My girl trying to get in shape...

[Eldubb]

Ok, so she's 32, weighs currently 60kgs and 167cm tall.

She just wants to lose fat, i looked at her diet and she was eating like 1000 calories or less which i thought was too little. So i have upped her to 5 meals a day, with about 1500 calories.

She doesnt want to do weights (i know....i know) so she's currently walking incline on the treadmill, 20 mins / 5 days a week and has lost about 700g in her first week.

Now i want to try and get her to do 1 exercise at least involving weights, even though she doesnt want to. Which exercise would get the best result? Squats? 2 times a week?

What do you girls and guys think? I dont want to scare her off weights so maybe something you girls enjoy the most doing / see the best result from?

[chris1983]

Why not just a small routine of body weight exercises or body weight exercises holding dumbbells at home. Nice, easy, quick?

[Rusha]

This wont help but my fave things are deadlifts and presses.

[Eldubb]

Why not just a small routine of body weight exercises or body weight exercises holding dumbbells at home. Nice, easy, quick?

Because she wants to walk and is stubborn. The only thing i've been able to do to get my foot in the door is be able to give her 1 exercise a week. If she likes it and she feels its helping her, she'll do more. I have to be patient, so this is why im asking which ONE exercise do you think will benefit her the most?

This wont help but my fave things are deadlifts and presses.

You're right, she probably shouldnt start off on deadlifts. Presses is ok - isnt there an exercise you did rusha where you thought "wow, thats really shaping well because of this exercise"

Im guessing squats will help her the most but i need some reassurance, or maybe a good exercise the glutes...

[Big Tim]

I would say squats, but if she doesn't want to do it then she wont do them properly/wont keep doing them - mostly because they are hard work.

If she only wants to walk, then walk with her and make sure that walk is useful - don't just amble up the street, do stairs, hills, bush tracks, sand. 30 minutes of walking stairs or hills will do her more good than doing some half-arsed squats.

Tim

[Big Tim]

I should also say, show her Bianca's journal. A real world example of a busy woman who works hard in the weights room and moves some serious iron, while still staying feminine.

Tim

[C_T]

At this early stage, you probably want to make small adjustments at a time.

No point changing absolutely everything, or she will never stick with it. Change once meal to start with, and work with it as time goes by (motivation should increase as you see results, that will encourage more changes, hence more progreses)

[jane_doe]

ok, i've been waiting for someone to say it... losing weight without building muscle just means you're going to be smaller but no less 'fat'.

At 60kg and 167cm tall, your girl is by no means overweight, so i'm guessing that when she says she wants to lose fat, she wants a lower bodyfat percentage and a more defined look.
As much as she might like to walk and do cardio over lifting, the bottom line is it is going to be a much harder slog for her to get a leaner stronger look without building the underlying musculature that gives definition.

Its obviously something she has to become comfortable with herself - perhaps you could introduce her to some women who weight train and look fabulous and feminine?
Or show her Bianca's journal as Tim suggests - if that's not inspiration to get lifting i don't know what is!

[Eldubb]

Big Tim, glad you agree. Thats the kind of answer i needed, the rest will come slowly but starting with squats is what i'll do.

CT - she's got no probs with diet, and will generally eat what i tell her to.

Jane, thanks for the reply - i fully understand, but all ive got to work with is 1 exercise using weights which is why im asking "what would you do?" if you could only do 1 exercise. What would help the most with her goal in mind?

Im gonna go with squats and watch her closely over the next couple of weeks, log her losses and show her how much quicker she is losing fat while doing the squats.

Thanks for the posts everyone.

[take2]

Im gonna go with squats and watch her closely over the next couple of weeks, log her losses and show her how much quicker she is losing fat while doing the squats.

You do actually say why she won't do weights. Is it the "I don't want to get muscly thing"? If so, then why start on an exercise that, in her mind, will make her legs thicker?

Sorry, but that doesn't seem a smart plan to me. But it's your offsider :)

[Rusha]

Bianca's journal is a good call actually.

Things is, we know what she should try/do but as Ive said before. you can lead a horse to water, but can't make it drink. Give her the facts and be blunt. she wont get huge from lifting weights and shes not going to get much further than now just doing the cardio shes doing.

Honestly, back in the beginning i felt intimidated to get in the weight area (all those blokes) but my trainer started me with some basic compounds. Bench, body weight squats, lunges etc etc.
I can't tell you an individual exercise that i felt did the trick. It was honestly a combination.

[scottie2301]

1 exercise that I've found you can pass off as being a 'shaping and toning' exercise for women who have that fear of using weights is walking lunges with DB's... These will engage her core, shoulders arms and of course (the holy grail for most women) glutes, hammies, quads (read: bum and thighs)...

The reason these work so well that you don't use much weight, bodywieght is usually fine to begin with, so it takes away that fear of becoming 'bulky' or 'getting big muscles' that many women have... Not only that, but if done correctly, she will be sore in the places she wants to target like glutes, it'll be a mental kicker...

[mikasadan]

What about a PUMP class?

Or something of this nature...


MD

[machealth1]

Bodyweight circuits are a good introduction to "resistance: type exercise - especially good if she has some established cardio fitness - keep it short and intense - no more than 15-20 mins max

Cheers
mac