How much strength training is enough to tone?
Replies
-
Verity1111 wrote: »
I have this thing about cooking for myself though - I don't. My kids all eat different meals because they're special needs so I make 3 meals per mealtime (9 per day plus snacks) for them plus I often heat something up or cook for my partner so when it comes to me I rarely cook fresh except breakfast because egg whites are easy.... Is there seitan I can toss in the microwave and it easily tastes good? lol. I do eat like veggie hot dogs and other overly processed veggie "meat" wanna bes xD Even when I cook with fresh ingredients...Ive made fresh homemade soup in the microwave lol.
Wow, I wouldn't want to cook for myself either if I were you. Props to you for being so dedicated to your kids!
Most veggie meat alternatives that are high in protein use Seitan as a base (wheat gluten), although a lot also add soy for taste. I make a huge batch every week and flavor the hell out of it so I can just cube it and add it to whatever else I happen to be eating, but it takes me a couple of hours a week. You can definitely buy it instead if that's easier.
Both Field Roast and Westsoy make a decent version of it, but it can get expensive. Boca crumbles are good if you pan fry them, but less good in the microwave. If your store carries Gardein that's my favorite brand, and their meatballs are great microwaved.
I don't know if you eat dairy but cottage cheese is great for protein, and eggs as you mentioned. I think the Boca American patties with cheese too are also pretty decent on protein.
When I'm tired or traveling I do a protein shake, either Fruitein or Vega Protein and Greens. It's not ideal but it's a quick way to get a boost.
Feel free to add me if you want to stalk my diary for ideas. I eat weird stuff but my protein is the one thing that's pretty consistent
I actually eat Gardein and Boca already, I just dont pay a lot of attention to protein yet. I glance but I dont try to hit a high goal or anything. Im sure I could sort through products I eat and see which ones are highest in protein. At least it's things I know I already enjoy. Plus egg whites are my other "go to". I often use one whole egg then separate 2-4 whites and toss the yolks to save the calories. Thanks for the ideas
I dont know how to flavor seitan myself. Is it tedious to make? 0 -
Verity1111 wrote: »Chef_Barbell wrote: »Verity1111 wrote: »
Thank you very much. I'll probably slow it once I hit halfway (49 of 98lbs lost) which is very soon. I have protein in mind just not sure what I'll aim for yet percent or grams I'm a bit lost there...Verity1111 wrote: »Thank you both for the advice!! I just don't want to go from fat to skinny fat lol
Remember that the bigger the calorie deficit the more likely it is to lose muscle as you diet.
The closer to goal you get you will be wanting to taper down your deficit / slow your rate of weight loss.
Protein intake is also a key factor along with exercise.
1 gram of protein per LB of lean body mass.
So I have no idea what lean mass would be for me but Im sure its somewhere 100-120lbs. So I guess Ill aim for somewhere in there. I have been eating no where near that. Its hard for me to even get 60g a day. lol. Im a vegetarian. This should be interesting. Lol.
Best bet is to get a tape measure and take measurements, plug them into a BF% calculator (I use HeyBales' spreadsheet, which is awesome), and work with that number.1 -
Verity1111 wrote: »I dont know how to flavor seitan myself. Is it tedious to make?
It definitely can be when you're first experimenting with it, but it's also kind of fun. The main thing is to use a broth base, add a lot of seasonings and then don't let it boil. My sister steams it and my mom bakes hers -- everyone has their own tried and true methods!
This site has some good tips: http://www.onegreenplanet.org/vegan-food/how-to-make-perfect-seitan/
1 -
Since you asked about "how much lifting to get toned", here's the answer
Find your self a simple weight lifting program like Strong Lifts 5x5 or Starting Strength. There's a sticky around here with a whole shwack of others, but you need simple to start with.
Write down what you do each workout, this is important.
Add weight or reps each week, this is called progressive overload and it's the single key to what you desire.
Start with very light weights. Stick with it for months. It could take you a year at least before you'll need to switch to something else so don't switch things up too much.
The program you use will depend on your goals and the two above are general, whole body programs that only use 5 or 6 different exercises. These will make sure you're getting a balanced and efficient workout and are proven to work.2 -
Since you asked about "how much lifting to get toned", here's the answer
Find your self a simple weight lifting program like Strong Lifts 5x5 or Starting Strength. There's a sticky around here with a whole shwack of others, but you need simple to start with.
