15 year old female going for an athletic figure

S

Scorpion_

Guest
5'4''. 120 lbs.
Female 15 year old fitness freak. By fitness, I mean running, biking, lifting weights, climbing stairs, skiing, and horseback riding.
Not one of those prissy little pathetic teenage skanks who thinks eating healthy means counting calories.
Breakfast: Oatmeal with walnuts, cinnamon, cashew milk, raisins, ground flaxseed.
Lunch: 1:2 ratio of protein (fish, tofu, eggs) to vegetables.
Supper: 4-6 servings of fruit in the form of a smoothie.
Pre-workout: Green tea.
Post-workout: Milk.
6 large bottles of water per day.
Iron, calcium, vitamin D, magnesium, and general supplement, all taken in the morning with breakfast.
Most recent challenge? Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred. Started seeing results in four days. Would recommend it for anyone, everywhere, ever.

Looking to tone lower body and basically tone all over, going for a 'fit' figure. Have started doing squats and deadlifts (3 sets of 15) with 30 pound bar.

What else should I be doing in terms of a workout?
Is there anything to be improved in my regular diet?
Should I start using protein powder?
And, the typical cliche question: When should I be seeing results?

Whether you're a seasoned professional, a fitness newbie, or just someone who is extremely motivated, any advice or encouragement is much appreciated :)
 
This is the kind of stuff I like to see. You look like you're doing it the right way. The squats and deads are great. If you're truly going for the athletic look, get on the bench press, barbell rows, power clean and military press. Youtube videos to get proper form down. You don't need lower back problems at 15!

Write down/log everything you do. I downloaded the Strong Log app on my phone to track all of my lifts. Before that, I was writing everything down. The biggest problem people have is wanting to "see" results. I had this problem years ago when I started. I was more worried about what I looked like in the mirror than the gains I was making lifting. If you make gains in weight, your physical gains will follow.

Try to go up in weight every week in your lifts. 5lbs is plenty. Don't rush it. If you get to a weight that you're struggling with, go back to the previous weeks weight and work with that until you have it down to where adding 5lbs won't be a problem. I know it sounds weird that 5lbs can be the difference between a successful bench/dead/squat and stalling, but there is always a straw that will break the camels back. Also, as your lifts go up in weight, you aren't going to be able to keep up the 15 rep sets, which is fine. I deadlift 5x5, and that works well for me. If you can dead a decent weight for 8, you're doing very good :D

I only lift twice a week(Mon and Thurs), but you're probably young enough to get away with a Mon/Wed/Fri split. I wouldn't dead lift three days in a week though. Dead lifting uses more muscles than any other lift you can do. It's very taxing on your body, which is why it's such a good exercise. If you were on a Mon/Wed/Fri split, I would dead heavy on Monday, and take off 25% of that weight and dead that on Friday and rest fully on the weekends.



That page will give you some good ideas on splits. You can also throw in some isolated stuff like bicep curls, tricep extensions, skullcrushers, high pulls and weighted situps after your compound lifts. This is my current split...

Monday: Heavy 5x5
Bench
Squat
Dead
Barbell Row
Overhead Press – 3x8
Barbell Curl – 3x8
Hammer Curls – 3x8


Thursday: Medium 5x5
Bench
Squat
Dead
Barbell Row
Lat Pulldown 3x8
Dips – 3x8
Skullcrusher – 3x8
Weighted Situps – 3x8


I'm very pleased with the gains I'm making on my split. No complaints yet.

Your diet looks like it's also on the right track. It might help to get some whey protein to add to that dinner smoothie. If you're trying to make good gains and put on some muscle, get 1g of protein per 1lb of body weight a day. Limit any carbs you eat to before or right after your workout, when your body needs them. Don't eat late at night. Your body doesn't use it. You're getting plenty of water, which is good.

And the most important thing. REST. Get plenty of rest. Anything less than 7.5 hours of sleep a night won't help your recovery, metabolism, energy, weight loss, anything. You can have the best diet and workout, but if you aren't giving your body the proper time to recover, you're going to burn out and end up treading water, wondering why. Rest periods are when your body releases the most hormones and chemicals, and without them, you're just breaking yourself down, and not building back up.

I feel like I've rambled enough. You seem to have started out pretty well. Keep it up! Hope any of that helped!
 
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Ok first big red flag, '30 day shred' I may be wrong and hope I am but normally shred is to reduce bodyfat to increase muscle visibilty and a female at 15 shouldn't try doing this in a short time frame if at all.

