SS: how did your body composition change?

[Squeen]

So I know that body composition changes aren't just program related and they they'll depend largely on individual genetic differences and also on diet. But, I'm gonna ask anyway....and would especially love to hear back from some women:

After going through the SS program (say for at least a few months), how did your body composition change?

I've been wanting to start SS for months now and keep coming up with excuses about how I might not like the physical changes it'll bring. The thing is that I've gotten pretty lean and I'm enjoying how it looks. My strength has a ways to improve but I'm thinking if I put myself through SS for a few months, I'm gonna need to eat a lot more if I want to have those strength gains that the program can bring which will also = getting a bit soft and visibly less lean.
I'm tired of doing random shit in the gym for the past few months as I 'wait' to start SS. So I need to get on a program ASAP.

Is it just a matter of me sucking it up and accepting that if I want to get stronger, I'm not gonna look as good/lean in the process?

Thanks.

ETA: I forgot to add....I read this (http://startingstrength.com/articles...n_rippetoe.pdf) and Rip goes on and on about examples of how YNDTP. But he seems to be talking about males only. What kind of standards should I be looking at for a female? The examples of the gains he give for the squat seem impossible for a female. Right now, the max I can squat is 1xBW for 5 reps which is 130lb (height 5'8).

[Eric Larousse]

So I know that body composition changes aren't just program related and they they'll depend largely on individual genetic differences and also on diet. But, I'm gonna ask anyway....and would especially love to hear back from some women:

After going through the SS program (say for at least a few months), how did your body composition change?

I've been wanting to start SS for months now and keep coming up with excuses about how I might not like the physical changes it'll bring. The thing is that I've gotten pretty lean and I'm enjoying how it looks. My strength has a ways to improve but I'm thinking if I put myself through SS for a few months, I'm gonna need to eat a lot more if I want to have those strength gains that the program can bring which will also = getting a bit soft and visibly less lean.
I'm tired of doing random shit in the gym for the past few months as I 'wait' to start SS. So I need to get on a program ASAP.

Is it just a matter of me sucking it up and accepting that if I want to get stronger, I'm not gonna look as good/lean in the process?

Thanks.

ETA: I forgot to add....I read this (http://startingstrength.com/articles...n_rippetoe.pdf) and Rip goes on and on about examples of how YNDTP. But he seems to be talking about males only. What kind of standards should I be looking at for a female? The examples of the gains he give for the squat seem impossible for a female. Right now, the max I can squat is 1xBW for 5 reps which is 130lb (height 5'8).

You should look at the strength classification chart for females. Google it I believe the website is exexstrengthstandards.com or something. No this is not true the program will not make you fat if you do it correctly.

[51M0n]

You should look at the strength classification chart for females. Google it I believe the website is exexstrengthstandards.com or something. No this is not true the program will not make you fat if you do it correctly.

The program won't make you fat, but lets not fool ourselves, if you are relatively lean going in and eating like the program demands, then you are going to come out of it a bit less lean. But you shouldn't need to fat-fuck yourself, particularly if you're a woman because females aren't going to make the same mass gains as a male would make due to the lack of T.

[Tamara Reynolds]

If you equate looking good to being lean, then that is the first hurdle.

I'm also 5'8 and I looked terrible at 132 lbs. I chose to stop my novice progression weighing around 150 lbs with a low bar squat of 3x5x193 lbs and 1x220 lbs.

I weigh more than that now, but I also look better, and I lift a lot more. You don't have to weigh what I weigh, but it also depends on your goals. You either want to get stronger or you don't. You're in control of your bodyweight and you are in control of the weight on the bar.

This video has some typical lifts of a few of the women from my gym this week:
Mine - 151.8 lb snatch and 239.8 lb high bar squat @ 162 lbs bodyweight
Amy - 110 lb clean and jerk and 92.4 lb snatch @ 105 lbs body weight (she squats over 145 lbs high bar ATG at that bodyweight)
Miriam - 3 x 260 lb deadlift @ 130 lbs body weight (she squats 230 lbs at that bodyweight)

If anyone here thinks the three of us (or any of the women at my gym) have fat fucked themselves, well, then I find that view delusional...