Write down what you do each workout, this is important.
Add weight or reps each week, this is called progressive overload and it's the single key to what you desire.
Start with very light weights. Stick with it for months. It could take you a year at least before you'll need to switch to something else so don't switch things up too much.
The program you use will depend on your goals and the two above are general, whole body programs that only use 5 or 6 different exercises. These will make sure you're getting a balanced and efficient workout and are proven to work.
Thank you very much! I tend to go overboard... I had an ED in the past and my "purging" was excessive exercise and I did not even realize it. I thought 4-6hrs a day 4-6 times a week was normal cardio! So now I do like 1.5-2hrs at a time plus 15-30 minutes of strength training. Is that enough time per day that I do strength training? (30 minutes a few times a week?) Or do I need more? I just want to make sure I do not over or underdo it. Thanks again!0 -
A program like Stronglifts 5x5 might take you 30-45 minutes per session plus some warmup and cool down. It's every other day so 2-3 hours per weeks. It's a barbell based program so no really practical at home unless you have tons of room. You start light and work your way up fairly quickly. It's a great program, it was my first structured weight training program and it produced signficant gains in strength and fitness for me.Verity1111 wrote: »Thank you very much! I tend to go overboard... I had an ED in the past and my "purging" was excessive exercise and I did not even realize it. I thought 4-6hrs a day 4-6 times a week was normal cardio! So now I do like 1.5-2hrs at a time plus 15-30 minutes of strength training. Is that enough time per day that I do strength training? (30 minutes a few times a week?) Or do I need more? I just want to make sure I do not over or underdo it. Thanks again!
1 -
Verity1111 wrote: »Chef_Barbell wrote: »Verity1111 wrote: »
Thank you very much. I'll probably slow it once I hit halfway (49 of 98lbs lost) which is very soon. I have protein in mind just not sure what I'll aim for yet percent or grams I'm a bit lost there...Verity1111 wrote: »Thank you both for the advice!! I just don't want to go from fat to skinny fat lol
Remember that the bigger the calorie deficit the more likely it is to lose muscle as you diet.
The closer to goal you get you will be wanting to taper down your deficit / slow your rate of weight loss.
Protein intake is also a key factor along with exercise.
1 gram of protein per LB of lean body mass.
So I have no idea what lean mass would be for me but Im sure its somewhere 100-120lbs. So I guess Ill aim for somewhere in there. I have been eating no where near that. Its hard for me to even get 60g a day. lol. Im a vegetarian. This should be interesting. Lol.
I blend a delicious vegan complete protein powder with frozen fruit to make a shake when my protein is low. I try to get about 90 grams of protein a day, based on my lean mass. But if I only hit 80, I don't stress too much about it, because it doesn't seem to hurt.
I do strength training about twice a week and also run and mountain bike a couple of times, too. I'm already at goal weight and I have some nice definition already, but I think dropping a couple % body fat would reveal even more definition (that "toned" look). That's what I'm working on now - body recomp. So far, so good - dropped 2.5% BF and kept my weight the same by eating at or just below maintenance calories. My goal is about 2.5% more body fat reduction to be right where I want. It's slow (has taken a few months) but so far it's working...
0 -
JohnnyPenso wrote: »
A program like Stronglifts 5x5 might take you 30-45 minutes per session plus some warmup and cool down. It's every other day so 2-3 hours per weeks. It's a barbell based program so no really practical at home unless you have tons of room. You start light and work your way up fairly quickly. It's a great program, it was my first structured weight training program and it produced signficant gains in strength and fitness for me.Verity1111 wrote: »Thank you very much! I tend to go overboard... I had an ED in the past and my "purging" was excessive exercise and I did not even realize it. I thought 4-6hrs a day 4-6 times a week was normal cardio! So now I do like 1.5-2hrs at a time plus 15-30 minutes of strength training. Is that enough time per day that I do strength training? (30 minutes a few times a week?) Or do I need more? I just want to make sure I do not over or underdo it. Thanks again!
This^ is true, it takes me about 30 - 45 mins, 3 x per week. It's only 3 exercises per workout though so generally you're looking at about a 5 minute warm up, then 10-12 mins per exercise. Depending on how heavy the weights are. It takes about 1 minute per set, then about 1 minute to rest. If you do 4 sets, that's 8 minutes. 5 sets = 10 minutes, again, give or take depending on the weight you are using - heavier = longer rest periods. You could split it into a 10 minute and a 20 minute if you like morning then evening or something.
