Hello, Elaine.
Got a bit sidetracked here, and I'm concerned I'm going off the wrong way. What I have needs serious review and revision, so it's not "program ready" yet. This is a start point, intended to get everyone more active throughout the day, which helps us go slightly ketogenic (fat-burning). Coupled with correct diet, it would likely work. I don't have the insulin part down at all; it's "easy" in one sense, and impossible in another. During the womanly period part, use Testosterone and food manipulation to make the body consume muscle mass and male-pattern fat more than the female-specific fat. Use periods of high estrogen with a high insulin level (think carbs and fat together, and a little over-eating) to store the fat "selectively" in female patterns.
So, Luteal phase would be hard, heavy workouts, for hours, with limited protein in the "anabolic window" (usually half hour or so after working out; just means that you'll have some catabolism, or breakdown, of muscle tissues during that time, but protein and some simple sugars stop that, and make the body start rebuilding instead.) This would work to reduce muscle. It's also a low-carb eating period, and NO SUGARS. Fruit, too. Creamers. Starbucks liquid candy bars. Etc. Manage stress (Cortisol causes gut fat.)
Follicular phase would then be rougher still, with higher than "normal" estrogen, and a high-fat, high-carb (fruits and sugars) diet. High E makes the body deposit fat on breasts and hips, but also rear triceps (upper back of arm), and "pooch". OK if you're bony, not so much if you're already rotund...
Training during this phase we'd want to try lighter weights for reps (toning), but long duration (with lots of off days, too, to avoid repetitive stress injuries.)
But that all feels like I'm going HARDCORE MAN on this problem....
So I'm a little defeated, in a sense.
Further, here's the exercise information: (I started this and had to reconsider, it's here to assist to my best ability, and we refine going forward.)
Hi, Elaine, and everyone.
Back from Thanksgiving week.... Spent time with Mom. She liked having someone else in the house.
But, I got no real time to correctly manage things, do research, etc.
So no document, but list of exercises, and I'll refine it this week further.
Focuses are:
- Fat burning
- Butt building
- Flexibility and versatility
Daily:
Heels walk:
Walk on treadmill (or outside) for at least 1 mile, before eating in the morning (burns fat directly, no glycogen in the muscles) [You can conceal women's heels inside men's boots, possibly hi-top sneakers as well - so you can practice walking in heels with no one the wiser...] (Try for an hour at 3.0 pace, objective is slow and continuous, unless you need to burn muscle.)
Jogging:
Try to do 30 minutes of jogging daily, it will get the musculature to "break down" from the masculine hardness. See this:
https://www.t-nation.com/training/jogging-delusion
Stretching:
Just listing these; need to flesh it out further.
1
Perform two sets of hip flexor stretches for sixty-second static holds, progressing deeper into the stretch as time ensues.
2
Stretch the butt by crossing one leg over the other, at a 90 degree angle, and pulling it up towards your chest or head. This means:
Lie on back.
Place right leg over left leg, crossing your right ankle onto your left knee.
Your legs should resemble a figure-4.
Bring the left leg UP to be perpendicular to the floor.
Left leg can bend at knee, as long as the right ankle stays locked on the left knee.
Hold for at least 2 30-second counts per leg, & alternate legs. You should feel a SLIGHT pull in your butt, Gluteus Maximus. DO NOT force it.
3.
Hamstring stretch
A. Legs together, Touch your toes. [Place hands on knees if needed; push to keep knees STRAIGHT, but not hyperextended. Relax into the stretch. Use hands on knees for support of upper body as needed.] Hold 30 seconds.
B. Spread legs apart to should width. Stretch as above, to right foot; then, to left foot. Hold each of those stretches 30 seconds. Repeat, trying to stretch JUST a little farther. Try also to keep spine straight (neutral).
C. Russian Split: [BE CAREFUL, do NOT do this where you can slide. E.G., no socks on carpet or waxed floors!]
Push legs as far apart as you comfortably can. Hold body erect for 30 seconds, then lean forward, hands on ground to support upper body, 30 seconds. Then, try to reach to left ankle/foot, and hold for 30 seconds. Repeat to right ankle/foot. Return to center for 30 seconds. return torso upright.
