Hello!

[Mary-Animal]

Hi everyone,

After thinking about it for a while, have decided I want to commit to training and hopefully looking to compete next year. I'm a student in Dunedin but heading home to Wgtn for the summer. Have only been doing weights for a couple of months but am hoping to keep up the training over summer and then really get into it when I get back to dunedin at the start of next year. Wouldn't mind a training buddy for when im in wgtn if anyone else is looking for one?

My main motivation for getting into the sport is that I want to be a mentally and physically strong woman! I've found that doing weights has made me feel awesome and it is really addictive. so I am pretty amped on it! \:D/ \:D/

[Phedder]

Welcome Mary, I'm a student in Dunedin myself (Well, for 3 more days, then I'm FINISHED! :grin: ) I'm sure plenty of others will chime in on the places to train in Wellington, but if you're serious about competing next year you should definitely think about joining Sky Fitness if your budget allows it. Won best gym in the South Island at the Nabba Champs this year, with 25 or so athletes competing. Great atmosphere and plenty of people to train with, Phil and Shane take really good care of the bodybuilding team :nod:

Where are you currently training?

[teamfatboy]

Best of both worlds, Dunedin AND Wellington...

Choice of gym in Wellington depends where you are... if it's in town, Thorndon has CityFitness, everywhere has Less Miserables (ooops, I mean Les Mills)... the primo venue for weights/ powerlifting is, of course, Powerhouse, top of Taranaki Street, which has some strong women members.

If it's girl training partners you're looking for, probably easier to pick your gym then find one, 'cos (AFAIK) not many female bodybuilders from Wellington are active on here, or get in touch with a body-building Personal Trainers (I can send you a couple of names if you like) who might have some suggestions. The two I have in mind would probably be happy to give you some advice.

[Mary-Animal]

Cool thanks for all the advice guys!

Yes I have heard a lot of good things about Sky Fitness and will definately be considering that as an option for next year! I currently just train at Unipol with some male friends of mine (one of which has competed in bodybuilding). But definately going to get a trainer and look at joining somewhere next year. That gym on Taranaki St sounds like it could be the place for me for summer, I will have to look into it for sure!

Since I will just be training myself over summer.....I was almost toying with the idea of doing crossfit....any thoughts on this? Would that be beneficial since I'm pretty much starting from scratch in terms of weights training (base aerobic fitness already pretty good from running and other fitness). Or should I just stick with the traditional gym workouts?

[tomleegolf]

Please don't do Crossfit, please!

Seriously though, I think that one should only undertake Crossfit training after they have established a solid physical and strengh base with correct lifting technique, especially with the Olympic lifts. The reason for this is that even people that have lifted for years will experience form breakdown when fatigued and near failure. Imagine how bad a newbie's form would become.

Therefore, I would recommend that you hold off on the idea of Crossfit until you have become proficient in the various arts of hoisting weights.

Stay safe and welcome

[teamfatboy]

Actually, I'm not sure I agree with Tom...the one CrossFit box I'm familiar with (out in Petone) had some extremely proficient lifters and good coaches. It had a great atmosphere, very supportive and friendly, and some super fit women - front-squatting a bodyweight barbell for reps, which is wicked. They have an "on-ramp" programme that ensures lifter safety, and it seems to work. They ran a three-lift competition (squat, bench press, and "clean to overhead") and the vast majority of the competitors had great form.

If you're looking to compete next year, then a summer (2-3 months) of CrossFit, clean eating and some weights work for muscle growth (reps of 10-12/set) could help set a strong, lean, foundation for the new year.

[Mary-Animal]

Hmmm.....yes i haven't actually tried Cross Fit yet myself....but I have found that people tend to be either strongly for or against it....suppose I need to find out more and make up my own mind about it.

Thanks for all the advice though. This Forum is awesome and so helpful!

[teamfatboy]

Gave this a little thought and really, choosing the summer plan for a comp in July-Aug-Sept probably needs a bit of advice from someone who trains female competitors... do you lean down, aim to lay down some lean muscle first and then cut..

But for any doubt about what CrossFit can do for women, have a look at Miranda Oldroyd, Annie Thorisdottir, or some of the others. That would be a good base to start from :nod:

[Mary-Animal]

Thanks for your private message teamfatboy, just trying to figure out how to reply to it....apparently newbies cant send private messages?

But yes, more on the female specific training.... I am heading along to a 'Body building 101' seminar held at Les Mills next week so figure I will get some more info there anyway. But, do you think that females follow the same 'bulking and cutting' phases as men do? I am wanting to train for the Shape category. I am currently 165cm, 57kg. According to my Salter Bio-Impedence analysis scales....my body fat is sitting at 14%....although there is about 3-4% error associated with these so I could be anywhere up to around 18%. I am kind of unsure of what my focus should be at the moment....should I not worry about my fat and just try to build strength and put on muscle? and then can shed fat later? Or since it is a bit harder for females to get rid of fat, would I want to try and lose fat now? I am a sport nutrition student so feel i have a pretty good base knowledge of the nutrition that goes along with all of this....but just a bit unsure of the training goals for me when just starting out.

Also.....can you go too hard at the gym? Cos after my leg workout 2 days ago....where I did squats to failure....I am seriously sore haha!! like hobbling! This is good though right?

Anway.....I'm sure I could research these questions myself so only reply if you have time to take out of your busy lives

[teamfatboy]

Nearly there, you have to have posted 5 posts before you can PM...

The questions you ask about cutting and bulking are really ones you should put to a trainer - since it is (I understand) very variable... and also depends on which class you're competing in. S/he can have a good look and comment on what might suit.

The 101 will help with basics, but a lot will depend on what you're starting from - 14-18% is a lot better than most, but the key question's "What's under there?" - especially in the predictable abs/quads and other areas where women are pre-disposed to conserve bodyfat. Many competitors have lean, well-defined shoulders but soft smooth quads, simply because of the distribution of bodyfat.

Nutrition's key - but it's also very individual, and there's a fair amount of bro-science out there...

Oh, and GoFigure is helpful...