The woman in the pic did HIIT cardio 3x per week and she lifted weights. The BFL lifting style goes for heavy weights, too. Her stats don't say, but my guess is she lost maybe 12 lbs of fat and gained 2-5 lbs of muscle. At your height, 132 lbs of lean is probably near your max for your body unless you do some really outrageous strength training or put yourself on 'juice'. Translation, if you gain any more mass, it's not likely to be a lot. It's the fat loss you really need then.

Keep in mind - training to run long distances and resistance training are a little at cross purposes. You *might* want to consider doing your marathon first, or keeping an eye on the resistance training to make sure it doesn't interfere with your endurance training.

Sounds like I need to pick up the BFL book at the library too

See, that's just it. Once you go through the "newbie phenomenon" of gaining a lot of muscle in the first year or so of lifting, it's unbelievably hard for women to gain much more, no matter HOW much we lift (and TRUST me - I'm trying!). We just get leaner. The more heavy lifting we do, the more we have to repair these big muscles we've built and the higher our metabolisms go while doing these repairs.

That's what I've been noticing, anyway.

And Vanity, our measurements are actually quite similar in the lower body. Upper, my arm are a few inches bigger, and lower, my thighs are an inch bigger than yours. I've been concentrating on building up my upper body so my proportions look more balanced. Plus, I LOVE getting stronger.

Caveat on BFL - the diet isn't low carb. That's a whole other round of decisions you will have to make. *grins* Ain't life a B, sometimes?

If you want, you can do the training and stay on a low carb diet. I just don't want you to think I'm at all trying to talk you out of training for your marathon, ok?

I wouldn't dare leave my LC lifestyle not for anyone. I want to read the BFL book for more exercise tips than anything. I'm still going to train for this marathon, it means too much to me, I just need to know that kind of training as far as weights I need to be doing as well and what my over all workout should be even after this race. I'm not likely to run many more marathons after this, my ultimate goal is fitness!

I think this is very cool that you're doing this, and I agree - focus on the one thing for now, prepare for the next. When this challange has become a reality for you (OMG how cool to be able to say you've run a MARATHON!), it will be the right time to devote yourself for the next challange.

VERY exciting vanity

Good point Friday...now what is HITT cardio? Anybody??

glad you agree. i know plenty of people who are still healthy and maintain 12-13%. i actually know a woman who is naturally that lean.

yes and no. i still have a slightly bigger bottom than upper but i look hella better BECAUSE of the way that the added muscle filled me out. when i diet down i have to be careful not to lose upper body muscle (that's where it comes off us pears first) because then it emphasises my birthing hips. i build up my upper body for an X shape... so yes i'm still a pear, but the added muscle hides it.

so yeah... if vanity lost muscle it would start coming from her upper body first and she'd just end up looking disproportionate.

and yes i started training heavy as a result of being so tiny and not liking how that looked.

intervals. high intensity 1-2min lighter 1-2 min, etc.... for about 20 mins or so.

HIIT cardio - high intensity, interval training. That means you go pretty much all out for a minute or two, then relax to a walk/jog for a minute or two. Repeat til you hit 20 mins. Also called wind sprints. Some bikes/treadmills or other cardio machines will have an 'Interval' setting. Warning: the first week to 10 days that you do intervals, you will HATE them, or at least I did. It gets easier/better/less annoying.

HIIT, btw, also disproportionately takes its fat burning from the midsection. I've read the research but can't remember the links. I think Trainer Dan might have 'em.

I'm an hourglass, too, btw. Busty, round hips, teeny waist - at least when I'm thin.

stepmill anyone?

midsection, eh? didn't know that!

I had this thought, about the glucose-burning mode.

I actually did a LOT of cardio when I started low-carbing because it made sense to do so (ie fat-burning), and it seemed to work well, initially, but then I just got "stuck". My upper body leaned out nicely, six pack abs etc, but the fatty deposits on my hips and legs from YEARS of being overweight and doing ALL the wrong things have basically settled in as "damage".

I actually had to cut back most of my cardio earlier this year because it was interfering with my body composition - basically, eating away my upper body muscle, and my legs weren't getting ANYWHERE. And I couldn't shake the fluff off my abs that I gained last fall when I bulked (deliberately), even when I did induction for a month.

Now that I've dropped a lot of my cardio and focussed on my lifting, I am starting to see my quads thorough the fat, and my abs are almost back.

So, given what you now know about my history and training and diet, what would you suggest for someone like me to drop what's left of my lower body, estrogenic fat (and I like my big leg muscles, so I'm not trying to drop that part) that won't make me lose the pipes? Keep in mind, for me, it's not "shape" I'm after, but an even distribution of body fat, which I still do not have.

Sorry for the threadjack Vanity - I'm hoping selfishly that this might be relevant for you too.

bump for an answer to Built question...as I am cut of the same cloth as she !!

Deanna,

One final thought from me. If you want Janet Jackson's body, try working out like Janet Jackson does.

I don't know her entire routine, but I do know a BIG part of it:

Hours and hours of continuous rhythmic dance practice.

So, HIT THE DANCE FLOOR, big time!!

If you want a dancer's body, work out like a dancer.

You could even email her through her fan club and ask her what her exercise routine is, she would probably be honored.

J