Try to settle your legs a tiny bit farther apart, hold for 30 seconds, and if possible, if you feel safe, try the center stretch, and the side stretches, again. DO NOT PUSH TOO HARD ON THIS ONE, you can get badly hurt. Nothing like a torn adductor or hamstring, or achilles tendon to put a damper on fitness and breast growth, both!
Sit back on your butt, and spread the legs - still continuing the Russian split.
Bring ear to knee on each side, stretching the sides. Hold for 30 seconds each side. This is a seated side bend while doing a "sort of" split, unless you're REALLY flexible.
4
Calf stretch:
Given the heels walk, make it a point to stretch the achilles tendon at least once every day. Better to do some more, unless you want to wear heels all the time. If the tendon starts to shrink, it'll be the devil in hell to get it back to normal length.
- Stand on a step or curb, with heels hanging off the edge, and hold on to a fixed structure.
- Let the heels descend as low as possible, & hold for 30 seconds. Do one leg at a time.
- Alternate: If there's an issue with that version, you can use a book or brick or similar, and stand on the ground, while placing your weight on both legs. One foot is flat, one foot has toes elevated on the book/brick/whatever. Twist hips slightly (like a degree, minor twist) to engage the muscles a little more, the pressure should be along the back of the calf, down the achilles tendon.
Three times a week:
Build the butt: rest 30 seconds between sets
(Note, you can also do situps between these exercises to pull blood into the abs. When combined with aerobic-paced lifts, it should help whittle the middle a little faster.)
Squats: 1 sets X 10 reps, more sets if possible
- Do a Box Squat rather than regular barbell squats
- Box Squat has you push your butt out to sit back. This will hit the butt more than a standard vertical barbell squat, where you go down, then explode out of the hole.
- Start with body weight
- Clench the butt a bit, engage the butt and leg muscles, and engage the abs.
- Sit back to the box, which should be at a height just below where your legs are parallel to the floor
- Squeeze the butt muscles at the "sit" point, then return to standing.
- Slow, controlled motions
- See
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/build-sh...dlift.html for more info on the "butt goes back" form.
"Front squats" (Actually, Goblet squats): 1 set of 10 reps, more if possible
- Women tend to be a bit quad-dominant, which changes their motions and physique. We'll emulate that....
- Grab a "decent" weight. Try for a 10-pound barbel or kettlebell.
- Perform a Goblet Squat (Keeps the weight forward - you DO NOT stick your butt out here! Just straight up and down.)
- Keep abs tight during the movement
- Try to "explode" upwards, but drop down to the ground slowly (This is an eccentric, or negative, motion - has the best strength gains, BTW.)
Butt-specific exercises:
Drawing from this article:
https://www.t-nation.com/training/dispel...glute-myth
Do 1 set of each: (1 set 10 reps)
Glute Bridge (Squeeze butt at top)
Bird Dog (Squeeze butt at full extension)
Fire Hydrant (aka Dirty Dog) (See
http://www.livestrong.com/article/101159...ter-booty/, it’s also on the t-Nation site.)
Hip Thrust (engages the most butt muscles, so great hypertrophy here; see the t-nation article.)
Stretch the butt after that series. Legs straight forward, try to hug the knees with arms going under the legs, and legs remaining on floor. I.E., head to knees, try to get a bend at the hips, not the waist. It's actually pretty tough, and gets moreso as you're ... Well, like me, too effing fat. ;-)
Also do a brief hip flexor stretch, and then go to a hamstring stretch: From hip flexor stance, front leg goes to a heel out, toe up position; hold for 30 seconds. Repeat on other side.
Go to side lunges or speed skaters to get the Gluteus Medius.
See:
http://www.livestrong.com/article/101159...ter-booty/
Side lunges should be included either way, for strength of the legs. It'll make a stronger ankle and knee.
Speed Skaters require a slick surface, which is usually available at a gym, but not sure about "improvising" it. I'm nervous about a tile floor and socks, for example, so be careful.
Crescent Kicks:
See
http://www.livestrong.com/article/101159...ter-booty/, it's #6.
Sumo Squats: 1 set of 10
- Uses the butt nicely, so we can build it a little more.
- Use a 10-pound dumbbell if possible, or even 10 pounds each arm
- Slow, quality reps.
