Personal experience: how I started to pull iron and did not regret it

All girls dream of eating a lot, not getting better and looking fresh in the morning. Until 25 years old it is quite possible, but already at 35 it can become unattainable if you do not make an effort. Here is my story of how, in just a year of strength training, I began to eat more, enjoy gaining weight and feel great. And she stopped using the services of loaders.

Given: a girl, height - 161 cm, weight at the start of training -49 kg.

How I came to the gym and trusted the coach

On New Year's Eve, like many people who like to make New Year's promises, I bought a gym membership. I was lucky, because instead of a standard excursion, the coach conducted a full-fledged personal training session, and I, being impressed by the promotions and discounts, immediately took a package for 10 lessons.

At the beginning of the path. In pink sneakers

I had no idea what I wanted to achieve. The main motivation at the age of 35 was aching back and neck, joint pain, poor posture and lack of at least some strength to move.

“I got up in the morning - I'm already tired” - under this motto I have existed for the last 10 years, in which there was no place for regular sports and even the usual morning exercises.

As a beginner, I visited the gym about twice a week, sometimes interspersed with a pool and stretching. I didn’t know that beginners progress in strength much faster than experienced athletes, and I just enjoyed training on the machines. Later I learned that it is really better to start with any kind of simulators, and not with free weights, because it is the least traumatic.

4 months of work, pathetic pimple instead of biceps

By the way, research has shown Sex Differences in “Weightlifting” Injuries Presenting to United States Emergency Rooms that women in the gym are mostly injured from dropping heavy objects on themselves. That's why a coach is needed: not only to control the technique of performing exercises, but also to insure and give commands. As a result, in a year I did not have a single serious injury, apart from minor sprains and bruises from the barbell.

How I experimented with weights

As my technique improved (my coach says it can take 5-6 years to perfect it), more free weights began to appear in my workouts - barbells, pancakes, kettlebells and dumbbells. For the first 9 months I did the most common system (called "splits"), when each workout involves muscle groups of either the upper body or the lower, but not together.

After 9 months of active training - 47 kg. Bodybuilders threw off small change on food

Women traditionally focus on the gluteal muscles, the back of the thigh, and the lumbar region. It seems that pumping the upper body is the prerogative of men, but the idea that the body should develop harmoniously both from below and from above is close to me. That is, entirely. Another type of training is aimed at this task - full body. The basic principle is that strength indicators increase faster if you load the same muscle groups at each workout, but dosed.

As a result, I decided to try the new system, and the coach supported me. The method of splits appeared later than fullbody and was developed specifically for experienced athletes who stopped actively increasing their performance and switched to targeted workout of individual muscle groups.

Why did I choose the full body system if both work equally well for beginners?

It was interesting to try something new. The experiment showed that the strength began to grow faster, and the body began to change more qualitatively - I saw my muscles in the mirror.
I put my trust in the idea that overloading the same muscle group in a single workout leads to damage. After 5 months of training, I can say that I rarely experience muscle soreness the next day.
Progress is easier to track if you do the same exercises for several months. Each split workout was interesting and varied, but it was not clear where exactly the improvement was.

The full body system assumes a constant increase in load / weight in the exercise from week to week. After 9 months of slow progress with splits, I felt a big difference in dynamics: after 8 weeks of full body training, only in the exercise "glute bridge" I reached from 65 to 85 kg. True, for this I had to study 4 times a week.

Fullbody is also designed for a seven-day training, because the muscles have time to recover better compared to split-training. The first two weeks the athlete finds out his maximum weight and the intensity of repetitions for each exercise, then seven weeks increases the load in the same exercises (7-8 per workout). In the eighth week, you need to give the body a deload - reduce either weight or the number of repetitions. After that, the next 10-week block of other exercises begins, most of which simultaneously engage many muscle groups at once.

It is believed that a woman cannot and should not be as strong as a man. However, studies show Muscle size responses to strength training in young and older men and women, that women increase the same muscle volume, just start from objectively lower indicators. Well, I will add more fuel to the fire of burning stereotypes: the ratio of mass and strength in men and women is the same, while the latter are less tired and recover faster (this is especially noticeable in CrossFit).

How I ate and what happened to the strength indicators at the same time

Despite the fact that at the beginning of regular training my weight was 49 kilograms, I continued to "diet". Moreover, in the spring I decided to observe Lent and switched to a squid-vegetable diet. Of course, all this did not contribute to good physical dynamics, a healthy complexion and normal sleep.

I was strong and wiry, but objectively thin and without any special athletic form. I changed my wardrobe from size 42 to size 40, did not part with my passport in the alcohol department (and so far with alcohol), did not collect admiration looks, but caused tears of pity and a desire to feed me. Only eyes remained on the face, one breast size went away (and, unfortunately, did not return, because the breast is fatty tissue), the pants hung on the hips with a mute reproach. To be honest, I liked these numbers: 57 cm at the waist and 88 cm at the hips. Another upsetting: both biceps and hips lost weight, and there was no trace of relief.

