I am looking to achieve a female athletic lean body; where am I going so wrong?

Hi Tinkie,

If you are getting stronger and if, as you say, you've put some size on your arms and legs, then this is an issue to do with body fat.

I can assure you that with the right diet, 99.9% of women won't get "bulky" or "too muscular" no matter how hard they lift weights in the gym (unless they foolishly use steroids).

So assuming you are lifting intensely and putting a full effort into an intelligently-planned weight training program, the two things you should strive to improve is your "cardio" but especially your diet.

The first thing I will recommend is to use HIIT (high-intensity interval training) for two of your cardio workouts. For tips on HIIT, see the following Q & A - Can you tell me some types of HIIT training for fat loss?

The next and most important thing is diet. I plan to put a fat loss diet article on the site very shortly so keep an eye out for that but here's the short version (and feel free to ask a new question if you need further detail)...

For best fat-loss results, cut down on all sugars in your diet and decrease your intake of starchy carbohydrates (so eat less bread, pastries, potatoes, rice, pasta, corn, etc). Also, eat lean proteins at each meal and snack (like fish, lean meat, chicken, eggs and protein shakes). Ensure that you weigh yourself first thing in the morning after going to the toilet once per week and keep adjusting your sugar and starchy carbohydrates downward until you are consistently losing weight.

To further decrease hunger and for general health and gut function, eat plenty of green and other non-starchy vegetables.

Thanks for the advice, I have been doing a lot of research and the more I read the more I realise that a good diet is crucial I will look forward to reading your article and just want to say that this website is the best website for clear clarity in the world of fitness so keep up the good work guys your doing a great job de mystifying the fitness world!