I don't think 15 minutes a workout is going to be enough, unless you split up the exercises and make it 6 days per week instead of 3.
You can do it at home with only a barbell if you modify the exercises a bit though and you aren't wasting time getting to/from the gym.
You might find that you will not get as much out of your lifting workouts if you do cardio before them or on your rest day. Having a rest time after your workout (about a day) is needed if you want to build that muscle. If you want to incorporate both cardio and lifting together, I'd suggest prioritizing the lifting by doing it first, then cardio after. Your cardio might suffer, but who cares, it's still tough right? Lifting prior will just make it harder, but doing cardio before lifting will just reduce the amount of effort you are able to put into gaining strength and will be detrimental to your goal.
1 -
You can download the Stronglifts 5X5 app and it will track for you, just FYI.1
-
My wife trains in the weight room 1x per week and she looks great...she works with a trainer and it's a pretty intensive workout and she hits about everything and looks like she's been hit by a bus when she gets home Friday night...but if you're only going to do it 1x per week, that's how it's going to be. She's also an avid runner.
Toning is largely a matter of having some muscle mass and reducing body fat to reveal that muscle...how much you need to do would depend largely on the muscle mass you have as well as the training protocol.1 -
I can do strength training multiple times a week, but 1-2 times for actual gym equipment and the rest at home body weight workouts, kettle bell, hand weights etc! I already do about 30 minutes most times I just wasnt sure if that is enough. I dont have access to huge barbells though, most of the time. So I was hoping there's things I can do with smaller equipment in a smaller space.0
-
Verity1111 wrote: »I can do strength training multiple times a week, but 1-2 times for actual gym equipment and the rest at home body weight workouts, kettle bell, hand weights etc! I already do about 30 minutes most times I just wasnt sure if that is enough. I dont have access to huge barbells though, most of the time. So I was hoping there's things I can do with smaller equipment in a smaller space.
You can do the same exercises at home as you do at the gym with Stronglifts 5x5, but with lighter weights (use the dumbells or kettlebell instead of the barbell). This is still a valuable thing to do as it keeps your muscle memory for the exercises. You might find this will work well if you do heavy weights with lower reps at the gym and then light weights with higher reps at home. One or two workouts at the gym per week won't be enough. You'll definitely need to be doing the same exercises at home, even with lighter weights. The overall intensity/frequency combination probably won't be effective with once or twice at the gym, but different body weight exercises at home.
If you need to make the weights heavier at home try isolating one side of the body from the other. Instead of the barbell back squat, do a weighted lunge or single leg squat; instead of the barbell overhead press, do a single arm overhead press with less weight. Same with bench press, but you can do it on the floor. Bent over barbell rows can be turned into single arm rows on a chair or sofa. Deadlift I'm stuck on, you might try a stiffed-legged deadlift with a gallon milk jug in each hand.
2 -
Look at the at home programs on DVD, ones that specifically cater to weight training. There are a ton of things you can do at home that require little to no equipment. I've lost over 30 lbs in four months and put on significant muscle mass and haven't stepped foot in a gym1
-
Also, and please don't get me wrong, I did stronglifts for quite some time and have seen way better results with more variation. I was bored with SL within a few weeks. Now some people thrive on routine, I gotta mix it up continuously1
-
Verity1111 wrote: »I can do strength training multiple times a week, but 1-2 times for actual gym equipment and the rest at home body weight workouts, kettle bell, hand weights etc! I already do about 30 minutes most times I just wasnt sure if that is enough. I dont have access to huge barbells though, most of the time. So I was hoping there's things I can do with smaller equipment in a smaller space.
You can do the same exercises at home as you do at the gym with Stronglifts 5x5, but with lighter weights (use the dumbells or kettlebell instead of the barbell). This is still a valuable thing to do as it keeps your muscle memory for the exercises. You might find this will work well if you do heavy weights with lower reps at the gym and then light weights with higher reps at home. One or two workouts at the gym per week won't be enough. You'll definitely need to be doing the same exercises at home, even with lighter weights. The overall intensity/frequency combination probably won't be effective with once or twice at the gym, but different body weight exercises at home.
