babes, REAL WOMEN LIFT!! welcome to the club!
no worries. its normal... we women are biologically designed and inclined to put fat on the lower belly and hips to protect the uterus and prepare for childbearing. we have wider hips and bums than men for this reason as well.

personally... i train one bodypart a day, once a week. not much cardio on manteinance phase - no more than 2 or 3 times a week... but on a cut i do cardio everyday.

personal insight -

when we lose weight n lift weights... like it or not we as women will lose breast tissue cos thats all fat. if you dont mind then its fine... but if it is as issue stay away from flat/decline bench work. always start with the incline bench. i never benchpress in my regular routine cos it made my chest deflate faster than a popped balloon. so it's all dumbell work for chest. i only bench occasionally for strength purposes.

arms - you will benefit more from doing big, compound exercises opposed to isolation work. try to incorporate chin ups, pull ups, close-grip benchpress and tricep dips into your arm routine.

4rings is right re spot reduction... the only way to lose "extra flesh" or fats from wherever you want it is to d cardio and watch ur diet. chest/arm workouts will only tone the muscles, but if theres a thick layer of fat covering you're not gonna see any "tone" at all no matter how many curls/presses you do!

but i have very adamant views regarding chest training for myself... ive tried practially every suggestion out there in desperate attempts to keep my boobies - not training at all... no more than 2 exercises... pressing exercises only.... no cardio on chest day... etc etc etc... been there done that. so i guess ive found a routine i can finally stick to and be content with. i do lots of incline work to "boost" up the chest area and to give the impression of a higher bustline. im not gonna say 4rings suggestion of flat benching is wrong... but personally it didnt work for me and i kept more "meat" on my chest area doing just incline work and several cable and machine movements. i do heavy pullovers.. but ive been told that cos it expands the ribcage (??) and widens the chest... the fat of the breasts becomes stretched even more over a wider area... becoming more flat.

but end of the day if you want something you gotta sacrifice something else, kan =/ sadness....

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Added on August 3, 2010, 12:54 amimo men and women hv different bodies, different composition, tendencies to put on fat in different areas and different hormone levels.... hence training needs to be different too here and there cos the bodies respond differently.

i dono bout guys... but the NUMBER ONE boob shrinker = decline benchpress.
evil evil evil!! will never do another decline bench all my life!

not fair right... decline benching gives guys nice, sag-free and well shaped pecs... but not so for girls....

This post has been edited by LadyVanity: Aug 3 2010, 12:54 AM

tehhijau - eh? how u know i cosplay pulak? XD

IF?? Intermittent fasting?? if thats what it is... my god i can never fast... im hungry 24-7 and NEED to eat every 1-2 hours. i think fasting slows ur metabolism too and increases the tendency to store fat... a definite no-no.

i used to get alot of funny stares and stuff going into a gym. ive always trained at a hardcore gym even frm the beginning so it was strange being the only gal. i got alot of negativity frm my family members actually whn i first started out, more so than ppl in the gym. i also mostly hang out with bodybuilders anyways... my friends all compete so i feel perfectly at home with the guys. guess right now the most annoying thing im faced with is that kaypoh aunties or even random unknown women who hv just met me the first time... like to comment abt how big my arms are n ask me "you not scared ugly ah?" or "you will regret u know after u get married"........ etc etc etc.... ZZZzzzzz.

on the other hand... when the salesppl at big commercial gyms try to chat me up and ask me what my "weight loss goals" are... the reactions i get when i say "can you help me put on 10kg ah?" never fail to amuse me.

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Added on August 3, 2010, 5:16 pmbodybuilding? ugly? lol i think there r a shortage of bodybuilding men here!! picking are very slim for me, hey!
hehehehehe

This post has been edited by LadyVanity: Aug 3 2010, 05:16 PM

everyone's body is different.... glad that u have found something thats more realistic for you to stick to!
(skipping breakfast.... oh my. breakfast is the most important meal of the day cos it kickstarts your metabolism.)

great that you can do sprints! i used to do lotsa HIIT training and moderate-high intensity cardio. saves time cos i dont have to stick my ass on the treadmill for so long.... but for me i get crazy cravings doing HIIT. so it's long, slow cardio these days.... ZZZzzzzz. i hate cardio.

and yes, like chicaman suggests, shrugs are great trap builders

p/s: OOT... but im eyeing one of your pretty dresses on your sales thread........... eheheheheh...... old habits die hard......

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Added on August 4, 2010, 12:52 amahahaha really!
well im taking a break frm cosplaying and modelling already... might even retire completely. im so sick of photogs telling me im too big... too muscular.. need to stop lifting weights if i wanna be successful.... BLEARGH. sorry boys. bodybuilding is number one priority... so, byyeeee im not gonna ruin your sexy shoots anymore~

good luck for fasting month!! gotta be tough... i cant imagine going thru it... really salute all my malay friends who go thru it every year

This post has been edited by LadyVanity: Aug 4 2010, 12:52 AM

is this thread dead?

HAHAHAH great add, Bata!!

we should create a fanclub for squat booties... like the Squat Booty Sorority on the bb.com forums keehehehe. say no to skinny asses!

holy shizz that looks insane!!
but likely that i wont be attempting that anytime in near future.... i come from a gym where im the only female in a testosterone-jacked environment. any "hip thrusting" is going to get me even more stares and snickering comments than i already do...
for now will stick to my SLDLs, sumo squats and lunges, thanks (and reverse hamstring curls when nobody's looking!)

This post has been edited by LadyVanity: Sep 24 2010, 07:53 PM

you go Kegels during squats/DLs/presses???? huh? wow thats a first ive heard. i dont do that.... i just suck in my abs as far as "core stability" goes.... i dont think Kegels would do much for core stability to be honest

what i do know is that Kegels help with incontinence and improving vaginal tone... especially after pregnancy since the muscles down there have gotten stretched and "loose".... besides u dont hv to contract ur abs to do Kegels. as a matter of fact ive read that its "wrong" cos it takes the focus off the pelvic floor... sometimes miss working them all together cos ur so focused on "contracting the abs".

then again i could be mistaken just my two cents worth

good luck!!! i have all the respect in the world for fit mommies. so sad when women give birth and say goodbye to working out and eating right too under the excuse of "no time".

good morning ladies!

hows this for a spot of motivation?



hit that squat rack today!!