[t0rment]

Use one of those nifty calculators out there to find how many calories you need to maintain your weight. Add 250-500 calories. If you're getting too fat, lower that number. If you're stalling and weight is the same or going down, raise that number.

[t0rment]

If anyone here thinks the three of us (or any of the women at my gym) have fat fucked themselves, well, then I find that view delusional...

Some people, when left to their own devices, will eat enough to make themselves fat, especially when they're focused on eating for strength, no matter how hard they train.

[Squeen]

You should look at the strength classification chart for females. Google it I believe the website is exexstrengthstandards.com or something. No this is not true the program will not make you fat if you do it correctly.

Not sure if I found what you are talking about exactly but I just found charts that give certain weights lifted for various lifts (for females) and then categorize them into novice/intermediate/advanced or decent/good/advanced. I'm more wondering about rates of progress. I really don't think I'm going to be able to add 10 lbs per week to my DL. As an example today I did some DLing and did (all sets of 5, except first set warmup of 10 reps): 135, 155, 175, 175, 185, 185, 185. Unless I go to triples or singles I'm pretty sure my form would fail at more than that. I have to read the programming rules again but IIRC, I'd start with much less than that anyway to avoid early stalling.

The program won't make you fat, but lets not fool ourselves, if you are relatively lean going in and eating like the program demands, then you are going to come out of it a bit less lean. But you shouldn't need to fat-fuck yourself, particularly if you're a woman because females aren't going to make the same mass gains as a male would make due to the lack of T.

Thanks. I guess I just want to be realistic and not lie to myself about 1) how my composition may change and 2) how much I need to eat. Also, I don't want to screw up the program with thinking things like "well yeah I want to get stronger but I wont increase my calories all THAT much because I want to stay lean". I don't want to be the idiot crying the blues that the program didn't work when really I didn't have the right expectations.

[Kregna]

More fat, more muscle. Standard, I believe

[Kregna]

Tbone have you ever posted in a topic and not included videos of yourself?

[Squeen]

Use one of those nifty calculators out there to find how many calories you need to maintain your weight. Add 250-500 calories. If you're getting too fat, lower that number. If you're stalling and weight is the same or going down, raise that number.

They don't seem to work for me. They always recommend way less I'm eating and not gaining or losing. I tracked on MyFitness Pal for a few months to see what my maintenance was and it seemed to be around 2500-2800 and according to the calculators it should be less.

Some people, when left to their own devices, will eat enough to make themselves fat, especially when they're focused on eating for strength, no matter how hard they train.

Gotcha.

If you equate looking good to being lean, then that is the first hurdle.

I'm also 5'8 and I looked terrible at 132 lbs. I chose to stop my novice progression weighing around 150 lbs with a low bar squat of 3x5x193 lbs and 1x220 lbs.

I weigh more than that now, but I also look better, and I lift a lot more. You don't have to weigh what I weigh, but it also depends on your goals. You either want to get stronger or you don't. You're in control of your bodyweight and you are in control of the weight on the bar.

This video has some typical lifts of a few of the women from my gym this week:
Mine - 151.8 lb snatch and 239.8 lb high bar squat @ 162 lbs bodyweight
Amy - 110 lb clean and jerk and 92.4 lb snatch @ 105 lbs body weight (she squats over 145 lbs high bar ATG at that bodyweight)
Miriam - 3 x 260 lb deadlift @ 130 lbs body weight (she squats 230 lbs at that bodyweight)

If anyone here thinks the three of us (or any of the women at my gym) have fat fucked themselves, well, then I find that view delusional...

Thanks. I'm not saying that everyone needs to look lean to look good, it's just what I prefer for myself. I guess everybody has their own idea of what is attractive. To tell the truth I wouldn't mind gaining some weight. I really couldn't give a rat's ass what the scale says, but I do want it to look good whatever the number is, KWIM?

Pretty much every time I squat I get so pissed off that my squat #s are so low. Maybe I spend too much time looking up what other people squat at my weight and it intimidates me because my squats suck big time. So then I leave the gym pissed off, telling myself I need to eat more and that maybe if I gain a bit more weight I'll be able to squat more. And I just can't make it happen. Maybe I'm underestimating how much MORE actually is. Or I'm a pussy and would rather keep the ripped abs than add 50lbs to my squat.

I really appreciate all the advice. I'll check out the video now...