Want to be Toned but Not Ripped

Iron_Lotus

Thanks for all the advice, everyone! I will be investing in some dumbells this week! Yay!

Instead of buying some dumbells, I would encourage you (if you can afford it) to look into a gym that has a squat rack. If you can find one (doesn't have to be a fancy gym, as long as they got a squat rack), checkout stronglifts (google it and there is a group for it on MFP too!) you will absolutely love it as it is very beginner friendly and will help you build strength very fast

Heres the group with all the info in the stickies
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/forums/show/4618-stronglifts-5x5-for-women

Yes I agree. Curls are always better in the squat rack at your local gym.

Thanks I have a gym membership starting in September so I will utilize this.

Do not, I repeat do not curl in the squat rack. This is not serious advice lol

JoRocka

Do both and check your mirror at least once a week. It's impossible to "get ripped" on accident or "all of a sudden."

It's hysterically laughable at how difficult it is to ACTUALLY get "ripped" or "bulk"... and what women (mostly women because occasionally men have this random thought too) think will get them there.

It's hard enough to get someone to EAT PROPERLY and put down the godramn twinkies much less pick up a black colored dumbbell and do some real work.

laughable. it's simple laughable. It makes me want to punch people- I've been trying to get cut for months- and I'm still not there.. seriously.. I wish this magical world of where "I picked up a heavy weight and it made me accidentally bulky" would happen- I need to find this place.

Really. i'd love to live in this fantasy world- because doing it the old fashioned hard- lift heavy and then eat at a deficit... it
s really tedious and boring. seriously.

Man did you slap a baby while typing this. Rawwwwwwwr

while drinking my brotein- I slapped 5 babies.

I felt immediately better.

JamieM8168

So, I might accidently get ripped?! This is so exciting

JoRocka

So, I might accidently get ripped?! This is so exciting

I know... I'm hoping for the day this happens.

sarahrbraun

Hey Everyone!
Hoping someone would be able to give me a little advice. I am currently working towards a weight loss goal. I would ultimately like to be toned, but not ripped. (Think pageant girl instead of body builder). Do I lose the fat before I start lifting weights or do both simultaneously? I don't want to have huge muscles once I've lost the weight.
Thanks

Start lifting yesterday. Strength training will make a big difference in the way you look, regardless of what the scale says.

I haven't lost more than a pound or so in the last 6 months. All 4 of the pictures are at the same weight! I have been doing strength training for about 18 months. For the last 6 months I have been working with a trainer, and he has been TOUGH on me. People are walking up to me at the gym telling me that he trains me like I am a guy.


gray top pics by crochetmom2010, on Flickr


Untitled by crochetmom2010, on Flickr

Escape_Artist

Yes I agree. Curls are always better in the squat rack at your local gym.

:grumble:

lol

nads1012

I must be the only girl in the world who actullly bulges really quickly, but that would be a different thread.

Anyway, I have the same goal as you. You would consider me to be reasonably slim when you look at me and I just wanted to tone up when I started to go to the gym a year ago. At the beginning it went well, bit of cardio, bit of weights. But because of my weightlifting paranoia I overdid the cardio by about 3:1. Ended up with looking wobbly as if I don't go to the gym at all. Am still slim but with bingo wings. Think that's because I haven't got much fat, but a bit too much skin.
Anyway, catching up now and reducing my cardio for the mo, so it's all good, you live and learn.

I think the best way for girl to do weights is low weight/ high repetition. Also on youtube you can find some good core exercises with no weights (only watched so far, not done any )

ironanimal

I must be the only girl in the world who actullly bulges really quickly, but that would be a different thread.

Anyway, I have the same goal as you. You would consider me to be reasonably slim when you look at me and I just wanted to tone up when I started to go to the gym a year ago. At the beginning it went well, bit of cardio, bit of weights. But because of my weightlifting paranoia I overdid the cardio by about 3:1. Ended up with looking wobbly as if I don't go to the gym at all. Am still slim but with bingo wings. Think that's because I haven't got much fat, but a bit too much skin.
Anyway, catching up now and reducing my cardio for the mo, so it's all good, you live and learn.

I think the best way for girl to do weights is low weight/ high repetition. Also on youtube you can find some good core exercises with no weights (only watched so far, not done any )

The bulging is existing muscle swelling up, filling with glycogen and water. Muscle gains happen quickly for exactly noone, unless you are claiming to not be human.

High weight low reps is the way to go, I'm afraid.

JoRocka

I must be the only girl in the world who actullly bulges really quickly, but that would be a different thread.

Anyway, I have the same goal as you. You would consider me to be reasonably slim when you look at me and I just wanted to tone up when I started to go to the gym a year ago. At the beginning it went well, bit of cardio, bit of weights. But because of my weightlifting paranoia I overdid the cardio by about 3:1. Ended up with looking wobbly as if I don't go to the gym at all. Am still slim but with bingo wings. Think that's because I haven't got much fat, but a bit too much skin.
Anyway, catching up now and reducing my cardio for the mo, so it's all good, you live and learn.

I think the best way for girl to do weights is low weight/ high repetition. Also on youtube you can find some good core exercises with no weights (only watched so far, not done any )

The bulging is existing muscle swelling up, filling with glycogen and water. Muscle gains happen quickly for exactly noone, unless you are claiming to not be human.

High weight low reps is the way to go, I'm afraid.

