think something like this would be perfect for your goals as well. If you havenā€™t heard of it yetā€¦ Carbolin 19Ā® ā€“ T Nation Biotest

Hope this helped you a bit and Iā€™ll wait for you to post some pics. Good luck :slight_smile:

6 weeks out

This weeks lifts - working at 85%
Squats
4 sets x 3 @ 247lbs
2 sets x 3 @ 252lbs
Deadlifts
4 sets x 3 @ 337lbs

I have existing shoulder pain thatā€™s aggravating me and interfering with my bench press. I only pressed 160 this week and it wasnā€™t very good!

I was recently asked if I do any cardioā€¦ The answer is no, I donā€™t do any planned cardio but because I have 2 young boys so I go outside and take them for walks to the park and through the trails everyday, between 45-60min. However, I enjoy sprinting A LOT but I havenā€™t been doing any sprints for a while because it doesnā€™t fit into my program at the moment.


Picture after my deadlifts on Monday :slight_smile: