Naxis I hope you read this you always have great advice. My friend has been doing a three day split for about a month and I have been doing a full body for a couple of months now. We both are having great results, but just what are the differences between the two.

What does the split look like? Typically splits are used for muscle/mass building as it allows for more time to be dedicated to a particular muscle group in the gym, causing more stress and more growth (also due to the longer periods of rest each muscle group is afforded). It's kind of unnecessary for a beginner to start using a split because initially, your body will respond no matter what you do. Full body sessions are good for basic fitness and health goals, fat loss, or just for initial body conditioning before moving onto a more intense program. But both will elicit some results (obviously) regardless of the goal, in the beginning.

Thanks Naxis, Her split is a 3 day back and biceps, legs shoulders, chest triceps. I think she works abs all three days. She is having some great gains, her problem is her lower body like myself she is really firming up. I was doing a three day split before on and off for a few months. I switched over to a full body as I was feeling a bit stiff and bulky. I lowered my weights and did see some nice results. I am just looking to have some nice definition. Not to much mass. Do you think I should stay with my full body or move to a three day split with my lighter weights now.

Since you're not looking to increase muscle, I'd stay with the full body sessions (as long as you have 24-48 hours between workouts). It sounds like yoiu're happy with the amount of muscle you have and just need to lean out a bit to show off the nice muscle tone. Do you do any cardio? Diet will also be important to getting good definition. Out of curiousity, what are your current stats? (height/weight/age)

Yes I do wish to lean out a bit more but not build to much more mass mabie a tiny amount in my upper body. I am 5'5 and about 116 I have always been very thin and have a small frame so I have put on about 6 pounds of muscle in the past year. I do cardio 5 days a week either jog or walk at 4.5 mph I eat very healthy, I am actually shifting to eating a more vegetarian diet but having a hard time with getting the protein I need , I was doing the lower carb diet for a few years and it was just too much meat that my body wasn't digesting properly and I am lactose intolerant so I feel much better eating whole grains, couscous, wild rice lots of veggies and fruit. You are vegetarian aren't you? If you have any advice for me that would be great. So you think I will get a bit more definition staying with what I am doing now?

I'm actually vegan these days. Without shakes, I don't know that I could make my protein requirements. Basically soy/tofu is my quasi-meat substitute - of course :) . I have a tofu "scramble" almost every morning, varied with mushrooms and different sauces (vinaigrettes, lime, curry, home made guacamole, etc - I can give you specific recipes if you're interested). One meal/snack is always a shake from rice protein with brewer's yeast and other fun stuff, almost as much for convenience as to make protein requirements. Beans, nuts, eggs are still great if you eat them, and don't discount the few grams here and there in veggies like broccoli and even spinach.

I think you'll see great results with the way you're going. You're at a very healthy weight for your size so make sure that your goal is realistic and you aren't being too critical of your progress. That said, you don't really have that far to go to get some good definition, and since it is literally the "last few pounds" you're working on, it will come off slowly, so just be patient. Going too hard too fast will only result in muscle loss. You might get a body composition test just to see where you're at currently and so that you will have a base reading to determine where losses and gains are coming from in the future.

I would love any recipes you could throw my way, I have been eating a great deal of beans, I just soak them overnight and boil them in the morning, they contain good amounts of protein, I also have been eating brown and wild rice and of coures lots of fruits and veggies. I have a ton more energy than I had eating low carb and I feel 100% healthy. I buy all organic and make my own breads and yogurt, I find a great variety eating vegetarian. I had 7 grains mixed together today for lunch with cranberries and walnuts and a touch of soy milk that meal had about 15 grams of protein so it is more than possible to reach our goals isn't it. I would love to know how you do your tofu scramble? Thanks again you always have great advice, I will stick with what I am doing now thanks again.

The Tofu scramble is really versatile. I just drain and press one block of Mori-Nu tofu (about 20-24g protein) and use a spatula to kind of mash/dice it up into little pieces. Heat up a skillet on med-high, lightly oil it and basically pan fry it till it's slightly browned. I have been adding shiitake mushrooms to it too - thought they don't taste right with everything since it's a full, woody flavor. Then you can 1) dust it with curry powder 2) top it with fresh guacamole 3) drizzle a mixture of spicy mustard, soy sauce, lime, and ginger for an asian dish 4) a little salsa and lime 5) teriyaki or hoisin sauce 6) balsamic vinegar and olive oil... pretty much anything. :) Most of these are best to add after frying to keep a more pungent flavor and so it doesnt splatter, but after making a couple it's easy to figure out the best ways to make the dishes you prefer. I also add a lot of diced, raw veggies into the tofu after it's been cooked for a more nutrient dense dish.