Strength Training to Lower Body Fat for Women & "Cutting" For Loss

[xoxodede]

I am trying to lower my body fat percentage and drop 11lbs before the spring.

I haven't had my BF professionally measured in over a year - but I used one of those hand-held machines and I am around 25% BF -- and I am currently 126lbs at 5'2.

My goal is to get to 115lbs with 12%-15% BF and maintain it.

I added strength training with free weights (10lbs and 12lbs) with high reps and at least 2 sets three times per week. As well as lots of body weight exercises. I have seen some improvement, but I need pointers and advice to enhance results.

Q: Any tips or programs that will give me a more structured workout that will help me achieve my goals. I am trying to tone and lose the last little pudge on stomach.

---

Q: Should I "cut" first via my diet and mainly cardio first before I start a more structured strength training workout?

Q: How can a vegan properly "cut" via diet -- any tips or resources?

 

[The ADD]

@dora_da_destroyer

 

[dora_da_destroyer]

I am trying to lower my body fat percentage and drop 11lbs before the spring.

I haven't had my BF professionally measured in over a year - but I used one of those hand-held machines and I am around 25% BF -- and I am currently 126lbs at 5'2.

My goal is to get to 115lbs with 12%-15% BF and maintain it.

I added strength training with free weights (10lbs and 12lbs) with high reps and at least 2 sets three times per week. As well as lots of body weight exercises. I have seen some improvement, but I need pointers and advice to enhance results.

Q: Any tips or programs that will give me a more structured workout that will help me achieve my goals. I am trying to tone and lose the last little pudge on stomach.

---

Q: Should I "cut" first via my diet and mainly cardio first before I start a more structured strength training workout?

Q: How can a vegan properly "cut" via diet -- any tips or resources?

my first concern with your post is trying to get to 12-15% BF - you do know women should have 10-13% of just ESSENTIAL body fat? you're basically trying to dip into an unhealthy level that SHOULD NOT be maintained. secondly, the women who know how to and/or are dipping that low are ELITE bodybuilders, most of them do not maintain that outside of show season and those that do have a series of women's health issues and are likely taking steroids. even 15-20% is getting into top athlete territory (or the occasional person who is just really lean), maybe you'd like to be a top athlete, but if so, based on your post, you might want to seek out a trainer or independent fitness studio that offers classes/training with elite fitness as the goal (i.e. places that have a lot of people who compete in shows).

i suggest you reassess your goals. "fit" is considered 20-25%. those handheld machines aren't very accurate, if you really want to go off BF, do hydrostatic or a dexa scan. i think you might be setting the wrong goals based on a wrong starting number.


if you feel you need to lose weight and/or feel more "jiggly" than you'd like to be, i'd suggest someone as small as you work on lifting heavy (8-12 reps, 2-3 sets) as opposed to high volume light. i'd suggest a basic push/pull/legs or some other 3 day split (lots of them on the net). for cardio, either do some hiit 2-3x week or do fasted AM cardio.


can't really help you on diet since i'm 100% not vegan (and partly don't agree with a vegan diet). only tips i can give is find your maintenance cals (do it using the sedentary setting) and subtract 500. since you're vegan, you likely can't cut as many carbs, but focus on high protein carbs - quinoa, wild rice, sprouted bread, beans and lentils - and get a good plant based protein supp. but a google search will get you to the right resources, there are a lot more vegan bodybuilders and diets these days.

 

[xoxodede]

my first concern with your post is trying to get to 12-15% BF - you do know women should have 10-13% of just ESSENTIAL body fat? you're basically trying to dip into an unhealthy level that SHOULD NOT be maintained. secondly, the women who know how to and/or are dipping that low are ELITE bodybuilders, most of them do not maintain that outside of show season and those that do have a series of women's health issues and are likely taking steroids. even 15-20% is getting into top athlete territory (or the occasional person who is just really lean), maybe you'd like to be a top athlete, but if so, based on your post, you might want to seek out a trainer or independent fitness studio that offers classes/training with elite fitness as the goal (i.e. places that have a lot of people who compete in shows).

