Female Athlete Q&A

Squats *video posted above
205 x 3 (2 sets)
225 x 3 (2 sets)
245 x 2
270 x 1
280 x 1
295 x 1 (with knee sleeves)

High box step ups
3 sets x 8 reps each leg
*trying to only use my front leg for power to help with glute activation at full extension

Pause squats (5-7seconds at the bottom)
4 sets x 4-5reps @135lbs

Bench Press
4 sets x 6 reps @ 135lbs
*I haven’t pressed for a while so I wanted to see how my shoulder felt

Glute Ham Raise
3 sets x 12 reps

Banded hyperextension
3 sets x 12
*3 second pause

Leg extensions
3 sets x 12-15 reps

Weighted crunches
3 sets x 20 reps

Finally made it to 4 plates! A video of 405 and a very heavy 410!!! Now it’s time to get back to work and make more improvements :slight_smile:

That is huge weight. Incredibly impressive. But the position of your back makes me nervous. Does your lower back round that much at lower weights?

[quote]kpsnap wrote:
That is huge weight. Incredibly impressive. But the position of your back makes me nervous. Does your lower back round that much at lower weights? [/quote]

No, all previous sets of hers were perfect. This is a new weight and her… Here is an explanation given by her nkt therapist because someone else made the same mention on the video elsewhere. Also, the camera angle doesn’t show very well what’s happening, her lower back is fine it was more in the upper back as expected for her at this weight.

"When you look at deadlifts, there is a HUGE difference between how someone TRAINS (repeated efforts over time), and how someone COMPETES (in powerlifting that means 3 or less attempts and near maximal weight, oftentimes only 1 lift is truly an all out effort. Spinal research is pretty clear on the fact that the occasional supra-maximal load is not overly dangerous to the tissue IF the lifter is experienced with how their own body works, and more specifically, IF the intention of the lifter is to maintain an arch or neutral position in the lumbar.

Given that she is remarkably strong, she is unlikely to do damage to herself UNLESS that spinal deviation occurs regularly during her training. After watching countless training sessions, I can assure you, her technique with submaximal weights, is flawless.

So yes, it wasn’t perfect, her low back was not in an optimal position for safety. I would also add that the angle of the video does not show you a great shot of her lumbar. From where I was standing, from her sacrum through to her TL junction, she was almost totally neutral, bron has a very long torso and her thoracic spine has a great deal of flexion when she pulls heavy. She has never been taught a true kk style posture so it isn’t a continuous arch.

So please remember the difference between how one trains a movement and a single all out effort. They are not going to look the same."

[quote]kpsnap wrote:
That is huge weight. Incredibly impressive. But the position of your back makes me nervous. Does your lower back round that much at lower weights? [/quote]

Thank you… I was determined that I was going to pull 405 that day so I wasn’t letting go! Form will be perfected soon as I become more comfortable with the weight, but I’m glad I finally felt 405. I have been doing rack pulls with this weight for a long time so it was about time I gave it an honest shot.

I myself compete so I understand the difference between training and competing and realize that it’s quite common for form to go at maximal attempts. Glad to hear that her back is in a good plane during training sets.

[quote]Bron Sapir wrote:

[quote]heyMAT3 wrote:

[quote]Bron Sapir wrote:

[quote]heyMAT3 wrote:
Hey Bron,

I really appreciate you making this thread. I was wondering if I could ask you a few basic questions.
I am a young guy, 22, and I have a very fast metabolism, so I have never had to work hard to maintain a low level of body fat. I mostly lift hard and eat a lot and things work out for me.

My girlfriend on the other hand has been working her butt off for a while in the gym (8+ months) and can’t seem to lose much weight at all, in either inches or pounds.

Wondering if you have some advice for where she should start both in terms of training and nutrition.

We actually got the basic nutrition plan from @Dani a month or two ago, but we will probably do the 4 week plan once she has availability in November.

I think the issue has to lie in her nutrition because she was working with a personal trainer doing pretty solid HIIT and olympic lifting style of workouts, and eating pretty well and made very little progress: moderate strength gains, 5 pound fat loss and maybe a percentage or two of body fat.

