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I started strength training 2 months ago and getting slightly discouraged. In the beginning I was taking progress photos weekly but not seeing a change so I stopped. I have felt a little more toned this week so decided to take a progress photo. But now discouraged seeing no difference between the first day I started.
I had already been working out and eating healthy prior. I am 107 lb, 5ft and had lost 8 lbs doing cardio/healthy eating since last June. But have basically stayed at 107 for a while now. Decided I wanted to try something new and started lifting. I changed my diet to focus on protein but still around same calories. Doing around 1400 a day. I also started creatine 2 weeks ago to try and help with the muscle gain. I have not lost any weight yet since lifting. Scale actually seems to be up but not sure if from water retention with creatine or muscle.
I guess I just wanted to get feedback on this. Should I be seeing more results by now ? How long does the muscle building process really take?
Muscle is more dense and so some will not see a change in weight or will see a weight gain with weight training. What weight training do you do and how often do you do weight training? Proper form is necessary. Find a weight with enough resistance that you can do no more than 12 reps. Add or reduce weight as needed. Back and legs are the biggest muscle groups. Exercises like squats, deadlifts, seated rows, and pull-ups or lat pull downs will work the legs and back as well as using arms, shoulders, as well as balancing muscles if done using free weights instead of machines. Come up with a plan for alternating working out other body parts like biceps, triceps, forearms, deltoids, and chest for example.
Muscle is more dense and so some will not see a change in weight or will see a weight gain with weight training. What weight training do you do and how often do you do weight training? Proper form is necessary. Find a weight with enough resistance that you can do no more than 12 reps. Add or reduce weight as needed. Back and legs are the biggest muscle groups. Exercises like squats, deadlifts, seated rows, and pull-ups or lat pull downs will work the legs and back as well as using arms, shoulders, as well as balancing muscles if done using free weights instead of machines. Come up with a plan for alternating working out other body parts like biceps, triceps, forearms, deltoids, and chest for example.
I have been doing a split workout. 2 days of upper body and 2 days of lower body. I also have 1 day of cardio and then also add in cardio some of the strength days.
For upper body I have been doing 7 exercises, bicep curls, ovedhead press, tricep overhead etc. I try to do the heaviest I can 3 sets of and up to 12 reps. Have increased my weight by about 10 lbs since starting for most of the exercises. Have been doing the same workout since I started.
For lower body I follow online videos. Have been doing those at home so using lower weights but faster workout for 45 min. Most have squats, lunges, goblet, deadlifts. Have been mixing up the workouts each time.
What results are you seeing that might not be about appearance? Are you getting stronger? Sleeping better? Less stressed? Maybe try to focus on the other health and strength benefits that are beyond just what you look like.
If you are trying to see muscle gains you are going to have to wait awhile. Women do not put on muscle like men do. You will see slight changes but to really see a difference in your body wait a year. Of course you will see small changes along the way, but it really does take that long to do a before and after pic. And lower your expectations - Women do not see gains like men do. I cannot stress that enough.
Now, in the meantime enjoy the journey. Lift because you enjoy it and enjoy the benefits you get from it. Enjoy when you get to lift heavier than you thought you could. Enjoy the subtle definition you will start to notice. Enjoy feeling stronger.
Creatine is great for maximizing your power during workouts, it doesn't "create" muscle.
I find that small / skinny frames take much more effort and time to "gain" muscle mass. Plus if you want to gain mass you need to take in more protein.
I agree with everyone. Be happy when you see an improvement in your workouts - increase in weights and just plain increase in strength. Form (appearance) will 100% follow function (strength fitness) eventually.
I say realistically some thin framed / high metabolism individuals need at least 1 year of consistent workouts to see an appreciable gain.
What most people don't realize is that working out is a lifelong lifestyle... not just "oh I will workout for 6 months to improve my appearance".
What results are you seeing that might not be about appearance? Are you getting stronger? Sleeping better? Less stressed? Maybe try to focus on the other health and strength benefits that are beyond just what you look like.
Definitely getting stronger. Been noticing certain things I used to carry that were heavy for me have been easier to carry. (Ex. Cat litter lol). My sleep has been terrible though. It was bad before too but now seems worse. Think I just need to work on that separately. The lifting does make me feel more healthy and excited about the process. Has made me more aware of things I need to do for general health.
Creatine is great for maximizing your power during workouts, it doesn't "create" muscle.
I find that small / skinny frames take much more effort and time to "gain" muscle mass. Plus if you want to gain mass you need to take in more protein.
I agree with everyone. Be happy when you see an improvement in your workouts - increase in weights and just plain increase in strength. Form (appearance) will 100% follow function (strength fitness) eventually.
I say realistically some thin framed / high metabolism individuals need at least 1 year of consistent workouts to see an appreciable gain.
What most people don't realize is that working out is a lifelong lifestyle... not just "oh I will workout for 6 months to improve my appearance".
Yea that makes sense. I just thought that since I had been working out before that maybe it would be faster to see a change. I’m also wondering how I know that I don’t need to change something I am doing if the change isn’t noticeable. I started playing around with my cardio workouts but not sure if I am overdoing it or not doing enough.
But definitely in this for the long haul. I have felt healthier and more confident overall so enjoying the lifestyle change.
Yea that makes sense. I just thought that since I had been working out before that maybe it would be faster to see a change. I’m also wondering how I know that I don’t need to change something I am doing if the change isn’t noticeable. I started playing around with my cardio workouts but not sure if I am overdoing it or not doing enough.
But definitely in this for the long haul. I have felt healthier and more confident overall so enjoying the lifestyle change.
Try alternating weight days with cardio days. Different body types develop visible muscle mass at different rates. While in the military I saw guys who weren’t well defined who could life weight far beyond what their visible muscle would lead you to believe and other guys who bulked up much more quickly. Photo/video of your body only tells a small part of the story. Tracking your gains in the weight you can lift and how you feel is more important than a photograph. Photos are good to document weight loss.
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