Next a simple set of questions.
Are you wanting to look or be fit as a priority? There is a big difference, I am fitter than I look, others look awesome while being relatively weak etc.
What type of fitness is priority if wanting that? Stamina, endurance, stregth, co-ordination or an insane mix.
What are you wanting to do appearance wise, gain muscle, be leaner etc?

Good weight training routines will usually have squats, deadlift and bench at their core, and could be circuit style for endurance or individual sessions for more power or mix of both.

Protein the wonder food of the world, sold to those wanting to gain or lose weight in equal measure. Something which should take up between 12 and 15% of your calorific intake, and in the western world usually takes up between 15 and 20%, so obviously deeply in need of subsidy. Sorry I get sarcastic at times.
Unless you are using injected suppliments or eating dreadfully you shouldn't ever need to add protien to your diet. Most here will disagree with me because they are reading books written by people influenced by Joe Weider fans, rather than actual nutritionalists like Anita Bean.

Results visibility varies dependant on what you want and how fit you are. A 400 pound obese man with dodgy heart wanting to lose weight will be waiting a long time to see major difference, a fit person wanting to add a few pounds of muscle will see this happen quickly.

Good to have you aboard and as long as we know what you want we can guide you.
 
CrazyOldMan,

Good point with the "30 day shred" "insanity" "p90x" workouts.

I take it you are not a fan of the 1g/1lb of protein philosophy?
 
JustinRVA said:
CrazyOldMan,

Good point with the "30 day shred" "insanity" "p90x" workouts.

I take it you are not a fan of the 1g/1lb of protein philosophy?
Click to expand...

I am a great fan of the grams per pound etc. systems. People subsidising the gyms I have trained at in the past by following such programs and buying the drinks have enabled me to train cheeply when I had next to no money.
One gym I trained at had a price list of 'alternative' suppliments and one of the owners complained to the other who put it up there that it would upset the naturals, when asked and saying I didn't care that covered at least 10% of the naturals training there. Because of course in nature you see a lot of animals lifting random bits of iron so the fact I didn't inject made me totally natural.

I think the word most people miss when buying suppliments is ironically suppliment. Basically they are only to suppliment areas of your diet that are not right. That is why I am not a fan, with one exeption we can get all we need from diet. In fairness I used creatine, levels requiring over 5 pounds of meat to be eaten a day, recently and didn't notice the difference I used to, not sure if I did so on the wrong style of training though as this is only useful at the highest intensity shortest duration end of the scale.

Some of the quick fix routines can be fun, in parts but I tend to look very long term so don't use them. I want everything yesterday in the gym but in planning I am usually looking at targets for the year or beyond. But I am unusual in that I train for the sheer love of it, not for a set target, so this works for me.
Many want something instant and noticable everytime, usually in the mirror. Personal experience is that around half of these don't last very long before quitting or injuring themselves forcing them to stop, this is comparitive, consider I have been training in one form or another over 20 years. In contrast those wanting to have ability keep going because there is always something new to do.
 
I have no idea whether I lost weight/inches with the 30DS, because I never bothered to check. I just wanted an intense workout. I thought, 'if a bunch of middle-aged women can do this, so can I.' It did wonders for my core and upper body.

I am already fit.
I would like to LOOK fit.
As stated in this thread's title, I'm going for an athletic figure, meaning slim with lean muscle (but not anorexic). My trouble zone is my lower body: Hips, glutes (I am virtually ass-less,) and lower back. Pear shaped.
 
^ I like your reasoning.

You mentioned in your OP that you've started doing squats and deadlifts. Those are two very good exercises for your stated goal, so you're on the right track. I'd make sure that you're on track with technique for those two exercises. Here are some write-ups I've done earlier in the year that you may find useful. I'll note that there's no single absolute correct way to squat or deadlift, but in both you will want to make sure that you're moving at the hips rather than rounding your back, that you're keeping your chest up and that you're driving through your heels.




3x15 for each exercise is fine if you can maintain a high standard of technique for that long, but you may find it easier to maintain technique, build up intensity and promote progressive overload with a lower rep range. 3x10 or 5x5 (as justinRVA suggested) might be feasible options for you.

