Stebby
Cathlete
At the end of November, a personal trainer counseled me to increase my protein, and change my routine for my core & upper body, as I had some muscular imbalances (shoulder pain, lower back tightness, quads/hamstring/hip flexor tightness). I had been eating about 40 grams of protein per day, and doing a good mixed workout routine of Cathe cardio, weights and Spinning classes. I weighed 171 lb, 35% body fat, and had a resting heart rate (not a "real" resting HR - just sitting quietly in a chair) of 65 BPM. I upped my protein as recommended to 110 grams daily, and started twice weekly sessions with a personal trainer. I didn't lift as heavy as I had been with Cathe, but I did a lot more abs, lower back and rotator cuff work, and lots of stretching for all body parts. I was very consistent with my routine - and remember, wasn't working out as hard as I had been with my Cathe routine.
9 weeks later, in mid January, I got retested. I weighed 170 lb, was down to 29% body fat, and resting heart rate had dropped to 58 BPM! I lost 10 lb of fat and gained 9 lb of muscle!!! (Over the Christmas season!) I didn't realize this was possible in just 9 weeks -- especially for someone like me who had been weight training fairly hard for 28 years! The trainer's diagnosis was that although I had been working out hard, I hadn't been eating enough protein to support muscle maintenance and growth.
I am still wearing the same clothing size as I was in November, but I can see where the 9 new lb of muscle is. My shoulders look better, my abdomen and waist are smaller, and my back is more defined. I feel much, much stronger. I don't feel stiff and sore anywhere. DOMS doesn't last for two days like it use to! For workouts, I am continuing to do my "personal trainer" workout once a week, and have picked up my Cathes again. I kept up with my Spinning right through.
I still need to lose fat, but with all this extra muscle, it will be easier. I feel warmer all the time - I used to always feel cold in the winter. Also, because of the increased protein, I am not hungry all the time the way I was before, and I am starting to make better choices.
If you are finding that you are not recovering from workouts the way you'd like, and are not seeing the results you want, take a look at your diet. You may need to increase your protein too. Apparently it's very common for women to eat insufficient protein -- we do great on our whole grains and fruits/veggies, but many of us miss out on this other key nutrient. I have heard differing opionions on this, but this trainer told me that a woman who works out with weights should be eating a daily number of grams equal to her lean body mass in pounds. (The other opinions I've heard are from a nutritionist who recommended a generic 90 grams per day, and Monica Brant who recommends eating not just your lean weight but your total weight in grams per day.) Ways to increase your protein include eating eggs/egg whites, more chicken, fish, lean beef, beans, nuts and occasional protein bars/shakes.
Stebby
9 weeks later, in mid January, I got retested. I weighed 170 lb, was down to 29% body fat, and resting heart rate had dropped to 58 BPM! I lost 10 lb of fat and gained 9 lb of muscle!!! (Over the Christmas season!) I didn't realize this was possible in just 9 weeks -- especially for someone like me who had been weight training fairly hard for 28 years! The trainer's diagnosis was that although I had been working out hard, I hadn't been eating enough protein to support muscle maintenance and growth.
I am still wearing the same clothing size as I was in November, but I can see where the 9 new lb of muscle is. My shoulders look better, my abdomen and waist are smaller, and my back is more defined. I feel much, much stronger. I don't feel stiff and sore anywhere. DOMS doesn't last for two days like it use to! For workouts, I am continuing to do my "personal trainer" workout once a week, and have picked up my Cathes again. I kept up with my Spinning right through.
I still need to lose fat, but with all this extra muscle, it will be easier. I feel warmer all the time - I used to always feel cold in the winter. Also, because of the increased protein, I am not hungry all the time the way I was before, and I am starting to make better choices.
If you are finding that you are not recovering from workouts the way you'd like, and are not seeing the results you want, take a look at your diet. You may need to increase your protein too. Apparently it's very common for women to eat insufficient protein -- we do great on our whole grains and fruits/veggies, but many of us miss out on this other key nutrient. I have heard differing opionions on this, but this trainer told me that a woman who works out with weights should be eating a daily number of grams equal to her lean body mass in pounds. (The other opinions I've heard are from a nutritionist who recommended a generic 90 grams per day, and Monica Brant who recommends eating not just your lean weight but your total weight in grams per day.) Ways to increase your protein include eating eggs/egg whites, more chicken, fish, lean beef, beans, nuts and occasional protein bars/shakes.
Stebby
