Best exercises for toning rather than weight loss

thelastnightingale

What sort of exercises do you all do to help tone your body?

I'm not necessarily talking about things that burn a lot of calories and help you lose weight, rather things that can help with the bingo wings and flabby tummies if you commit to doing them regularly enough.

I'm not keen on weights because I'm feeble and accident-prone, and I couldn't do a sit up to save my life, but I wondered if something more sedate like beginner's yoga or tai chi would help...?

SnifterPug

Yoga would probably be good. Pilates, too. Resistance training is key, but that can involve body weight or resistance bands rather than weights.

yirara

You need to differenciate between fat and weak muscles. A muffin top is fat and all the strength training in the world will not do anything against that (though less tight pants might help). If you think that various muscles are poorly developed then strength training is what you need.

thelastnightingale

yirara wrote: »

You need to differenciate between fat and weak muscles. A muffin top is fat and all the strength training in the world will not do anything against that (though less tight pants might help). If you think that various muscles are poorly developed then strength training is what you need.

I would say I have fat and weak muscles. I'm working on the fat already through weight loss, so I'm now looking to address the other part of the problem. I know you can't see muscles through fat, but I'm trying to get ahead of the game for when the fat comes off.

Forgive my ignorance, but isn't strength training all sit ups and lifting? That just doesn't sound like something I can safely teach myself at home.

LKArgh

I can totally understand being scared of lifting at home, but sit-ups? How can a sit-up be dangerous?
Anyway, perhaps start with the basics? Walk, to start getting into the routine of exercise and once you are comfortable doing that look into bodyweight routines, there are lots of them for beginners. I would avoid anything that requires really good form, like e.g. yoga or pilates, and focus on basic exercises everyone is familiar with so you will not feel intimidated, like crunches, wall push-ups, glute bridges etc. Google bodyweight routines for beginners, and pick one that makes you feel comfortable.
Unless you plan to join a gym and do a class? Than you can try a few beginner classes and see whatyou enjoy.

MaltedTea

If you don't have weights at home, look up calisthenics. Proper form, with or without weights is what keeps you safe and injury-free with any exercise.

Yet if you like yoga (which has various levels of intensity some of which are definitely not for someone who would describe themselves as feeble), then start there. Pilates, Essentrics, gryrotronics, etc are all in a similar vein.

Also, strength training is more than just sit ups and lifting... for sure 😉

Chieflrg

yirara wrote: »

You need to differenciate between fat and weak muscles. A muffin top is fat and all the strength training in the world will not do anything against that (though less tight pants might help). If you think that various muscles are poorly developed then strength training is what you need.

Muscles are muscles and fat is fat.

There is no such thing as fat muscles.

That is equivelant of saying green light-stop sign. They co exist, but are two separate things.

Chieflrg

If you want the appearance of a tone body, you have to lower body fat percentage and display muscle mass.

A calorie deficit is the only thing that will rid yourself of fat, not a sit up on its own.

Resistance training,(if appropriate for you as a individual) can help retain muscle as you lose fat.

While yoga night have some slight benefits and might be something you enjoy, I would rather have you resistance training and yoga if possible.

What kind of resistance training would depend on equipment availability and what you would adhere to meet your goals.

Unfortunately there isn't a great answer to your question with the info you've given.

I encourage you to seek appropriate resistance training and eat in a deficit.

middlehaitch

I was very much like you when I started.
I had never exercised in my life.

Being weak I began with something I thought I could do consistently for a few months to improve my strength; muscle, bone, and ligaments, and cardiovascular systems.

Aqua fit was what I chose, I didn’t like the feeling of being sweaty.

Plenty of stretching to improve my flexibility, enough resistance against the water to improve muscle, lots of jumping and running for the cardio improvements, and little impact so as I beginner there would be less chance of me injuring myself.
It also looked friendly and fun.

You could chose something similar, tai chi, yoga, Pilates would fit the bill. Belly dancing is a good one too. It really helps with balance and coordination as well as gives the abs a decent workout.

As time has passed and my overall fitness level has improved the thought of lifting weights is not intimidating. I generally can be found in the gym 3x a week doing just that. You couldn’t, and shouldn’t, have found me there when I first started. I had to physically and mentally work my way there.

Start where you are comfortable, push yourself where you can, and always progress.

Treat it as a life long goal of sustaining good physical health rather than a short term goal.

(Sit ups are not needed for good physical health and often not recommended)

Cheers, h.

cwolfman13

LKArgh wrote: »

I can totally understand being scared of lifting at home, but sit-ups? How can a sit-up be dangerous?
Anyway, perhaps start with the basics? Walk, to start getting into the routine of exercise and once you are comfortable doing that look into bodyweight routines, there are lots of them for beginners. I would avoid anything that requires really good form, like e.g. yoga or pilates, and focus on basic exercises everyone is familiar with so you will not feel intimidated, like crunches, wall push-ups, glute bridges etc. Google bodyweight routines for beginners, and pick one that makes you feel comfortable.
Unless you plan to join a gym and do a class? Than you can try a few beginner classes and see whatyou enjoy.

