Needing to tone and gain some muscle...

Optasia

I’m losing weight and need to now also work in toning and gaining some muscle. Do resistance bands work as well as weights? I need to work on my arms, inner thighs and stomach....and everything else!

I walk tons and wonder if wrist weights are helpful or is it better to have separate workout weight training time with hand weights etc.

Needing some guidance. Thanks!

yirara

You can't turn bodyfat into muscles, thus training the inner thighs, arms and belly is a bit useless to be honest. Why not look at a decent full body programme? You can use weights or do bodyweight. Important is that you always increase the difficulty or weight once an exercise or weight becomes too easy.

sardelsa

I would start a lifting program now to help retain muscle as you lose weight.

I'm not sure what wrist weights are (are they like ankle weights)? But they don't sound very effective and I would skip them. I would recommend you follow a real proven program for best results

https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10332083/which-lifting-program-is-the-best-for-you/p1

jessef593

sardelsa wrote: »

I would start a lifting program now to help retain muscle as you lose weight.

I'm not sure what wrist weights are (are they like ankle weights)? But they don't sound very effective and I would skip them. I would recommend you follow a real proven program for best results

https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10332083/which-lifting-program-is-the-best-for-you/p1

This right here. You cannot tone. But you can retain muscle mass and reveal it through reducing total body fat. Or you can go into a surplus continue following an established lifting program. And begin to develop more muscle mass and then increase definition through that.

Metalman224

Forget the wrist weights. They do more harm than good. The human body generally gains mass/fat around the mid section and thighs. So weights on ankles and wrists (especially when running) is a bad idea. If you are keen on adding weight consider a weight vest as this is more suited to the body and won't affect your extremities adversely.
Regarding the weight training, if you do some heavy lifting 3 to 5 days a week depending on your fitness level, you can retain the majority of your muscle whilst dieting. Generally to build more muscle you MUST be in a calorie surplus.
I also find that after my weight training I have lost the most weight by doing 30mins to an hour of moderate paced walking up hills and varying inclines and declines.
This is because after heavy weight training most of your glycogen stores are used up therefore the body starts to use ketones(fat) for the LISS (low intensity steady state) exercise (walking).
If you can mix it up as I do with weight training days every second day with HIIT training in between, I guarantee the fat will melt off you.
Just try and keep carbs low, I consume mine half an hour before weight training, and consume my protein shakes within an hour after (a must).
After my 20mins HIIT rowing I am exhausted so I only walk after weight training days.
Also make sure you give yourself adequate recovery days. I normally have a Sunday off but if I feel like I need more I'll take 2.
Listen to your body. You must give your CNS (central nervous system) time to recover otherwise it will work against you.
Too much cortisol (stress hormone) will sap your energy stores and actually cause weight gain and fat storage.
The last thing I can't stress enough is sleep.
You must get enough sleep, good quality REM sleep. If not weight loss is difficult to say the least. You will also find with great sleep the sugar and carb cravings are much less pronounced and much less frequent.
Hope this helps and it wasn't too much info.
But best of luck on your journey!