not hving enough sleep could affect ur recovery frm working out.
but i think the main problem could be that merely "going to the gym" and taking protein powder is not usually enough if you want great results. shldnt rely 100% on supplements also. not that they're not good but what thats more important is how u train and what u eat on a daily basis. post up ur daily meal plan, maybe? might be able to help critique a little.

If I'm not mistaken, it's not the lifting part that varies, it's the actual muscle building. Women in general find it harder to gain muscle mass the way men generally can due to the fact that they have much less testosterone than men.

well... for me its no different if ur talking abt program. i train exactly like a guy and hv the same routine (but different poundage lah of course) as my friends who compete in middle and light-heavy categories.

i think what thats different is the diet. my friends can get away with nasi lemak and ikan bakar... i will just get fat. heh. and i gotta do a hell lot more cardio than them. girls tend to store fat more easily and its harder to burn off the fat too compared to guys. i tend to lose alot of muscle and look very small and shapeless when i lose weight... but lately im attributing this to poor dieting and hopefully i will have better results on CKD.

and yes. putting on muscle is a real pain in the ass. i wanna get bigger also susah. get fat very easy tho lol. so for girls who just lift a few dumbells for "toning" purposes u wont see very dramatic increases in muscle size at all.

yup. for girls its all the MORE important to lift heavy for hypertrophy. ive made many mistakes in the past and overlooked this... always thinking i cld get away with "light weights hi reps" cos i wanted a "nice shape" and not sheer mass. boy was i wrong.

and i wldnt say "toning" is nonsense.. i consider bodyweight workouts, circuit training, certain functional training and classes like BodyPump as "toning" exercises and workouts. i dont do them... dont like them... but u cant deny that these are great workouts that have the potential to make u lose a ton of weight. i hv a friend who does functional training and all sorts of bodyweight work and he's got a pretty darn amazing bod.

guylike muscles? if u talking abt Ms Physique or Ms Olympia type muscles... not a chance. you can eat till u puke and train till the cows come home... not a chance that a girl can get that huge naturally.

''wait but if theres not a chance a girl can get that huge naturally, thats not a lot of muscle mass on her now is there? how does that attribute to fat burning? or isit that, just cuz u dont see them bulging, does not mean the muscle mass isnt there? " - and im sorry.... i dont quite understand this =/ not alot of muscle mass on her? (who??)

You gotta ask your gf this ;P : if there's no muscles, what is there to tone?
If it's not muscles under the skin, it's fat. Takkan she wants to tone fatty tissues and bones? LOL!

When comparing female bodybuilders to male BBers, look at the difference in size. Even after years of training, strict dieting,  steroid use, fake boobs, etc... they still have less muscle mass than natural male BBers. I guess it's pretty obvious that for casual female, gaining muscle is an ordeal/challenge instead of fear.

And it's important not just for gaining muscle. It's also for stronger bones. Denser bones = lesser risk of osteoporosis.

its definitely possible. you DIET. lol

measure muscle mass by finding out ur bodyfat %

yup.