i suggest you reassess your goals. "fit" is considered 20-25%. those handheld machines aren't very accurate, if you really want to go off BF, do hydrostatic or a dexa scan. i think you might be setting the wrong goals based on a wrong starting number.


if you feel you need to lose weight and/or feel more "jiggly" than you'd like to be, i'd suggest someone as small as you work on lifting heavy (8-12 reps, 2-3 sets) as opposed to high volume light. i'd suggest a basic push/pull/legs or some other 3 day split (lots of them on the net). for cardio, either do some hiit 2-3x week or do fasted AM cardio.


can't really help you on diet since i'm 100% not vegan (and partly don't agree with a vegan diet). only tips i can give is find your maintenance cals (do it using the sedentary setting) and subtract 500. since you're vegan, you likely can't cut as many carbs, but focus on high protein carbs - quinoa, wild rice, sprouted bread - and get a good plant based protein supp. but a google search will get you to the right resources, there are a lot more vegan bodybuilders and diets these days.

Thanks for your response. Honestly, I don't know what percentage would be good on me. I just looked at pictures online and made a guess. I just know I have some bodyfat that needs to come off.

I am going to go get my BF professionally done in the next week or so - so I can know what my actual number is. Thanks for being honest.

It's def a jiggly issue on my belly around to my lower back and some on my inner thighs.

When you say lift heavy - what weights are you suggesting? 20lbs+ And great tips on the other exercise suggestions.

And your right -- I have to start adding more high protein carbs into my diet - I hope that helps. Any suggestions on a good plant based protein supp?

 

[dora_da_destroyer]

Thanks for your response. Honestly, I don't know what percentage would be good on me. I just looked at pictures online and made a guess. I just know I have some bodyfat that needs to come off.

I am going to go get my BF professionally done in the next week or so - so I can know what my actual number is. Thanks for being honest.

It's def a jiggly issue on my belly around to my lower back and some on my inner thighs.

When you say lift heavy - what weights are you suggesting? 20lbs+ And great tips on the other exercise suggestions.

And your right -- I have to start adding more high protein carbs into my diet - I hope that helps. Any suggestions on a good plant based protein supp?

heavy is going to vary by exercise and you're going to have to play around and find the right weight. like you should be breathing hard and struggling to do the last few reps - but not so high that you can't maintain form.

as for where you have fat, well tummy and thighs - you can likely improve your lower back, i mean those are the normal places that women store it so just know it might not fully go away unless you do commit to getting super lean (or lipo lol). that's just life for us

for plant protein, again, you'll have to try them cuz some people are more turned off by weird textures (some can be grainy) while others don't like certain tastes (stevia)

for powder, i've liked vega one products and garden of life raw protein, but it's grainy. premade protein shakes, i like plantfusion and evolve. protein bars, i like nu-go slim.

the plant protein supps i see rated well consistently (performance and quality of ingredients) are: vega one, garden of life, sun warrior, plantfusion, and orgain. these all have protein form multiple plant sources (which is better than just one like pea or rice).

 

[xoxodede]

heavy is going to vary by exercise and you're going to have to play around and find the right weight. like you should be breathing hard and struggling to do the last few reps - but not so high that you can't maintain form.

as for where you have fat, well tummy and thighs - you can likely improve your lower back, i mean those are the normal places that women store it so just know it might not fully go away unless you do commit to getting super lean (or lipo lol). that's just life for us

for plant protein, again, you'll have to try them cuz some people are more turned off by weird textures (some can be grainy) while others don't like certain tastes (stevia)

for powder, i've liked vega one products and garden of life raw protein, but it's grainy. premade protein shakes, i like plantfusion and evolve. protein bars, i like nu-go slim.

the plant protein supps i see rated well consistently (performance and quality of ingredients) are: vega one, garden of life, sun warrior, plantfusion, and orgain. these all have protein form multiple plant sources (which is better than just one like pea or rice).

Thanks for all of this! I'll keep you updated Thanks again!

 

[dora_da_destroyer]

Thanks for all of this! I'll keep you updated Thanks again!

yep, good luck. keep coming back this forum as well as hitting the net, so much information out there to help get you started and moving forward.

 

[Apollo Creed]

Calories in vs Calories out