Not working with the trainer anymore. She has been doing two-a-days at the gym for 3 weeks or so because she is getting frustrated with the lack of progress. First time at the gym is lifting and second time is interval cardio on the stair stepper or eliptical.

In terms of current nutrition. She stuck to this plan pretty strictly for 2 or 3 weeks, got frustrated from lack of progress and started cheating. Even the Indigo3G didn’t seem to do much for her.

Breakfast: Eggs and some fruit
Indigo3G 30 minutes prior to the gym
Lunch: Protein Shake or Quest Bar with some fruit and veggies
Dinner: Protein (usually Chicken) with vegetables and sometimes a little rice

Stats:
21 years old
5 foot 7 inches
Weight: 160-165 pounds
BF: probably 25% or so?

Any help on nutrition and training that you could give us would be awesome! I hate to see her frustrated. She just wants to lose around 20 pounds and look good in a bikini. That kind of thing.

Thanks so much!![/quote]

Hi,

First of all she’s going to have to try to stick with a plan for longer! Try to keep encouraging her and just because she doesn’t see results immediately doesn’t mean she should give up, we all get frustrated sometimes but just need to push through. Take progress pictures with her every 2 weeks in the same place, same time and same lighting then she’ll be more likely to notice small changes.

You’re absolutely right, the problem is most likely in her diet but it can also be due to her training. Is she following any kind of training program at the moment or just floating through her workouts with no direction since going without her trainer? Twice a day isn’t always the best option especially if she doesn’t have any kind of structure in her workouts. If she is going to the gym a separate time just for cardio you can try having her do it in the same session immediately following the weights.

As for her diet… I see a list of food but no amounts? Is she measuring food or just eating whatever?

I don’t see a lot of carbohydrates here and you mentioned that she didn’t see results from the Indigo-3G. Indigo is a nutrient partitioning supplement and it works great for people who don’t normally respond well to carbohydrates but they HAVE to eat in order to see these benefits. After 2-3 weeks she would start noticing a difference from using it but for optimal results I would suggest staying on it long term for a minimum of 6 weeks and tell her not to be fooled by the number on the scale because it’s not an indication of body composition.
“You can’t repartition something you don’t consume. So, if you don’t consume ample supplies of nutrients, especially extra carbs in peri-workout nutrition, you’ll greatly diminish muscle mass gains.” (As stated in the product details)
If she’s taking the indigo 30min prior to training she should be drinking Plazma throughout the workout for her intraworkout nutrition and it will give her the energy needed for the workout and allow the indigo to work efficiently with the nutrients given.

Give me little more info about the diet and what exactly she’s doing in the gym and I’ll be able to give some better suggestions. You can also post a photo if she’s comfortable with that.

Thanks for posting :slight_smile:

[/quote]

Bron,

Thanks so much for the response! She isn’t really into posting a picture.

Quick question for you. How do you determine the proper number of calories to eat per training day and non-training day? I don’t think she is eating enough calories in either case.

Training:
She will do interval sprints on the eliptical or leg swinger
Then in terms of lifting she does some olympic lifts, clean and press, push press, squat, and some machines, leg press, etc. Basically she is doing an upper body split.

She trained with a personal trainer for 2-3 months for 3 times a week. So in terms of training she has had times of very structured training.

Nutrition:
I don’t have exact amounts, but she doesn’t eat much honestly. She doesn’t enjoy most “healthy” foods.

The main question I have is regarding nutrition. How should we determine the number of calories to eat on training/non-training days? Do you have a nutrition plan from T-Nation you recommend?
[/quote]

Nutrition plans are very individual and there’s no set number of calories that will work for everyone. All factors should be considered when building a diet including overall activity level,age, height, weight, genetic advantages/disadvantages, training intensity and so on.

As a general rule she should eat less carbs on non-training days and the exact numbers and how much to drop will depend on her diet.

Most important thing is to find someone to help her that has the time to get to know her body in order to build something that will work. You mentioned that she might be starting with Dani in the near future so she’ll surely set her on the right track.

I would love to give you a more useful answer but it’s a lot more complex than people think, I monitor my clients every week and make changes based on how their body responds.

[/quote]

Bron,

Thank you! Anyone else you could recommend to help us out with the nutrition side? Dani is sold out for a little while.