I'm more confused about the girl who bulges???

I thought that was mostly a male problem of blood transfer LMAO

Escape_Artist

I think the best way for girl to do weights is low weight/ high repetition. Also on youtube you can find some good core exercises with no weights (only watched so far, not done any )

No, women train the same way as men. Unless one has a testerone imbalance they will not bulk just by lifting heavy weights.
That is just not the way it works.

The ''toned''look comes from muscle which are built by lifting heavy, not lifting small weight for god knows how long.
Nothing less nothing more

Lupercalia

Do both and check your mirror at least once a week. It's impossible to "get ripped" on accident or "all of a sudden."

It's hysterically laughable at how difficult it is to ACTUALLY get "ripped" or "bulk"... and what women (mostly women because occasionally men have this random thought too) think will get them there.

It's hard enough to get someone to EAT PROPERLY and put down the godramn twinkies much less pick up a black colored dumbbell and do some real work.

laughable. it's simple laughable. It makes me want to punch people- I've been trying to get cut for months- and I'm still not there.. seriously.. I wish this magical world of where "I picked up a heavy weight and it made me accidentally bulky" would happen- I need to find this place.

Really. i'd love to live in this fantasy world- because doing it the old fashioned hard- lift heavy and then eat at a deficit... it
s really tedious and boring. seriously.

THIS!

Lupercalia

I think the best way for girl to do weights is low weight/ high repetition. Also on youtube you can find some good core exercises with no weights (only watched so far, not done any )

No, women train the same way as men. Unless one has a testerone imbalance they will not bulk just by lifting heavy weights.
That is just not the way it works.

The ''toned''look comes from muscle which are built by lifting heavy, not lifting small weight for god knows how long.
Nothing less nothing more

I really wish people would stop saying "...unless a woman has a testosterone imbalance it's impossible to bulk up." This isn't true, even with testosterone levels comparable to man, women don't just get bulky. Neither do men!

Furthermore, that little qualifier freaks out a lot of women who have hormone imbalances and scares them away from lifting, when lifting actually really helps us to balance our wonky hormones.

I agree with the rest of the post regarding training--women can and should lift according to the same principles as men.

JoRocka

if by "testosterone imbalance" you mean they eat at a calorie surplus AND take steroids- then yes you are correct they will do this so called "bulking"- otherwise ^^^ Lupercalia is correct.

Escape_Artist

I should have also mentionned eating above maintenance, was wrtting in a hurry :ohwell:


Bottom line, it's already hard enough as a man to get bulky, it's even worse for a woman, it takes a lot, and I mean A LOT to gain.
It doesn't just ''happen'' like that

Escape_Artist

if by "testosterone imbalance" you mean they eat at a calorie surplus AND take steroids- then yes you are correct they will do this so called "bulking"- otherwise ^^^ Lupercalia is correct.

Yeah I wrote it quickly :embarassed:

JoRocka

I should have also mentionned eating above maintenance, was wrtting in a hurry :ohwell:


Bottom line, it's already hard enough as a man to get bulky, it's even worse for a woman, it takes a lot, and I mean A LOT to gain.
It doesn't just ''happen'' like that

werd


that mythical "accidental bulking" world again.. it's like a unicorn- I've heard of it- but I've just never seen it!!!!

emirror

My starting goal was the same as your current one.

To start, I just did calorie deficiency, because I *needed* to see the scale drop to a lower number.

Once I got to a place I was happy (ier) with my weight, I started in with cardio and light weights/high reps. I stuck with that for several months. I did see some progress, but it was S.L.O.W.

I recently started with Stronglifting 5x5, and in the past few weeks I have seen significant improvement to how I look, although the scale is going down a lot more slowly (I am diminishing in measurements, so it's muscle replacing the fat).

So, my suggestion is to figure out what you need to see first to stay motivated. Do you need to see the scale going down, or do you need to see improvements in the mirror, first? I would have been more discouraged to see the scale staying the same, even if I looked better, because I had a mental block about that high of a number on the scale. Now, I care a lot less about the weight, and I care a whole lot more about how I actually look.

The thing to keep in mind, when you see lady bodybuilders, is that they are *very* low bodyfat, and they are flexing. You will see more muscle showing when you are in the middle of an exercise (lift) than you will when you are at rest. When you see pics of ladies lifting, you are seeing their muscles at their peak of performance. They look more like those beauty pageant queens when they are at rest.

BusyRaeNOTBusty

http://bretcontreras.com/how-to-attain-a-slender-look-like-jessica-alba-zoe-saldana/

nads1012

Well maybe I think I'm bulging because I gain muscles but still like to eat a muffin, so there is fat as well? Or does that not make any sense.

Can someone explain why it is that when you check out what the models with the long lean muscles and the lady who trains Gwyneth Paltrow do, they all say they don't lift heavier than 3 pound dumbbells? And they do more aerobics and core exercise?

Surely there must be a difference between lifting heavy and lifting like a girl - if you are a girl.

zipnguyen

Thinking you can gain a significant amount of muscle by accident is silly when you consider a natural pro bodybuilder would be happy with 5lbs of clean muscle a year.

Anyway, start lifting now. You can't get big and muscular without the dedication or drugs to do so. By the way, toned isn't a real thing; it's a term created by women's media because it sounds sexier than lose bodyfat. Which is what you want to do.

strong this^

ripped is not easy; shredded is even harder