How to help someone get started?

[Temple]

I have a friend who quit smoking about 6 weeks ago and has been walking an hour a day ever since and she wants to get with the rest of the program. I am guessing that her bfp is over 25%, 5'5" and about 155# and her idea of food at this point is pepsi and potato chips but she wants to go to a clean diet which I can help her with. My question is how many calories do you set a beginner up with, should I have her do the 2500 right out the gate to gain some lean mass? For her workout is 2-3 exercises per bodypart, 3-4 sets plus warmup on a three day split the place for her to start and should I have her go fairly light to get her muscles used to the movement and get her form down? If so how long before I tell her to start going heavier? Her hormones are really screwed up and she will be seeing her ob/gyn about a danazol script later this week - how will this effect her training as the side effects to this drug read like it is an AS but I can't tell from the drug profile.

[WarLobo]

For someone who is just getting into the game I always go slow. Ligaments and tendons take much longer to adapt to lifting stress. Many beginners see a rapid gain in muscle strength and then end up pulling/ripping them conective tissues. Ouch. If she has never lifted free weights, then get her started on the machines. This will also help prevent injury and alow her to progress.

Diet, of course, is key. And make sure you keep telling her it's going to take at least a year or longer. Most folks are under the impression that two or three months of lifting will get them that body no prob.

LAte

Lobo

[Temple]

This is another one of those home gym gals, barbells and dumbells, very basic exercises. I will caution her to go VERY slowly. How about calories to start with??? I don't want her to start packing on fat so should she go lower on cals until she is at full steam on her workouts?

[WarLobo]

This is always a very difficult call. Do you get her eating "like a cow" with five/six meals per day and delay the "scale" progress she will no doubt want to see. Or, do you back off on the total intake to help her keep motivated by seeing some results and BF loss. (I am assuming we will at least get her off the pop and chips here).

I base the approach I will take on how I see the clients mental state. The bottom line is we want to keep her in the game and make this a habit. And to do this we sometimes have to take a longer approach - one step back and two steps forward if you will. I will always default to the eating line a cow (that's how most every new lady I've trained describes how they feel) as in the longer run we build the muscle quicker. BUT, some women need to see them results or they just don't, or can't, justify the effort. It all comes down to knowing your friend and what your think will be the best road for her to take.

LAte

Lobo

[Temple]

Bulking takes such a HUGE leap of faith - there are still alot of times that I think y'all are stark raving crazy and then I look at the pics of gals like FC and N@GB and think maybe you know what you are talking about. The hormonal issue has her at a place where I don't think watching the scale climb is something she could get thru so what do you think of 2000 clean cals split between 6 meals, 4-1 hour am cardio plus 3-pm beginner weight sessions. I found the danazol listed as danocrine on the anabolix indes, it says it is non anabolic, slightly androgenic so will this help get rid of the estrogen related fat that she carries?

[Monster]

The only reasonable way to go is to try and gain some lean muscle. I wouldnt say a bulking diet, since when you start out youll make muscle gains regardless (just from adaptation to the newly introduced stress on the muscles).
The entire process of gaining some muscle is important in stimulating her metabolism back into action! Im sure her diet hasnt done much good for her, and a headlong jump into reduced calories could be detrimental!
Also, its easier to learning proper eating habits (i.e. clean) when you arent also learning reduced eating habits...
Im saying get her where shes gaining about a pound or so of lean muscle every week or so (it isnt hard) and stick with that for a few weeks, then when shes had a taste of a little discipline (in diet AND the gym) start working on a fat loss program.

-----------------------
"Ambition is a poor excuse for not having enough sense to be lazy"

"My existance is a ripple through time"

[retropump]

I absolutely agree with Monster. Just try to get her used to eating "properly" and training "properly" initially. See how thing go from there. But don't put her on a "diet" just yet. Make sure she understands the importance of eating enough, and of eating enough protein while reducing her carb intake. Also make sure she understands the importance of her wieght training in the overall scheme of things blah blah blah.

[Monster]

and I agree with retropump on the "blah, blah, blah!"
/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif

-----------------------
"Ambition is a poor excuse for not having enough sense to be lazy"

"My existance is a ripple through time"

[Temple]

Got it - Thanks! First she has to get the hormone thing straightened out, she has spent the last two days sitting on her couch crying, the diet and training should help with that but she has to have some medical intervention as well.