Thanks!
Rory

[quote]heyMAT3 wrote:

[quote]Bron Sapir wrote:

[quote]heyMAT3 wrote:

[quote]Bron Sapir wrote:

[quote]heyMAT3 wrote:
Hey Bron,

I really appreciate you making this thread. I was wondering if I could ask you a few basic questions.
I am a young guy, 22, and I have a very fast metabolism, so I have never had to work hard to maintain a low level of body fat. I mostly lift hard and eat a lot and things work out for me.

My girlfriend on the other hand has been working her butt off for a while in the gym (8+ months) and can’t seem to lose much weight at all, in either inches or pounds.

Wondering if you have some advice for where she should start both in terms of training and nutrition.

We actually got the basic nutrition plan from @Dani a month or two ago, but we will probably do the 4 week plan once she has availability in November.

I think the issue has to lie in her nutrition because she was working with a personal trainer doing pretty solid HIIT and olympic lifting style of workouts, and eating pretty well and made very little progress: moderate strength gains, 5 pound fat loss and maybe a percentage or two of body fat.

Not working with the trainer anymore. She has been doing two-a-days at the gym for 3 weeks or so because she is getting frustrated with the lack of progress. First time at the gym is lifting and second time is interval cardio on the stair stepper or eliptical.

In terms of current nutrition. She stuck to this plan pretty strictly for 2 or 3 weeks, got frustrated from lack of progress and started cheating. Even the Indigo3G didn’t seem to do much for her.

Breakfast: Eggs and some fruit
Indigo3G 30 minutes prior to the gym
Lunch: Protein Shake or Quest Bar with some fruit and veggies
Dinner: Protein (usually Chicken) with vegetables and sometimes a little rice

Stats:
21 years old
5 foot 7 inches
Weight: 160-165 pounds
BF: probably 25% or so?

Any help on nutrition and training that you could give us would be awesome! I hate to see her frustrated. She just wants to lose around 20 pounds and look good in a bikini. That kind of thing.

Thanks so much!![/quote]

Hi,

First of all she’s going to have to try to stick with a plan for longer! Try to keep encouraging her and just because she doesn’t see results immediately doesn’t mean she should give up, we all get frustrated sometimes but just need to push through. Take progress pictures with her every 2 weeks in the same place, same time and same lighting then she’ll be more likely to notice small changes.

You’re absolutely right, the problem is most likely in her diet but it can also be due to her training. Is she following any kind of training program at the moment or just floating through her workouts with no direction since going without her trainer? Twice a day isn’t always the best option especially if she doesn’t have any kind of structure in her workouts. If she is going to the gym a separate time just for cardio you can try having her do it in the same session immediately following the weights.

As for her diet… I see a list of food but no amounts? Is she measuring food or just eating whatever?

I don’t see a lot of carbohydrates here and you mentioned that she didn’t see results from the Indigo-3G. Indigo is a nutrient partitioning supplement and it works great for people who don’t normally respond well to carbohydrates but they HAVE to eat in order to see these benefits. After 2-3 weeks she would start noticing a difference from using it but for optimal results I would suggest staying on it long term for a minimum of 6 weeks and tell her not to be fooled by the number on the scale because it’s not an indication of body composition.
“You can’t repartition something you don’t consume. So, if you don’t consume ample supplies of nutrients, especially extra carbs in peri-workout nutrition, you’ll greatly diminish muscle mass gains.” (As stated in the product details)
If she’s taking the indigo 30min prior to training she should be drinking Plazma throughout the workout for her intraworkout nutrition and it will give her the energy needed for the workout and allow the indigo to work efficiently with the nutrients given.

Give me little more info about the diet and what exactly she’s doing in the gym and I’ll be able to give some better suggestions. You can also post a photo if she’s comfortable with that.

Thanks for posting :slight_smile:

[/quote]

Bron,

Thanks so much for the response! She isn’t really into posting a picture.

Quick question for you. How do you determine the proper number of calories to eat per training day and non-training day? I don’t think she is eating enough calories in either case.

