Lifting is a women's bestfriend for getting toned. (-5lbs, 19.5% bodyfat)

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christianwithhope

New member
Before and After Picture

I began a serious lifting journey at the end of January thanks to this sub. For science, and to start things with data in hand I got my first DEXA scan at the beginning of this process.

My DEXA stats on January 21 were:

Height: 5'9"

Bodyfat: 22.4%

Weight: 139 lbs

From January to March I focussed on eating at slightly above maintenance and dedicated lifting. Roughly following Strong Curves GG program.

My workout routine is:

Monday: Full body weight training (1 hour)

Tuesday: Full body weight training (1 hour)

Wednesday: HITT (30 min)

Thursday: Abs HITT (30 min)

Friday: Full body weight training (1 hour)

Saturday: Full body weight training (1 hour)

Sunday: Rest

From April to July I started a slight calorie deficit running at approximately a 500 calorie deficit every day. I was miserable for a large portion of this time and the weight seemed to come off so slowly. After reading some articles on intermittent fasting I switched from deficit eating to a 48 hour fast every two weeks. This was surprisingly a MUCH more pleasant experience. And the cut which much better after this change.

My DEXA stats on July 26th were:

Height: 5'9"

Bodyfat: 19.5%

Weight: 134lbs

My muscle gains were not as impressive as I thought they would be. Probably due to being at a deficit for the last 3 and a half months. Despite that my lifts have gone way up:

Bench

Start: 65 lbs x 5 reps

End: 95lbs x 5 reps

Hipthrust

Start: 135lbs x 5 reps

End: 235lbs x 5 reps

Squat

Start: 105lbs x 5 reps

End: 140lbx x 5 reps

Deadlift

Start: 95 lbs x 5 reps

End: 155lbs x 5 reps

This sub has been a fantastic resource for me throughout the last 6 months and I'm happy to answer any questions anyone has about the process!

Any recommendations for helping with my lagging squat game or where to go next would be much appreciated! Thanks team!
 
@christianwithhope We are the same stats and I don’t look nearly as fit as you. I am more skinny fat. I have done a bit of IF and liked it and I am familiar with lifting as well but have not been very strict about it. This makes me want to get more serious about body recomp.
 
@christianwithhope Congrats on you progress! Your story is inspiring! Trying to get my act together and get back into a weight lifting routine. Lots of helpful information in this thread that I will take advantage of!
 
@christianwithhope Wow, I am speechless how you managed to get so slim and toned and yet the bodyweight is still unchanged. You got pretty good compositions before, and I think your metabolism is also contributing to that? I also failed to get that line in the abs even though my genetics allowed me, it’s just I can’t get the belly pouch to go away. So jelly with you!
 
@bubblegum2021 That is some minor changes considering how great she look after that, usually it would be even more for some people, varying from one to another. And idk why you guys are downvoting? Is there any hate in my comment?
 
@oceanwanderer She was lean and small to begin with, what did you expect? 5 lbs is nothing if you have 100 to lose, but she was nowhere near overweight to begin with, that's why 5lbs is visible. You are being downvoted because you are arguing that there is no body weight change, deliberately ignoring that proportionately, 5lbs was a lot at her size. I am just over 100lbs, ignoring normal body weight fluctuation, do you have any idea just hard it would be for me to lose 5 lbs and what a huge visual difference it would make?
 
@bubblegum2021 Commenting from my pov, 5lbs showed no different on my body when I cut out carb on my diet, that’s why I was surprised with her result. I am 123lbs atm and had cut down, but no visible result was seen.
 
@christianwithhope Why were you aiming for a calorie deficit? 139 lbs at 5’9” isn’t in calorie deficit range. My own daughter was around 130-135 and she’s 5’3”, I would never tell her to go into a calorie deficit as a lifter. She has abs and curves. You cannot build when you don’t provide your body with the blocks.
 
@biblelinguist I've oscillated between 130lbs and 140lbs for the last 14 years so this is a pretty normal weight for me. It's actually 4lbs higher than my weight last summer.

It's a weight I feel comfortable, healthy, and strong at.

I'll probably bulk come September as I prepare for a long Canadian winter, and hopefully next summer I can have more muscle mass :)
 
@loststeed Nutritionist here. There’s a range of body fat % (and therefore bodyweight) that you can remain in and still be perfectly healthy and perform well. Since OP started out by bulking, she likely put on a small amount of body fat that she was looking to strip off while maintaining her new muscle mass, so there was nothing wrong with her going into a cut. For @biblelinguist ‘s daughter, at 5’3 and 130, she probably has a decent amount of muscle mass (a non-lifter at that weight would be considered overfat). Also, some lifters, like powerlifters and strongwomen, benefit from staying at a higher body fat for performance purposes.

While it’s possible to build some muscle in a deficit, it’s difficult, slow, and usually only occurs under certain circumstances, so if you’re looking to build muscle and lose fat, it’s usually a good idea to focus on each in different phases.
 
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