I'm a girl and I want muscles!

[lalamurphy]

So, for the past year or so I have been active (walking over 5 miles a day/biking 10 miles a day, yoga, etc.) And i've pretty much have always looked like the following picture( although in this picture which was taken a year ago I had definitely been more active than I have my whole life (not doing much strength building though).



Now for the past 6 months, I have been training in Capoeira again (about 4 hours a week), I bike for commuting purposes (sometimes 16 miles a day), I do gymnastics about one day a week, 2-3 yoga classes/week, the gym once or twice a week. The main goal that I am trying to achieve is upper body strength because I have never had any! I am still working on my chin-ups (I can do them if i jump up and come 3/4th's the way down, but I haven't been able to do it from complete hanging. I have been working with an assisted pull-up machine as well as with my boyfriend who helps me, and i have made MAJOR improvement over the past 2 months. I say within a month I will be doing them on my own.. YAY! I also do a lot of push ups.. 4 months ago I could only do about 5 at a time.. for about 4 sets. Now I do 10 sets of 10 but have decided that instead of upping my number, I am focusing on coming all the way to the ground and touching, and then pressing back up. Now I am back to only doing about 4 again.. ha but that is okay.

I'm pretty happy with the strength I've achieved in my upper body thus far, considering it is the strongest I have ever been! While many of my goals are around actually being physically strong, I still want "the body" that I have always wanted. I basically wish my muscles looked like they did when I was flexing, all the time! Maybe this isn't practical, but I want people to see that I have muscle tone without me having to whip out my guns! I'll update with more pictures in the upcoming months!

AS OF JANUARY 3rd, 2010:

[Dallas]

Welcome. I say some squats and military press will help.

[robert]

Awesome!

How is training going?

All the best!

-Robert

[Lean and Green]

Big time increase in lbm, wtg!

[penpen]

Very nice arms... possibly a bit more muscular than mine. Your back is definitely more muscular than mine.
If we arm wrestled, I wonder who would win.

You should try www.bodyrock.tv if you haven't already. It clearly works very well for women.

[horsedoc]

You are definitely plenty active!

Sounds like most of your activities are not muscle-promoting for your body type. I would suggest compound exercises like push-ups, squats, squat press, rows to get the most out of the time and effort you put in.

Great that you are making progress to meet your goals.

Keep us posted on your progress.

[Eli Wurth]

LaLa, guess what? You've always had your muscles. You just need to bring them out. As far as pullups, you don't have to extent completely so that your arms are straight about you. Full "military" pullups might impress some, but they're not good for your elbows.

Start off your pullups this way. Jump up onto the bar, and immediately go as high as possible, at least until your chin rests on bar. Then slowly lower until your biceps are parallel to the floor. Your elbows will be at a 45 degree angle. Don't go below this position. YOu can do many more without tiring as soon. I do these with the grip that makes the palms of my hands facing _away_ in a military grip. YOu should see the tops of your hands, not the palms.

Also, traditional pushups are still the best. Also gives you the benefits of core strenght that planks give you. You can find a pair of those pushup handles that rotate.

Good luck.

[Eli Wurth]

Also, never do "traditional" pullups where you grip the bar with your palms facing you. Those are horrible for your elbows as well, and put too much unneeded strain on your arms and wrists in general.

Instead, think of the rings in gymnastics. Those are the best because they move freely to adjust to your movements. If you can do rings, what I do is a bought a couple of solid steel rings that you might find at an auto junkyard or surplus store, and slid them onto my chinup bar. This way I can at least keep my hands in the same position as if I was using gym rings. It's much safer for your wrists and elbows. Make sure they're big enough so your hand fits in them comfortably.
Cheers.

[Eli Wurth]

Sorry for the typos! lol I meant, "If you CAN'T do rings, what I did was I bought a pair of solid steel rings..."