If you need to make the weights heavier at home try isolating one side of the body from the other. Instead of the barbell back squat, do a weighted lunge or single leg squat; instead of the barbell overhead press, do a single arm overhead press with less weight. Same with bench press, but you can do it on the floor. Bent over barbell rows can be turned into single arm rows on a chair or sofa. Deadlift I'm stuck on, you might try a stiffed-legged deadlift with a gallon milk jug in each hand.
I don't drink milk lol I guess I could buy containers and fill them with stuff lmso.1 -
Verity1111 wrote: »Verity1111 wrote: »I can do strength training multiple times a week, but 1-2 times for actual gym equipment and the rest at home body weight workouts, kettle bell, hand weights etc! I already do about 30 minutes most times I just wasnt sure if that is enough. I dont have access to huge barbells though, most of the time. So I was hoping there's things I can do with smaller equipment in a smaller space.
You can do the same exercises at home as you do at the gym with Stronglifts 5x5, but with lighter weights (use the dumbells or kettlebell instead of the barbell). This is still a valuable thing to do as it keeps your muscle memory for the exercises. You might find this will work well if you do heavy weights with lower reps at the gym and then light weights with higher reps at home. One or two workouts at the gym per week won't be enough. You'll definitely need to be doing the same exercises at home, even with lighter weights. The overall intensity/frequency combination probably won't be effective with once or twice at the gym, but different body weight exercises at home.
If you need to make the weights heavier at home try isolating one side of the body from the other. Instead of the barbell back squat, do a weighted lunge or single leg squat; instead of the barbell overhead press, do a single arm overhead press with less weight. Same with bench press, but you can do it on the floor. Bent over barbell rows can be turned into single arm rows on a chair or sofa. Deadlift I'm stuck on, you might try a stiffed-legged deadlift with a gallon milk jug in each hand.
I don't drink milk lol I guess I could buy containers and fill them with stuff lmso.
They sell milk jugs filled with water... They tend to not smell as bad as the ones that were filled with milk after a few weeks.2 -
stanmann571 wrote: »Verity1111 wrote: »Verity1111 wrote: »I can do strength training multiple times a week, but 1-2 times for actual gym equipment and the rest at home body weight workouts, kettle bell, hand weights etc! I already do about 30 minutes most times I just wasnt sure if that is enough. I dont have access to huge barbells though, most of the time. So I was hoping there's things I can do with smaller equipment in a smaller space.
You can do the same exercises at home as you do at the gym with Stronglifts 5x5, but with lighter weights (use the dumbells or kettlebell instead of the barbell). This is still a valuable thing to do as it keeps your muscle memory for the exercises. You might find this will work well if you do heavy weights with lower reps at the gym and then light weights with higher reps at home. One or two workouts at the gym per week won't be enough. You'll definitely need to be doing the same exercises at home, even with lighter weights. The overall intensity/frequency combination probably won't be effective with once or twice at the gym, but different body weight exercises at home.
If you need to make the weights heavier at home try isolating one side of the body from the other. Instead of the barbell back squat, do a weighted lunge or single leg squat; instead of the barbell overhead press, do a single arm overhead press with less weight. Same with bench press, but you can do it on the floor. Bent over barbell rows can be turned into single arm rows on a chair or sofa. Deadlift I'm stuck on, you might try a stiffed-legged deadlift with a gallon milk jug in each hand.
I don't drink milk lol I guess I could buy containers and fill them with stuff lmso.
They sell milk jugs filled with water... They tend to not smell as bad as the ones that were filled with milk after a few weeks.
Wouldn't they technically be water jugs lol but that could work I guess. Not sure what exercises to do with those exactly but that's what Google is for0
This discussion has been closed.
Categories
- All Categories
- 1.4M Health, Wellness and Goals
- 394.1K Introduce Yourself
- 43.9K Getting Started
- 260.4K Health and Weight Loss
- 176K Food and Nutrition
- 47.5K Recipes
- 232.6K Fitness and Exercise
- 435 Sleep, Mindfulness and Overall Wellness
- 6.5K Goal: Maintaining Weight
- 8.6K Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
- 153.1K Motivation and Support
- 8.1K Challenges
- 1.3K Debate Club
- 96.4K Chit-Chat
- 2.5K Fun and Games
- 3.9K MyFitnessPal Information
- 15 News and Announcements
- 1.2K Feature Suggestions and Ideas
- 2.7K MyFitnessPal Tech Support Questions