For the female body, it is extremely important to have a fat content of 22-26% of body weight. This is necessary not only for the normal functioning of the hormonal system, but also because during exercise the female body takes the fuel Sex differences in exercise metabolism and the role of 17-beta estradiol from fat stores (men burn more protein). And by the way, the female body responds better with Salt Promotes Passive Overconsumption of Dietary Fat in Humans to low-carb and high-fat diets for this very reason.

I regularly measure body fat using bioimpedance analysis A weak electrical impulse is sent through the body to determine the percentage of fat, muscle mass, bone weight and the amount of water in the body., at some point it dropped to 16%. My period is gone. When I decided to consume more fat, everything returned to normal, but even now, after gaining mass for 4 months, the percentage of fat does not rise above 19%. For an athlete, this is normal. You can get an approximate estimate of your body fat percentage using an online calculator.

Before the decision to gain weight, I lived in a calorie deficit for a year. As it turned out, this was the right approach, because you can only start building muscle with a relatively low percentage of fat. I purchased an online program and received individually calculated protein, fat and carbohydrate scores. As a result, I gained several kilograms of lean mass, but the amount of fat remained the same. I weigh 51 kg and am going to increase the weight further. There are no exceptions or special additives in my diet, other than the need to consume enough protein.

How the body visually changed and what influenced it

I read a lot of materials on this topic and in the end came to the conclusion that the main result in all experiments with nutrition and sports is not in the numbers on the scales or centimeter tape, but in the reflection in the mirror. It's even better to keep track of changes with photos in three angles, which should be taken once a month.

By strengthening the buttocks and hips, the waist is more pronounced, the legs look longer, and the butt looks higher.

The back straightens, shoulders appear. Depending on the location of the veins under the skin, some of them begin to show through, and this is also inevitable.

As for muscle hypertrophy, then in a year (and even in 5–6 years) it will definitely not happen to you. To do this, you need to use, for example, creatine and periodically dry yourself, that is, get rid of excess water that hides the muscle relief.

The good news is that you can increase the muscle mass in the buttocks and make them more attractive. The bad news is that when you skim, your breasts disappear, especially if you overdo the chest press. In any case, you will look at least fit, and ideally, athletic. In no case will you become a hulk if you don't get hooked on chemistry.

How I started to get up on that leg and enjoy life

Exercising causes rush of serotonin and dopamine. To put it simply, the mood after training is always elevated. If you come to the gym in the morning, then you will cheer up. If you come in the evening after work, then … also cheer up. This can be a problem if you need to go to bed shortly after exercising (most likely, sleep will be interrupted).

Thus, you need to go to the gym not when you are cheerful and in an excellent mood, but, rather, on the contrary, when it seems that it is difficult to lift even a finger. The body, like any other engine, needs to be started in order for it to work. Plus, strength training also builds endurance, albeit less than cardio.

At the end of the year, I did a cardiogram, and the doctor unmistakably determined by the ideal indicators that I was doing sports.

Energy came to me only with an increase in calories. Although it is possible to train without any problems on an empty stomach: some athletes, in principle, practice Dr. Sara Solomon Interview: Stronger Than Ever intermittent fasting and eat once a day without losing strength. But in my case, mood and vitality depend almost completely on the calories evenly entering during the day.

The increase in energy leads to the fact that you want to lie less, you move more, swing your arms, wind circles, spin on a chair - bingo, you increase energy expenditure, which you can replenish with more food. Now, with the proper level of activity, I can consume 2,000 kilocalories per day, while remaining at the same weight.

How my beliefs about training changed

First, I proved to my mother that I can also carry bags from the store. With the right technique and belay (including the use of an athletic belt, arm straps, and leg weights), you can raise and lower apparatus more than your own weight without any damage. Now my working weight in the Romanian deadlift is 52.5 kg, while my weight is 51 kg. And on the shoulders it was possible to throw all 55 kg for squats.

Secondly, it is impossible just to lose weight on "kurogrech" and "oatmeal", but at the same time look sporty and fresh. Even a skinny “dieter” with experience can have cellulite and saggy buttocks. Working on specific muscle groups in the gym is the path to a strong and healthy body.

4 months of proper nutrition and exercise 4 times a week finally led to the result. 51 kg - now complete order

Thirdly, the gym is serious work. Yes, you can take selfies, listen to music, chat with a coach and discuss someone else's technique, but 99% of the time is work, physical and intellectual. At first, my wardrobe was swollen with new T-shirts and leggings, which Instagram marketing carefully poured into me, but for the last 5 months I only need clean comfortable clothes and, which is extremely important, high-quality branded shoes to stabilize, for example, squats.

Fourthly, in the gym there is no division into women's corners and men's footholds, pink dumbbells and cast-iron batteries, physical therapy (it really is in a different place) and iron hell with loud screams (although screams are true: men in the gym are screaming fiercer than the women in the maternity ward). From a physiological point of view, we have a lot in common, although the result is achieved due to different hormonal systems.

Finally, training is not a one-time action before the beach season, but a way of life. How to brush your teeth or drink coffee at breakfast. It is not necessary to progress by leaps and bounds, like me, but twice a week is the minimum necessary to feel like 25 at 35.