Overwhelmed, Diet/Training?

Bigger Stronger Leaner Beginners
1

I’ve spent the past few weeks combing this site, and several others. Frankly, I’m pretty overwhelmed with everything I’ve found. This is my first post here, but I’ve made good use of the search feature and didn’t really find what I needed, so I’m hoping you folks can help me out. If not, then at least point me in the right direction.

To start, who am I? I’m a 21 year-old female hockey player (goalie). I’m not new to physical activity, as I am generally on the ice between 6 and 16 hours per week, which poses some training issues. More on that later.

I’m 5’2", and currently weigh in at 137 pounds (ugh). I’ve lost 35 lbs since September, and I’d like to lose another 5-10.

Now, the fun part. Let’s start with nutrition/diet. I’ve struggled with eating disorders (mainly bulimia, but binge eating and anorexia each had their time) in the past 9 years, and I’d like to say I’m completely recovered, but I’m not. That is a challenge.

I cannot have eggs, or milk (or any dairy). That includes whey. Well, I could, but I’d have to have the ambulance on standby while I made my shake, and I’m not too keen on anaphylactic shock.

My diet isn’t perfect right now, and I’ll be tweaking it some more this week, based on info found here, but it’s been working so far.

My question is: What do you recommend for protein shakes if soy is really that bad?
I’ve been using soy protein, but if there’s a better alternative, I’d love to hear of it. Also, needs to be suitable for collegiate use as I will be drug tested.

Now, training. I’m a total newbie to weights. Never set foot in a gym. Why? See previous section on eating disorders, evidently my self-esteem isn’t the greatest. Having all the macho men around me lifting heavy weights, while I lift the little pink ones, well…Don’t I feel good.

Currently, I do all my training at home (or outside). It consists of:
-Cardio 6 days a week (jogging, elliptical, biking, stationary bike)
-Slideboard every night, usually 15 minutes or so
-Bodyweight exercises (crunches, sit-ups, push-ups, squats, jump squats, burpees, jumping jacks)
-Balance board work
*Note on cardio: 3 sessions per week are intervals. The length varies depending on whether I have hockey that day, generally sessions are 45 minutes.

Where do I go from here? The full-body vs. split seems so confusing. I’d think full-body would be better for a hockey player, no? I could be off in left field though. Also, how do I fit my workouts in when I’m playing hockey 5 nights a week?

Can someone help a beginner out please?

2

To start off, Precision Nutrition is a great way to get your nutrition in check. Read more about it here: http://www.precisionnutrition.com

This site (T-Nation, not PN) can be overwhelming just because there’s so much information on here. I remember when I first found this site, I read millions of articles, but I didn’t really apply any of them. Why? I felt like I was missing out on some minute details, and being the perfectionist that I am, I wanted to make sure that I had EVERYTHING before I got started. Wrong mentality.

As a beginner, don’t worry about all the specifics. Just get started. If you’re new to weight lifting, you’ll start off with some nice gains, regardless of the program you use. So that means, don’t be concerned about the whole total body vs. split body training. Either way, you’ll end up with a better body (and you’ll be stronger).

About self-esteem issues. I think that’s just something you have to get over. I used to have the exact same problem. As a college student, the last thing I wanted to do was lift small weights in the weight room, especially since college students tend to be a little more judgmental than other age groups (you’re 21, so you should be able to relate). But my desire to change my body outweighed my fear of embarrassment, so whenever I have to use baby weights (5-20 lbs), I just do it. If it helps me reach my goals, it’s all worth it, isn’t it?

Looking at your training, there are a few things you should change. John Berardi (a nutritional expert…look him up if you haven’t heard of him) recommends the following for fat loss (which is what I assume you want):
-4 weight lifting sessions (each 1.25 hrs long),
-3 anaerobic interval training sessions (each 30 min long), and
-2 aerobic training sessions (each 30 min long)

However, you are spending 6-16 hours a week playing hockey, so I really don’t think all (or any) of the running is needed. Sadly, a lot of girls think that the way to reach their goals is to run and run, and run some more. The real answer is resistance training.

There’s a hierarchy of needs when it comes to working out:
Level 1 (lowest): your nutrition
Level 2: your workout plan
Level 3: supplements

So with a healthier diet and adding in a few weight lifting sessions (I’d recommend only 2 a week since you’re devoting so much time to hockey), you should be on track to get the results you want.

I don’t know much about non-whey alternatives, so I won’t be able to help you there. Soy seems to be pretty taboo on T-Nation, but some people (such as Ryan Andrews from Precision Nutrition, who is a Dietician and Exercise Physiologist at the Johns Hopkins Weight Management Center) are vegetarians and are completely fine with eating soy.

Lastly, have you checked out T-Nation’s sister site, Muscle with Attitude? If not, definitely check it out. I’m sure it’ll answer a lot of your questions. http://www.musclewithattitude.com

Other than that, keep on reading, but don’t get overwhelmed. And most importantly, take action and start lifting!

Good luck!

3

As a woman, you should be fine with soy protein. Don’t worry about the T-Nation Soy recommendations, especially if you’re allergic to whey. Best of luck to you!

4

So, in my attempts to design a workout, I realized that I’m doing way too much. Of course, I’m sure that I would realize that even more the day after my workout, but still.

Workout plan taken from futurepro.com/elite_camp_training_program.pdf

Here’s what I’ve come up with:

Monday: Chest, triceps, shoulders, abs
-Incline Bench
-Dumbbell Chest Flys
-Alternating Push-ups and Rows
-Dips
-Dumbbell Tricep Kickback
-Barbell Close Grip Bench press
-Barbell Military Press
-Dumbbell Shoulder Press
-Dumbbell Twisting Cross
-Overhead Plate Lunge
-Overhead Barbell Reverse Lunge
-Standing Barbell Twist

Wednesday: Back, biceps, legs
-chinups, pullups (it’s a goal anyway…I suck)
-Barbell Back Row
-Cable Pull Down
-Prone Incline Dumbbell Back Fly
-Bicep Curl
-Single Leg Box Squat
-Deadlift
-Back Squat
-Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift

Friday is supposed to be all of the above, but fewer sets. What if I were to do something like this:
-Dumbbell overhead split squat
-Barbell front squat and press
-Dumbbell hang clean and jerk
-Bicep Curls
-Incline Bench Press
-Single-Arm Dumbbell Overhead Walking Lunge
-One-Arm Dumbbell Bench
-Opposite-Loaded High-Box Step-ups
-Dumbbell Rows

My hockey schedule is as follows:
Monday: off
Tuesday: ball hockey (as a player)
Wednesday: Game (starting May 16th)
Thursday: Ball hockey (as a player)
Friday: usually game
Saturday: off
Sunday: usually game

My reason for the running/cardio is this: I have a border collie/husky.
Also, part of try-outs includes an 8km run. I had to walk a lot of it last time (also 35 lbs ago), and I finished dead last.

I forgot to mention I also stretch for 30 minutes every day. That’s not neglected at all.

Maybe come September, I’ll have something for Rate my Physique? (yeah right…)

Thanks for all your help!

Jess