Situps are actually a horrible exercise. Really, the only people that should be doing them are people who have to do them for some kind of physical fitness test. There are so many better ways to train your abs and core.

thelastnightingale

Having done some frantic googling to understand what you're all saying... would using resistance bands be helpful, that sort of thing? I can get my hands on those fairly easily and it just seems safer to me than messing around with dumbbells on my own.

Shortgirlrunning

There are SO many body weight exercises you can do at home for strength training. You can also use resistance bands/loops. I use both in my fitness routine and they aren’t hard to use and the worst that can happen is a loop snaps which isn’t a big deal, you won’t hurt yourself you’ll just be annoyed that your loop broke.

FitnessBlender is my favorite free online workout site (they are also on YouTube) You can sort through their videos by fitness level, time, equipment you have available. It’s a great resource for if you workout at home.

I also like PopSugarFitness. They have a ton of videos that don’t use any equipment. And Yoga with Adrienne is also great if you are interested in Yoga.

thelastnightingale

Shortgirlrunning wrote: »

FitnessBlender is my favorite free online workout site (they are also on YouTube) You can sort through their videos by fitness level, time, equipment you have available. It’s a great resource for if you workout at home.

Thanks so much for the recommendation - I've just started having a look and I think there are some fab ideas on FitnessBlender that even I can use without doing myself an injury. Really appreciate it!

NorthCascades

LKArgh wrote: »

I can totally understand being scared of lifting at home, but sit-ups? How can a sit-up be dangerous?
Anyway, perhaps start with the basics? Walk, to start getting into the routine of exercise and once you are comfortable doing that look into bodyweight routines, there are lots of them for beginners. I would avoid anything that requires really good form, like e.g. yoga or pilates, and focus on basic exercises everyone is familiar with so you will not feel intimidated, like crunches, wall push-ups, glute bridges etc. Google bodyweight routines for beginners, and pick one that makes you feel comfortable.
Unless you plan to join a gym and do a class? Than you can try a few beginner classes and see whatyou enjoy.

The way it loads your spine.

moonangel12

I am one that can’t do traditional sit ups thanks to a slight spina bifida (hurts to lay on my back on a firm surface) and more “recently” diastasis recti from pregnancies starting 13 years ago. I do Classical Stretch - fantastic low impact strength and stretch for the whole body (tai chi based). I also am starting to test the waters with calisthenics using gymnastics rings. I am not a fan of weights and much prefer body weight exercises... For core strength youcould start with something like planks. Or even do a search for 7 minute workouts, my husband enjoys those (and the goober can see fast results with them, so jealous!)

yirara

There's so much variation in bodyweight exercises, and so much progression: once something gets too easy there's always something that's more difficult. The Convict Conditioning series isn't too bad (there are posters online) or You are your own gym. Done properly, various versions of squats, pushups, lunges and more specific core exercises (back and front) cover a lot of muscles. Just avoid anything with the label HIIT. It's a misnomer and doing fast exercises is probably not what you want in the beginning.

suzyjmcd2

I love Bar-less Barre classes and Pilates Mat classes online for strength and toning workouts.

sgt1372

Rowing

LKArgh

cwolfman13 wrote: »

LKArgh wrote: »

I can totally understand being scared of lifting at home, but sit-ups? How can a sit-up be dangerous?
Anyway, perhaps start with the basics? Walk, to start getting into the routine of exercise and once you are comfortable doing that look into bodyweight routines, there are lots of them for beginners. I would avoid anything that requires really good form, like e.g. yoga or pilates, and focus on basic exercises everyone is familiar with so you will not feel intimidated, like crunches, wall push-ups, glute bridges etc. Google bodyweight routines for beginners, and pick one that makes you feel comfortable.
Unless you plan to join a gym and do a class? Than you can try a few beginner classes and see whatyou enjoy.

Situps are actually a horrible exercise. Really, the only people that should be doing them are people who have to do them for some kind of physical fitness test. There are so many better ways to train your abs and core.

I have no idea why they are horrible, but I cannot see how they can be scary. Or why one would do them if he/she does not like them.

ritzvin

cwolfman13 wrote: »

LKArgh wrote: »

I can totally understand being scared of lifting at home, but sit-ups? How can a sit-up be dangerous?
Anyway, perhaps start with the basics? Walk, to start getting into the routine of exercise and once you are comfortable doing that look into bodyweight routines, there are lots of them for beginners. I would avoid anything that requires really good form, like e.g. yoga or pilates, and focus on basic exercises everyone is familiar with so you will not feel intimidated, like crunches, wall push-ups, glute bridges etc. Google bodyweight routines for beginners, and pick one that makes you feel comfortable.
Unless you plan to join a gym and do a class? Than you can try a few beginner classes and see whatyou enjoy.