There's one more exercise I'd recommend if you're concerned about building your glutes, and that's the glute bridge (or its variant the hip thrust). For the glute bridge, lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Rest your hands at your sides -- your arms on the floor beside you will help build stability. Push your heels into the floor while applying some lateral tension to your legs and drive your hips up, keeping your back straight while trying to hyperextend your hips (not your lower back) with your glutes. This will overload your glutes in a way that squats and deadlifts can't. The hip thrust is the same movement, but with your shoulders up on a bench rather than on the ground, which allows greater ROM.
 
Scorpion_ said:
I have no idea whether I lost weight/inches with the 30DS, because I never bothered to check. I just wanted an intense workout. I thought, 'if a bunch of middle-aged women can do this, so can I.' It did wonders for my core and upper body.

I am already fit.
I would like to LOOK fit.
As stated in this thread's title, I'm going for an athletic figure, meaning slim with lean muscle (but not anorexic). My trouble zone is my lower body: Hips, glutes (I am virtually ass-less,) and lower back. Pear shaped.
Click to expand...

Thanks for that. Deadlifts, including stiff leg deadlifts, squats, lunges etc. will all give you the tapered strong back you want and build you a butt like nothing you have known.
Reps of 12 to 15 would likely be best for you at your age and likely stage of developent, remember I have never seen you to know what that is. If you are pretty much finished developing you could go for some 10s and 8s maybe even a few 6s to build up some muscle, 10 to 6 is optimum for building but has to be heavy so be really sure on technique first, if in doubt check, if not check anyway.

Athletic is a hard one to pin down hence the questioning. In my youth Zola Budd and Fatima Whitbread were top athletes with very different appearance. Zola being a long distance runner and Fatima being a world class shot putter.
Mixed training will be the way forward for you, intensities do not need to be at the very top if it is for appearance, but if you build a love of it you can go as intense as you like.
Circuits or similar (most classes) and aerobic will keep the lean look and some heavier stuff will help build up the areas you want more muscle in. I would say a good one to try if you can is body pump, I loved it, very muscluar, strength endurance based, which is the area I am worst at so pushes me well out of any comfort zones.
 
After reading my post, it seems like I automatically tend to lean toward a mass building routine :yelrotflmao:

Person - "Hey guys, I want to improve my distance running"

Me - "5x5 Dead Lifts!!" :D
 
JustinRVA said:
After reading my post, it seems like I automatically tend to lean toward a mass building routine :yelrotflmao:

Person - "Hey guys, I want to improve my distance running"

Me - "5x5 Dead Lifts!!" :D
Click to expand...

Person - Thanks for that, Ive discovered it's better to just let them catch me than keep running
 
Exactly.

I have a buddy who's whole weight lifting philosophy is "When the zombie apocalypse happens, f**k running, I'm gonna pull their heads off" haha.
 
JustinRVA said:
Exactly.

I have a buddy who's whole weight lifting philosophy is "When the zombie apocalypse happens, f**k running, I'm gonna pull their heads off" haha.
Click to expand...

I love the 'When' part of that philosophy.

Alternative is getting very efficient if somewhat unpleasant like one I used to know. A group threatened him, he ran, seems normal, but this was only to seperate them out a bit to hammer them one or two at a time. Real charmer, but someone I would never have wanted to mess with.
Personally one of my first defence systems is run, trained with too many people who look like nothing and could flatten me to risk a fight I don't need. To any that haven't try aikedo, very good way to learn that strength is nice but skill is better. Note to any gym rats trying aikedo, be ready to be used for example a lot, and keep in mind the power you put in is how hard you hit the mats, great fun, I loved it.
 
I'd recommend using simply because they can help out so much. You probably want to go for the lower calorie ones or diet ones as they'll help you get that figure you're after so much, avoid the ones that are geared towards weight gain and focus on the really niche weight loss and diet ones, also green tea :)
 
ArnoldNevsky said:
I'd recommend using simply because they can help out so much. You probably want to go for the lower calorie ones or diet ones as they'll help you get that figure you're after so much, avoid the ones that are geared towards weight gain and focus on the really niche weight loss and diet ones, also green tea :)
Click to expand...

Excess protein is converted to urine or lipoprotien (fat).
Be very careful supplimenting your diet. Always look at what you are already eating and drinking first. It may need supplimenting, or amending but if as with most in the western world your diet is high in fat and protien, supplimenting it with more is not a good move.
 
Here I want to share my experience with you about your diet plan. I will say you should decrease your diet quantity and upgrade the quality of your daily diet. In this way you can cover all the main facts of your body and then finally you can achieve all the goals of your life. is one of the best energetic fruit for an athlete and I suggest you to add it in your daily diet.
 
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