Muscle building for women ~ Advice needed!

[missheavyweight]

Hello, I am new to this forum and just have a few questions. First I will tell you a bit about me.

I have been training since I was 17 years old and am 25 now. I have put on some muscle but not nearly enough - I have a lot of trouble building muscle even when my training is consistent. The problem is that being a woman makes it that much harder to build muscle and on top of that I struggle with putting on any significant muscle anyways. I have always admired the physique of Jamie Eason and Pauline Nordin but am nowhere close to where I want to be and have been considering adding "something new" into my training to help get me where I want to be. I do understand the importance of training and diet and I feel as though I am mastering both of those but I need some edge. Any feedback/suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you

Ashes

 

[Mt-momma]

How much protein are you taking in a day in food (not shakes). What's your total daily calorie consumption? How heavy are you lifting? How often? What ate your stats? Height, weight?

 

[missheavyweight]

Hey, thanks for the response.
Height: 5"5
Weight: 112 lbs
Protein: 122 g protein (not including shakes)
Caloric intake: Between 1900-2400 calories per day
Training: I train 4 times per week for about 45 min, never more than 60 min. I don't do much cardio.
I try to keep my reps between 8-12 with 3 sets - sometime I do a drop set (usually for my shoulders because I like the burn and the way they look afterwards)

 

[crazyfmike]

How much protein are you taking in a day in food (not shakes). What's your total daily calorie consumption? How heavy are you lifting? How often? What ate your stats? Height, weight?

Roll with Mt-momma, she knows her game.

 

[missheavyweight]

Roll with Mt-momma, she knows her game.

agreed!

 

[Kane_Red_Machine]

moved t the "women section. and i think you will get as good advsies as the steroid section, but here they surely will be more concerned.

 

[Mt-momma]

First off, I would like to say that I think it's fine to admire the physiques of others, however, you need to keep in mind that the ladies you mentioned don't look like that all the time. They do bulks and cuts for photos and comps, but the physiques you see in pics are not their "true" physiques 100% of the time. So, for that I say if your goal is to look like that, you're only setting yourself up for failure. Instead focus on being the best you can be for YOUR genetic potential.

Second, I think before you chose to hop on any type of aas, your diet needs help. 1900-2400 cals is inconsistant. Figure out your total caloric expenditure (sticky about that in the diet section). To put on muscle like you are indicating you want means you will need to eat above your maintenance cals. I'd start with eating 200-300 above and see how you feel. For bulking, I prefer a 40/40/20 split pro/carbs/fat. For cutting, I prefer carb cycling. Everyone is different and will respond differently, but you have to try and stick with it to see how your body responds.

Also, push yourself harder in the gym. Lift heavy, lift for more than 45 mins. Do some sets with reps between 6-8.

Timing when you're eating your cals is also important. For example, I train legs 2x a week. I eat 1/2 cup oats (cooked) with 1/2 cup milk and 1 tbsp peanut butter about an hour- hour 1/2 before my leg workout. It sticks with me without making me feel full and sluggish, but gives me the energy I need to kill it on such a major body part in the gym. I save my shake for post workout and eat a piece of fruit with it. This is simply an example for what I do.

I just don't feel you've reached your genetic potential and don't want you to get the idea that aas isthe only option because you feel you have problems putting on size. Good clean bulks take TIME.

Yes, there are aas compounds that are safer for women to take. You can read this section and figure out what they are, however before jumping on that, it would be best to work harder on the diet and training aspect first.

 

[Mt-momma]

Wanted to add that I'm not trying to discourage you from being like Eason or Nordin if that's your ultimate goal. You CAN obtain that physique if you work hard enough at it. Yes, I feel it's safe to say aas is involved there, but even aas won't help you if your diet and training isn't on par to gain muscle. Make sense?

Also have to be willing to deal with the sides that come from taking the aas to get to their level. Really weigh the pros and cons there. But I feel that's a convo for another time.......

 

[Steroids are my anti-drug]

Perhaps the most obvious question that should be asked: what's your routine? Please describe your split in as much detail as possible.

 

[Detour5]

Also could you post a picture? Chances are you may be closer than you think. We can give a lot of good advice, but you might actually be almost right there. I used to complain about not hitting my goals, but when I posted pictures people couldn't see what I was complaining about. We never see ourselves the way other people do.