What's Wrong with My Workout Plan?!

Hi. I've been working out consistently for 9 months to be exact and I haven't seen any major results.

I work out securely 4 days a week, 1 day-upper with, 2nd day- lower, etc...

I would like more muscle definition with some mass, the only asset I have is a butt (lol) so I don't want to lose that while dieting (good dieting). Also, I can't get rid of the midsection.

I weigh125lbs, so I shouldn't be complaining...but I don't have much muscle definition or mass. however, I have noticed some muscle growing but there seems to be fat still on top which does not allow for the definition that I am looking for.

I love the hour glass figure and would love to keep that by not loosing the butt. How can i get the small waist and defined arms and defined legs without loosing the butt?

It's getting frustrating.

By nature and due to my good upbringing I eat pretty healthy.

However after reading several of your articles I realize what I needed to do differently. 6-8 meals a day.

However I'm not sure how to calculate how much protein I'm taking in per day. I understand now how much I HAVE to take, but don't know if I'm already taking in the sufficient amount.

I took a look at your chart but lowest weight you have listed there is for a person that weighs 170lbs. Would you please provide the details of a person that wieghs about 125lbs-130lbs.

Also, maybe some details on how much protein a chicken breast have, or fish fillet. i was told to eat about 6 pcs of chicken to keep up the protein intake.

plz help, I'm at point of giving up!

Thank you so much!

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Hello!! Thanks so much for your comments and questions!!

First off, I just want to commend you on your effort. It sounds like you've really kept yourself focused for a long period of time. Hopefully by now it's becoming more of a lifestyle than a chore...that's the whole idea!

There are a few things I'd like to bring up with regards to your post...

1) Being female
2) the workout routine
3) the chicken, food, etc.

1) Being female...

It's important to remember that females are genetically programmed to store more fat than men. The reason for this is that a sufficient amount of fat is required for the production of estrogens which regulate the menstrual cycle and help provide enough nutrition to a potential fetus (it's a survival mechanism).

I'm just saying that it's slightly more difficult for a female to lose pure fat and gain pure muscle, given the lower testosterone/estrogen ratio. Losing too much of your body fat will result in irregular, or even absent menstrual cycles (this usually occurs in an anorexic person with a BMI less than 17).

2) The workout routine...

It really looks like you're putting in a great effort to get that body you want. But there are a few things I'm noticing....

First of all, based on the results you're looking for, you need to add some cardio. What I'd suggest is alternating days between cardio and weight lifting This will allow for a sufficient amount of "calorie burning" while also strengthening your muscles. It's extremely important to balance cardio and weight lifting. In fact, the more variation in your workouts, the better results you'll get!!

As an extension, it's extremely easy to get into a "routine" that consists of the same exercises every time you do an "upper" and "lower" body workout. Just be sure you're adding plenty of variation to each routine. You don't want to hit a plateau, either a cardio plateau or a weight plateau. Here's what I mean by plateau...

3) Your diet...

One of the most important items that I purchased in the past with regards to nutrition is a food scale (I bought it from Wal-Mart). In this way, I was able to measure out exactly how many calories I was eating in each meal that I prepared. For example...I could measure out 5oz of chicken, 4oz of fish, etc etc and calculate calories/carbs/protein based on the nutrition facts on the package. This was initially my biggest problem with calorie, protein and carb counting. Problem solved!

Another little helpful tip is to eat fewer calories with each meal as you move through the day. For example, if you're diet includes 2400 calories/day, instead of splitting it into six 400 calorie meals, try starting high and moving downward...start with 600, then 500, 400, 400, 300, 200. This kind of setup is great because this is actually more representative of the pattern that your body will absorb food throughout the day. Furthermore, a larger percent of earlier meals should be complex carbs, while meals later in the day should be higher in protein. I don't want to make it too complicated, but it's just something to think about! After doing it for a while, you'll automatically start to memorize about how many calories/carbs/protein are in different types of foods. Trust me, it gets easier as you go.

Remember that there's no standard "formula" that everyone should use. It's based on how your body reacts. Change your diet and routine accordingly!

It's so so important to know exactly what you're putting into your mouth when you want that great body and a healthy lifestyle.

Now, as far as the chart goes, for each 5 lbs decreased, subtract 77 calories, 4g protein, 2g fat, and 11g carbs. So if you're 125 lbs....that means 2542 calories, 103g protein, 54g fat, 409g carbs.

I know I added you to the "weight gain" side because of your goals of losing fat and gaining muscle. Losing "weight" is something completely different and doesn't really reflect "fitness" very well. If you're losing fat and gaining muscle, you won't necessarily decrease your overall weight. The most accurate measurement is to use your body fat percentage, but I prefer to look in the mirror!

More muscle means you'll be able to burn more calories while you're resting and your basal metabolic rate will increase. Your total body fat percentage will therefore decrease and you'll get that definition you want.

It's a difficult thing to do because of the discipline that's required...but those are the basic ideas!!

Hope this helps...please write back if you have more questions!!!

Take care,

Ryan