new to lifting. help!

Okay, so i am 23 y/o, small frame, 5'2'' and currently 121 lbs (bmi of 21 or so). my start weight was about 140. i'm getting close to my goal of anywhere between 110-115. i've been eating between 1200-1300 cals a day, careful to get enough fiber & a pretty good ratio of protein/carbs/fat. i have my burn meter set on sedentary because i work in an office 9-5 (my sedentary burn is about 1510 per day) i do however run on the treadmill for about 30 mins at a time at least 4 times per week. my daily deficit is generally between 600-800.

since i am trying to lose the last 10 or so lbs i think it's time to incorporate weight training into my routine. i've done abs all along but never any significant resistance training to speak of. with the help of my bf, i've come up with a routine (see below - it's a 3day cycle & after about 2 wks of this, the reps increase & rest time decreases)

DAY 1

Superset 1

Back – One Arm Dumbbell Row
15-20 Reps each arm, 2 Sets
90 Second Rest

Chest – Push-Ups
15-20 Reps, 2 Sets
90 Second Rest

Superset 2

Back – Dumbbell Pullover
15-20 Reps, 2 Sets
90 Second Rest

Chest – Dumbbell Flys
15-20 Reps, 2 Sets
90 Second Rest

Superset 3

Biceps – Dumbell Curls
15-20 Reps each arm, 2 Sets
90 Second Rest

Triceps – Lying Dumbbell Triceps Extension
15-20 Reps, 2 Sets
90 Second Rest

Superset 4

Biceps – Hammer Curls
15-20 Reps each arm, 2 Sets
90 Second Rest

Triceps – Overhead Dumbbell Triceps Extension
15-20 Reps, 2 Sets
90 Second Rest

DAY 2

Superset 1

Thighs – Dumbbell Squats
15-20 Reps, 2 Sets
90 Second Rest

Hamstrings – Lunges
15-20 Reps, 2 Sets
90 Second Rest

Superset 2

Thighs – Ballet Squats
15-20 Reps, 2 Sets
90 Second Rest

Hamstrings – Stiff Legged Deadlifts
15-20 Reps, 2 Sets
90 Second Rest

Superset 3

Calves – Dumbbell Calf Raises (One Leg)
15-25 Reps, 2 Sets
90 Second Rest

Shoulders – Dumbbell Shoulder Press
15-20 Reps, 2 Sets
90 Second Rest

Superset 4

Calves – Dumbbell Calf Raises (Two Legs)
15-25 Reps, 2 Sets
90 Second Rest

Shoulders – Bent-Over Lateral Raises
15-20 Reps, 2 Sets
90 Second Rest

DAY 3
Abs &/or REST DAY

Basically, are there any adjustments that i should make to this routine/does it sound well rounded enough? i know he based it on info from a body sculpting book for men, so is there anything i should be doing differently as a woman? also, most importantly i guess, how will incorporating this into my routine affect what i should be eating? i'm sure you all will tell me i need to eat more. but i do still want to lose weight (just while firming & toning up my belly, back & arms). i'm very new to all of this so be gentle with me! thanks in advance for your help!

It seems pretty good, but there are a lot of isolation exercises that really don't seem to be necessary.  Triceps and biceps get worked just fine when you do pushups and rows, pullovers and such.

And I'm not sure how important it is to target calves if you are doing deadlifts and lunges, they get worked just fine. 

Basically I like supersets 1 and 2 of each day, but 3 and 4 just seem like wated time if you have worked hard on the first 2. 

Lastly it says reps increase after a couple of weeks?  So you are going to go from 15-20 to what???  I would decrease reps after a couple of weeks.  Like to 10-12 and then to 6-8 and then maybe cycle back through.  Increase weight, decrease reps. 

thanks! that makes sense - that might have been what he said too i probably just misunderstood. i'm starting out with 10 lb dumbbells which are definitely heavy enough for now. the flys are really hard, everything else so far seems manageable. and it's good to know i can cut out those repetative supersets if i'm short on time some days. thanks again!

anyone have diet advice?

For your diet, I'd recommend not having as high a deficit - 500 max. What do you consider "a good ratio of prot/fat/carbs"?

I agree with karozel that there's too much isolation and redundancy...

You don't need to train any different than a man would, but you might want to start on a professionally made routine - New Rules of Lifting for Women or Starting Stength would both be good (both of them are books). NROLFW also gives nutritional advice.

In your plan, I'm not sure why the vertical push (shoulder press) is separated from the other upper body exercises. I've seen some plans that group shoulders with legs so that you can do combo moves that incorporate both, but I think if you are going to, you might as well do a full body routine, and have a full 48 rest between workouts.

generally i aim for 20/20/50 (prot/fat/carb). as far as the workout is concerned, i wanted to avoid having to buy books & things like that since i have some resources (like you guys) to tap into already. thanks for your response!

Well, I think both are excellent books that say a lot more than most of us can get across via the forums. Plus, with both, the information they provide is a lot more consistent than the barage of posts you can find on here suggesting god-knows what as "the only way to lose fat"

Plus, Starting Strength gives very detailed info on how to do the basic lifts, that go beyond anything you are going to find on here. I think the mod (melkor) has said that Rippetoe's explanations on squats and deadlifts are 2nd only to having him teach you in person.

But I understand not wanting to buy more - maybe check your library?

As for your ratios.... I think 10% is missing. Maybe 30% fat?

if your aiming to perhaps retain the muscle mass you have whilst keeping a calorie deficit you may find that shifting your macros slightly so that you consume a little more protein may be beneficial. this will ensure that you retain the muscle mass you have. however putting aside any newbie gains you will not gain any muscle whilst eating in a deficit. i find to retain my muscle mass that a ratio of 40/30/30 (P/F/C) works well for me and I am 112lbs 5'2.

actually maybe it's more like 25/25/50 most of the time (sorry, it's monday, my math skills are lacking haha).

harriet, how do cut back on carbs while increasing protein? would you mind sharing your typical day's calorie breakdown? thanks!

I just wanted to link you to EXRX.net's workout template page if you haven't seen it already.  If you click on each muscle group, you will get a listing of exercises to work that muscle.  Click on the exercise to get a description of how to perform each muscle group.  Italics in the workout = optional. 

This comes in really handy for switching up exercises every 4-6 weeks.  So you're not stuck doing lat pulldowns for the rest of your life because you don't know what else works those muscles.

I wanted to add a +1 to the recommendations on picking up New Rules of Lifting for Women if you are interested in a full program.... it's got a lot of focus on quality over quantity, and it's a solid progression from beginner to advanced.  Def worth the money (I paid like $13? on Amazon for my copy). 

sent you a mail kbattatio

never got your msg :(