Training:
She will do interval sprints on the eliptical or leg swinger
Then in terms of lifting she does some olympic lifts, clean and press, push press, squat, and some machines, leg press, etc. Basically she is doing an upper body split.

She trained with a personal trainer for 2-3 months for 3 times a week. So in terms of training she has had times of very structured training.

Nutrition:
I don’t have exact amounts, but she doesn’t eat much honestly. She doesn’t enjoy most “healthy” foods.

The main question I have is regarding nutrition. How should we determine the number of calories to eat on training/non-training days? Do you have a nutrition plan from T-Nation you recommend?
[/quote]

Nutrition plans are very individual and there’s no set number of calories that will work for everyone. All factors should be considered when building a diet including overall activity level,age, height, weight, genetic advantages/disadvantages, training intensity and so on.

As a general rule she should eat less carbs on non-training days and the exact numbers and how much to drop will depend on her diet.

Most important thing is to find someone to help her that has the time to get to know her body in order to build something that will work. You mentioned that she might be starting with Dani in the near future so she’ll surely set her on the right track.

I would love to give you a more useful answer but it’s a lot more complex than people think, I monitor my clients every week and make changes based on how their body responds.

[/quote]

Bron,

Thank you! Anyone else you could recommend to help us out with the nutrition side? Dani is sold out for a little while.

Thanks!
Rory[/quote]

If she’s interested in working with me that’s also a possibility, I don’t usually take many clients but I have availability at the beginning of November and I’d be happy to help. Have her contact me at silvercirca@hotmail.com if she’s interested in working with me for nutrition.

Hope her training is going well!

Pause Squats. 185lbs for 3 reps with 3 second pause at the bottom. I did these after my regular squats yesterday, 6 sets for 3-5reps… Trying to work on my power out of the hole.

Thanks for the suggestions on supplements. I have been taking the Se7en and Farenheit for about a week. I know it takes awhile to see changes but I have to say that I’m not getting that bloated feeling by the end of my work day. I’m excited to add the MAG-10 and Plazma and I plan on buying another round of Indigo. I’ve also adjusted my macros to 140g for protein and carbs as you suggested. I will keep you posted with the results! Thanks again for the insight!

[quote]CFgirl2 wrote:
Thanks for the suggestions on supplements. I have been taking the Se7en and Farenheit for about a week. I know it takes awhile to see changes but I have to say that I’m not getting that bloated feeling by the end of my work day. I’m excited to add the MAG-10 and Plazma and I plan on buying another round of Indigo. I’ve also adjusted my macros to 140g for protein and carbs as you suggested. I will keep you posted with the results! Thanks again for the insight! [/quote]

Sounds good, let me know how everything works out! :slight_smile:

There’s been a change in plans for me… I will be competing at the GPA Worlds in Sydney, Australia 3 weeks from now. It’s getting close and I am ready!!!

My husband and I will both be competing there and we have a thread in the Micro-PA forum that you can follow if you’d like.

I have been sick for the last week but it hasn’t been holding me back. I wasn’t feeling the greatest for my last heavy deadlift session before the meet but I wanted to make it count!
By the time I got to 335lbs it was feeling DAMN HEAVY. My GPC and Plazma kicked in and I finally woke up and ended up pulling 416 for a single.

Pressing Day - shoulder is starting to feel a bit better!

Bench press
2 sets x 5 reps @135lbs *video below
5 sets x 3 reps @ 150lbs
1 set x 2 reps @ 160lbs

Swiss bar floor press
4 sets x 8 reps @ 90lbs

Standing barbell shoulder press
4 sets x 8 reps @ 95lbs

Lateral raise
3 sets x 12 reps

Superset: tricep pushdowns & overhead tricep extensions
3 sets x 12-15reps

Weighted crunches (holding 10lbs)/leg raises
3 sets x 20 reps

[quote]Bron Sapir wrote:
I have been sick for the last week but it hasn’t been holding me back. I wasn’t feeling the greatest for my last heavy deadlift session before the meet but I wanted to make it count!
By the time I got to 335lbs it was feeling DAMN HEAVY. My GPC and Plazma kicked in and I finally woke up and ended up pulling 416 for a single.

