Should my wife train like me?

[Loomer]

I think my wife is hot, but she wants to lose some fat and put on some lean muscle. I'm not sure the routine she should follow to get there. First off, here are some of the issues:

1. She works busily 10 hours a day and barely gets in one meal during all that time. I try to get her to eat breakfast but she usually skips it. I always cook dinner and make it pretty healthy, but I can't make every meal for her!

2. She suffers from the "I don't want to get big" mentality. Can she train as I do (each major muscle group once a week) and still look lean and not massive?

3. She is stuck in her old aerobics training methods, low weights high reps, minimal resistance, unknown amount of sets.

Basically what I'm asking is, should she be training like me? Should she be eating 6 times a day, taking creatine and protein shakes, working out 4-5 days/week, each day a different muscle group? What should she be eating? What weight and rep routines should she doing? What kind of cardio and how much?

Your help is so appreciated!

 

[Pink Space Biscuit]

Yes! She should also start packing a lunch. Oh and read the women and weights myth sticky up above.

 

[Daisy_Girl]

Yes!

Women can DEFINATELY train like men! She will never get "big" like men - hell, most men don't get that big (naturally). The vast majority of women (like 98%) don't have the hormones men do to grow. Lifting heavy weghts, low reps, etc will make her much leaner, more defined and that is definately a sexy look! I usually aim to hit each body part 1-2x a week. My split changes depending on my schedule that week - some weeks I have more time to workout. Upper body is usually 2x a week, legs usually 1-2x a week. But my legs build and maintain muscle very easy, and my upper body loses muscle as soon as I walk out of the gym.

BUT....

She has to start eating! If she is eating once a day, even twice a day, no amount of weight training or cardio will help her look better. Your body needs fuel to build muscle, it needs fuel to function properly. She'll never put on any lean body weight without eating, and I doubt she'll lose much more fat, without feeding her body!

Protein shakes are totally safe for her and a really good way to get a meal in if she is busy. They are easily transported, stored and quick to drink. She can try a couple and see which one she likes. Most supplement stores will sell single packets. For me, I like EAS Myoplex Lite Tropical Flavors, they are the least chalky tasting to me. As far a creatine, IMO I don't think she needs it. As far as I know, it isn't a weight loss supplement. From what I understand, it can help increase strength and make you retain water like crazy. If I were her, I'd skip the creatine and spend my money on more protein or a good fatburner or more "real" food. But I'm no expert on creatine, maybe someone else can help.

I am usually out of the house all day too - with work, grad school and the gym. On many days I leave the house at 8am and come home at 9:30pm. I depend on protein shakes, protein bars (not so much in the summer - they melt like crazy here in Vegas!). Canned meat (tuna, chicken) is also easy. So is fruit. Eating "on the run" is very simple, it just takes some planning and dedication. And she HAS to do it if she wants results. Everyone is busy, and excuses are easy to make. She has to really want to do this for herself.

And she should come to this board for more info - all the women here are helpful and she can get some good info!

 

[Sassy69]

Two things you can do first:
1) Determine if YOUR WIFE wants to lose some fat or if she's happy with herself as is
2) If she wants to change her shape, is she willing to re-educate herself on diet and training and make the adjustments to her lifestyle to get those results.

If the answers are positives to the above questions, I'd say either get her on the boards so she can read the stickies at the top of the board or print them out for her to read. Sounds like she has to have some basic beliefs shattered in order to get results. If she isn't converted after reading the stickies, get her on here to ask any questions she has.

Good luck!

 

[Loomer]

If she were happy with herself, I wouldn't bother being here. Like I said, I'm perfectly happy with her body But her confidence is important. Thanks for the replies ladies, I'll lay it out for her tonight and let her decide. Too bad she isn't into the internet, you could straighten her out yourselves. Maybe I'll give that a shot too!

 

[Bikini Mod]

Simple answer to a simple question:

YES!