- Wide stance on the legs, they should be as close to the plane of the body as you can manage, and feet wider than shoulders, wider the better.
- Keep back straight, grasp weights at the bottom of the movement, which is also the Start position.
- Stand up using the butt to pull you upright. Think like an ape: Back goes up, arms follow. Weights are just along for the ride.
Situps: 1 set of 12
(Can be done between the other exercises, too, to help whittle the middle more.)
- Keep legs flat on floor, extended. Cross arms across the chest, right hand to left shoulder, left hand to right shoulder.
- Tense/tighten the abs.
- “Sit up.” You’ll likely feel the tension in your abs, but a pull in the upper legs or hips. Hip muscles are heavily engaged, don’t worry about it. Don’t worry about rounding the back, that’s normal and acceptable. Pulling the head is NOT, which is why I say to cross the arms on your chest.
- This one’s a marathon, NOT a sprint. Slow negatives, as you return to the floor, are great. They’ll keep the muscles under tension longer, which makes for a stronger muscle. BUT, this can also build size – so keep a close watch here.
- If you have a half-roller or small swiss ball (Not sure the exact name), you can elevate the hips a little, which gives you a better chance to lengthen the abs and go into negative territory. This will give you a better ab section, by ending the tension in a slightly stretched state.
Leg raise NEGATIVES: 1 set of 15
I’m sure there’s a name for this, but I don’t know it.
- Lie on back on ground or bench.
- Bring knees to chest, bending legs.
- Straighten legs up in the air, make them perpendicular to the ground.
- Lower the legs slowly.
Vaccuum: Start at 1 rep, 5 seconds. Build to sets of 5-10, and try to hold without air for a longer duration, too.
- Start supine on the floor, lying on back.
- Exhale all air from the lungs
- Draw the abs to the back, while pulling the diaphragm as if inhaling. DO NOT breathe in – the purpose is to contract the ab muscles and keep them tight, while pulling inwards. This will keep a tight midsection all the time.
- Advanced forms:
- While sitting, as above.
- While standing, as above.
Waist twists: 20 to each side
As Pinnocchia said elsewhere, a broom handle or bar across the back, and twist from side to side, try to stretch to each side.
I also see an excellent routine from Pom back on the early pages (Page 1, bottom) of the Exercise thread:
http://www.fitnessmagazine.com/workout/b...es/?page=1
I see I’m on 7 pages, I think I’m overdoing it. But I think this should serve to get us into excellent condition, and focus on what we want most to grow, while also allowing for the fact we don’t work like our idolized feminine counterparts… We need to do more work, in some ways, to build the weaker spots.
+++++
Adding more still:
I think we want to avoid a "roulette wheel" of exercises.
E.G., Yoga Monday, Tabata Tuesday, Weights Wednesday, Cardio Thursday, Pilates Friday. Hard to make progress that way. By incorporating the habits into daily life, we get fitter overall, without killing ourselves on any given day. And we'll elevate metabolism more, alleviate boredom, probably make a much better body... but will it be feminine?
And what then are the pitfalls we don't know about? E.G., we get the muscles to break down, and starve them for a bit, and then when they do recover... Will we be too weak going into the next Luteal (or follicular) phase? How do we make sure we're OK? Just use light weights? Take a gamble? (Not fond of gambles.)
How do you feel about multiple short exercise periods in the day? E.G., Get up, do "exercises", go to work; at lunch, take a break and "exercises", and then back to work with lunch; then, after work, "exercises", dinner, time off, "exercises", bed. that's looking kind of regimented, very disciplined.
And even if each exercises session is only 15 minutes, it's an hour a day, and we still need to vary things through the week, and then change it up for the phase shifts.... :-P
I'll keep pondering it. For now, keep doing squats, go for slow and controlled box squats, as mentioned above, and Sumo squats.
Diet needs to shift to more vegetables, but red meat is necessary during that Luteal phase (even for us). We'll be chewing up blood during that time, too, with heavy lifts and some unhappy muscles.
I also don't have a good idea on putting dance in the program, and belly dance would be GREAT for us, as it opens the hips and promotes feminine movement...
I'll keep digging and assembling.
-Jean
I'm not "an expert", I only have some 25+ years reading and doing. And this IS a niche market, anyway... ;-)
