It’s April. Spring is here in the great white north (Toronto). 20’C predicted within days. Like kids at Christmas, wishing for the toys of choice. Most female trainees entertain thoughts of short shorts and lean legs by the May 24 weekend.
This is where boot camp classes begin to fill up early and sales of fat burners begin to climb. It seems everyone is starting to count their macros. Ladies, the big unveil is 6 weeks away and we’re guessing you’re reading this because you’d like a helping hand. Especially beyond compression garments and 3/4 twisting selfies with filters. It will always be about putting the person in training. We all respond to training, food selections, and supplementation with varying changes. But there are effective tools that seem to help all farewell.
Here’s a list of the top 3 things we use at OBF with a female client wanting to own her “Daisy Dukes”.
1. Avoid Environmental Estrogens
Coach Charles Poliquin first introduced this in his reputed BioSignature protocols. Women who have dominant fat storage in their hamstrings show an over-exposure to environmental estrogens. This comes with a difficulty detoxifying these estrogens.
Step one is to avoid exposure. Charles covers this all quite well in this blog: Top 10 Androgen Killers. To remove these harmful estrogens, try this method. Use the right quantity of elements such as Calcium D-Glucarate, DIM, Resveratrol, and ECGC (Green Tea Extract).
These elements are effective in shuttling the estrogens out of the body. We like Design for Health’s FemGuard + Balance for this and dose at 2 caps with 2 meals/day with weekends off to prevent the body from growing sensitive to the elements. Be sure to have an adequate fiber intake to trap the detoxified estrogens and carry them to the curb if you will.
2. Train with weights in high volume
Women tend to have a higher work capacity than men. They achieve fat loss at a faster rate when elevating GH rather than androgens. This makes metabolic conditioning ideal:
- This style of training has a high caloric expenditure.
- Muscles become emptied of glycogen, which improves carb tolerance.
- Lactate rises and GH elevates post-workout. (clinical pearl: dress warmly in the gym- get hot- sweat).
- This further raises GH as well and aids in fat loss.
- The system I like for this was developed by a great past mentor – Coach Vince Gironda (the Iron Guru). Vince would use a system called 8×8 where 2-3 exercises per body part were used for 8 sets of 8 reps. With this, rest was reduced in between sets from the 30s to as little as 15. This style of training isn’t about the weight lifted but rather the mind-muscle connection in the target muscle. Women tend to be very good at this.
A lower body workout might look like this:
HAMSTRINGS
A1. Leg Curl 8×8 4010 r. The 30s
B1. Barbell RDL’s 8×8 4010 r 30s
C1. 45′ Hyperextensions 8×8 1013 r30s
QUADRICEPS
A1. Leg Extensions 8×8 1013 r30s
B1. Split Squats 8×8 3010 r0s * one leg rests while the other trains
C1. Heels elevated front squats 8×8 4010 r.30s
CALVES
A1. Seated Calf Raises 8×20 1010 r30s (soleus does better with high reps)
B1. Standing Calf Raises toes out 8×8 1013 r30s
*Alternate the above routine with upper body workouts so that you perform 2-3x/week
3. Support Digestion for lean legs
When the gut is off, it looks off. The distended midsection, water retention… nothing that makes the body look lean or move athletic. This topic could be a very thick and dense book so here instead is an attempt at orderly bullets to consider:
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Eat foods that agree with you. Much credence is being given to eating ancestrally (what your grandparents ate). Akin to genetic programming to thrive on certain menus.
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This article in Macleans covers it beautifully: Eat Like Your Grandma, Why You Should Skip The Kale Salad.
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Support your stomach’s HCL. It’s not what we eat but also what we digest and absorb. We’re going to assume you chew your food, so think of the stomach enzymes as your next set of teeth. You don’t have to micro-manage with regular HCL tolerance testing but a capsule of HCL or Digestive Enzymes with each meal will go a long way. This will ensure you derive all the nutrients from the protein and good fats we know you are eating. Take it after your meal so the stomach is still coaxed into secreting its own first.
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Support your gut flora by taking a good probiotic mix (in the billions count) at breakfast and at dinner. Healthy intestinal bacteria means no gas or bloating and usually kills most food cravings. When you do allow starches in your fat loss diet, resistant starch is optimal, read about it here. This starch is a prebiotic or fertile soil for your probiotics to take hold and be effective as possible.
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Again – use fiber. Not only does it keep things moving, avoiding a backed up bloat but it also binds with the excess estrogens being secreted into the intestines and makes sure they are not absorbed. As simple as Metamucil works or rotate various high-quality fibers if you take a stronger holistic approach to your eating. It will help a lot!
So there you have it. It looks simple but doesn’t expect it to be easy at first. Anything worth doing rarely is. Consistency is the key and planning support sources will put that cherry on top of your efforts in continuity. Hiring a trainer, support from friends, fellow “Weight Watchers” and your Bootcamp buddies can keep you accountable and bring all the good to fruition. This way you can look awesome for Summer’s start and enjoy the beer, BBQ, patios, and beach. Just in time for September’s “Get Back In Shape” blog.
Contact OBF Gyms for a complimentary assessment to get started with one of our trainers today!