Situps are actually a horrible exercise. Really, the only people that should be doing them are people who have to do them for some kind of physical fitness test. There are so many better ways to train your abs and core.

Ditto this, especially for someone with very weak abs... it's a difficult exercise to do with remotely decent form that won't strain neck, etc before a preexisting level of strength.

Personally, the biggest difference in core strength when I was weaker came from doing bent over rows.

For the OP, many who were hesitant but eventually started weight training have not regretted it.. you may want to look into it once the gyms reopen back up. It's the most efficient way to get what you want. You can yoga until the cows come home for years and never see remotely the same muscle development weight training can give in a few months that will lead to nice muscle definition ("toning") when the weight is off.

AnnPT77

LKArgh wrote: »

cwolfman13 wrote: »

LKArgh wrote: »

I can totally understand being scared of lifting at home, but sit-ups? How can a sit-up be dangerous?
Anyway, perhaps start with the basics? Walk, to start getting into the routine of exercise and once you are comfortable doing that look into bodyweight routines, there are lots of them for beginners. I would avoid anything that requires really good form, like e.g. yoga or pilates, and focus on basic exercises everyone is familiar with so you will not feel intimidated, like crunches, wall push-ups, glute bridges etc. Google bodyweight routines for beginners, and pick one that makes you feel comfortable.
Unless you plan to join a gym and do a class? Than you can try a few beginner classes and see whatyou enjoy.

Situps are actually a horrible exercise. Really, the only people that should be doing them are people who have to do them for some kind of physical fitness test. There are so many better ways to train your abs and core.

I have no idea why they are horrible, but I cannot see how they can be scary. Or why one would do them if he/she does not like them.

They tend to be hard on one's back, and aren't very effective in that they recruit a limited set of core muscles. Other options are safer and more effective. That's why they're horrible. Well, suboptimal, at least.

One of many random articles from mainstream sources explaining in more detail:

https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/want-a-stronger-core-skip-the-sit-ups

AnnPT77

thelastnightingale wrote: »

What sort of exercises do you all do to help tone your body?

I'm not necessarily talking about things that burn a lot of calories and help you lose weight, rather things that can help with the bingo wings and flabby tummies if you commit to doing them regularly enough.

I'm not keen on weights because I'm feeble and accident-prone, and I couldn't do a sit up to save my life, but I wondered if something more sedate like beginner's yoga or tai chi would help...?

There are forms of yoga that emphasize strength more (such as Ashtanga), but I'm not sure what the beginner on-ramp is for that. (I've known strong/fit Astanga practitioners whose primarily fitness modality was yoga, but I've not tried it or talked with beginners to know what the on-ramp is like.)

I'd encourage you to (re-)consider strength training, either bodyweight or weights. It's fine to start at any strength level, even "feeble" - just use lighter weights to start, and progress at a pace that's sensible for your body. "Lifting heavy" just means lifting things that are a bit challenging to each of us personally, not some random giant weights. Classic-pace strength training is IMO a good thing for the accident-prone, in that the basic movements are done relatively slowly, and with control. (A trainer to get you started on good form would be a good thing, but if that's not do-able, use good video sources for instruction, and do careful self-monitoring.)

There's a great thread about strength training here:

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

Despite the title, it does include bodyweight programs, including beginner ones, that can be done at home with minimal or no equipment, and that can be a less intimidating way to start.

For your goals, I wouldn't recommend Tai Chi. That's not a dis of Tai Chi at all: I did it regularly for around 8 years, and my late husband was a Tai Chi teacher. It's great, helpful for balance and body awareness, well-taught can build some leg strength slowly (often, sadly, it's not well taught and is more about getting in tune with the universe or other vague metaphysical sutt, and not about getting the kind of useful physical challenge that one needs to build strength). Solo practice without weapons is pretty devoid of upper body benefits, so it's not really on point for your goals.

Best wishes!

netitheyeti

I started with the very basic low impact bodyweight workouts, I did do it in front of a mirror at first to check that it looked "right", then I got myself some resistance bands and adjustable dumbbells. I still don't necessarily "look" toned, but I feel much better than I did before. I'm 30 but I have some hypermobility issues so I find that I've had to build my strength up before doing anything more high impact/heavier weight (I've managed to pull/twist my wrists, dislocate a finger before etc - I'm still very careful with certain movements), but even the "easier" stuff helped overall. My first pair of dumbbells was only 2kg and I still felt it! Heck, my first few weeks I was working out with water bottles/cans of beans

a_candler

I do at home bodyweight exercise videos off YouTube. To start you may like the plethora of Walking videos that incorporate some extra little moves like squats, kicks, punches and go from there. No reason to start off super hard and get hurt or discouraged, any form of exercise is better then nothing.

djaxon1

" Any form of exercise is better then nothing. " - Agree totally .
If you start to do something you like, and can do, then it's much more likely that you will carry on with it.
You can progress onto different exercises later - there isn't a timescale.

rosegreen12

I have read in numerous places of all the downsides to sit-ups. Reverse crunches seem to have more favor.