Wowzers…I wondered on here to post a video to form check my deadlift then saw this monster lift from Bron…incredible!!
Feel pretty sheepish about my video now…haha!
it’s a warm-up set at 60kg - my working sets are at 80kg at the moment. I should maybe video those? Anyhoot - any feedback would be greatly appreciated!

[quote]Warrioress wrote:

[quote]Bron Sapir wrote:
I have been sick for the last week but it hasn’t been holding me back. I wasn’t feeling the greatest for my last heavy deadlift session before the meet but I wanted to make it count!
By the time I got to 335lbs it was feeling DAMN HEAVY. My GPC and Plazma kicked in and I finally woke up and ended up pulling 416 for a single.

Wowzers…I wondered on here to post a video to form check my deadlift then saw this monster lift from Bron…incredible!!
Feel pretty sheepish about my video now…haha!
it’s a warm-up set at 60kg - my working sets are at 80kg at the moment. I should maybe video those? Anyhoot - any feedback would be greatly appreciated!

Don’t feel sheepish, I’m glad you posted! Some suggestions from the video would be to keep your upper body tighter from the beginning of the lift. Before you start arch your back and and squeeze your shoulder blades together. Try to stay as tight as possible and more explosive from the floor. Other than that, keep it up you are doing great!!

Hello. I am wondering if you know what the actual physiological reasons are for not being able to take Indigo-3G while breastfeeding? I am 9 months PP and still BF at least 3-4 times a day. I really want to restart Indigo-3G again, but also don’t want to harm my little one. I am a FTM so of course I’m super scared to do anything wrong. Thanks.

[quote]Japwhican wrote:
Hello. I am wondering if you know what the actual physiological reasons are for not being able to take Indigo-3G while breastfeeding? I am 9 months PP and still BF at least 3-4 times a day. I really want to restart Indigo-3G again, but also don’t want to harm my little one. I am a FTM so of course I’m super scared to do anything wrong. Thanks.[/quote]

To be honest I don’t know the physiological reasons. I’m not certain if the ingredients will pass through the breast milk or not so it might be a good idea to ask Chris Shugart on the Biotest supplement forum here. 9 months pp and still bfing, great work Mom… I made it about 6 with both of my boys.

Sorry I wasn’t able to help you out but I hope you find your answer and good luck with your training.

GPA WORLDS UPDATE!

I was in Sydney last week for the GPA World Championships and I just returned home to Vancouver yesterday. It was a successful meet for me and I finished with an 864lb total.

Squats:
1st attempt - 270lbs - it was easy and felt great!
2nd attempt - 286lbs - fast and easy… A 4lb PR (no knee sleeves)
3rd attempt - 297lbs - failed! Picked a bigger jump because I was feeling good but I didn’t succeed!

Bench:
1st attempt - 159lbs - successful lift and it felt great
2nd-3rd attempt - 170lbs - very long start and press commands so I failed both times but shoulder wasn’t feeling great. It’s a weight I’ve done in training many times. This is where I really need to improve and I’ll be much better for next time!

Deadlift:
1st attempt - 407lbs - Great lift!
2nd attempt - 418lbs - Felt strong and a successful lift. New PR!
3rd attempt -435lbs - I was going out on a limb here to win my category but it wasn’t my day to pull 435!

I competed in the 75kg open Raw category and placed 2nd! It was an amazing experience with a lot of great lifters.

AND my husband broke an all-time squat world record @ 198lbs (722lbs!)

1st training session post meet - Wednesday (3 days after once I returned to Canada)
Very light squat, bench and deadlift just to flush some water retention from the flight and to get moving.

Friday:

2" deficit deadlifts: (~65%)
2 sets x 8 reps @ 275lbs

Sumo deadlifts:
2 sets x 8 reps @ 275lbs

Pause Squats:
5 sets x 5 reps (3s pause)

Glute-Ham Raise:
4 sets x 12 reps

Weighted crunches& leg raises:
2 sets x 20 reps each

*I met Ed Coan at the meet in Sydney and was fortunate enough to learn a low bar squat from him. Ever since I started training I’ve been a high bar squatter which isn’t the most beneficial style for my powerlifting goals. I’m very excited to see what kind of progress I can make once I feel more comfortable with the new technique.