Hello

mystic_venusian

Hi, everyone. I (26F) am 5’6 and 160lbs. I was going to the gym somewhat consistently for a little under a year until a health issue put me out of commission for 4 months. I’m trying to get back into it and would love some tips on how to reach my physique goal. I would love to be more muscular and toned but I’m unsure about my “weight goal”. Any advice is appreciated!

AnnPT77

Just my opinion, but if you're healthy at 160, I wouldn't worry too much about figuring out a weight goal right now. (For context, I used to be 5'6. As li'l ol' lady who now has a history of osteopenia/osteporosis, I'm a small bit shorter now, but I have some idea of what 160 implies on a typical woman's body of your height. I've weighed that myself, too, at a few points - various ages and fitness levels.)

You're young, and barely into the overweight BMI range, so I'm suspecting your health may be fine. You'll figure out where you want to be weight-wise by getting close to it. No one else can give you an answer. The more muscle you have, the heavier the weight that will look best, and deliver best health.

(There was a woman here with a bodybuilding history including competition, who was 5'5" and in the 150s pounds was literally ripped/shredded. Reading between the lines of your post, I'm thinking you're not going for that physique: I'm just using it as an illustration that not every woman needs to weigh a tiny scale number to be at low body fat!)

Main foundation I'd suggest: Resume challenging but safe strength training with a good progressive program, get overall good nutrition (especially but not exclusively ample protein), add enough cardio for heart health when you feel ready.

"Toning" isn't a well-defined term. Usually it means "reach a certain desirable amount of muscle development, and a body fat level that lets that definition show in a way that the person likes". I'm going to assume that's what you want . . . but since there are some subjective aspects to that (desirable; likes) I won't try to pin it down. I'm going to take your wanting to be more muscular to be a very serious part of your goal, though.

The foundation paragraph above is about the muscle development part. That applies no matter what you choose to do about body fat in the short run.

For best muscle gain, you don't want to go into a steep calorie deficit for fast fat loss. Eating slightly over maintenance creates the best conditions for muscle gain, weight maintenance calories second best, small deficit may still have some potential (with youth, which you have; the good nutrition; and a good program faithfully performed). Any of those require making patience and persistence your friends. 😉

So, if you feel like you want to lose some body fat in the relatively short run, I'd suggest going with a tiny calorie deficit at most, like half a pound a week actual loss rate at most, as observed in actual practice over several menstrual cycles. (A slow loss rate will take a while to show up clearly on the body weight scale.)

Maintenance calories would also be fine: If you hold body weight steady, but add muscle mass, body fat will provide part of the fuel, so you'll get leaner. It's just slower, probably on both the muscle gain and fat loss sides. Slight calorie surplus would favor muscle gain initially, but increase odds you'd need to cut eventually. Your call, based on your priorities.

These are just my opinions. I'm speaking as a woman who isn't a serious lifter, but have done some. I think I have a good understanding, experiential and from education, about how women's bodies respond. Personally, though, appearance isn't my goal or even raw strength . . . sport performance and (mostly) health and independence are my goals. Just want to be transparent.

Some of the guys here are more knowledgeable about lifting. If you're lucky, @claireychn074 may also come by and comment (she's a powerlifter, knows far more than me about strength and lifting).

Underscoring one thing: Patient persistence. At 26, you're at an ideal point to develop sustainable, healthy habits that will enhance your life (and yeah, appearance) for decades. Most of the "get thin quick" or "get shredded quick" programs don't help with that "sustainable, healthy" lifelong stuff.

Best wishes!

claireychn074

Thanks for the shout @AnnPT77 !

It’s worth me noting that I train for my sport rather than aesthetics so my physique changes are really a side effect of lifting (ie I don’t train to get big glutes). The good news is that you’re young so will build muscle easier than someone my age, but the key principles are the same. You need a good training programme (you can find them online or get a PT to design one for you), you need to be consistent and constantly push the reps / weights to increase muscle mass, you need good nutrition (plenty of bio-available nutrients) with enough protein, and - this one is often ignored - you need good rest. Plenty of sleep, plenty of recovery and downtime from the weights.

The “toned” look is basically just muscles showing through skin and fat. That’s possible with the right level of fat (ie you might need to cut a little bit to show your muscles - it’s partly genetic), and with big enough muscles. I love lifting and think it’s awesome for everyone, but it’s also worth pointing out that the “toned” women often seen on social media are flexing (and / or filtered). I look like I’ve got abs when I’m flexing, but normally I just look a bit soft 🤷‍♂️

Feel free to ask specific questions, there are a few of us on here who lift regularly (I’ve been doing it for nearly 10 years) and there are some men who train more for aesthetics who will have great insight.

claireychn074

For anyone wanting to get “toned” - I’m posting some pics here. And my fellow lifters / exercisers might choose to do the same ( @AnnPT77 has some great examples of flexed and non flexed arms). This is me relaxed and me tensing for a lift. Relaxed me does not look toned - no real muscle definition (except possibly the sumo thighs!) and no rippling muscles. Me-about-to-lift has more definiton, but still not ripped. I’m at about mid 20s body fat I suspect, the only time I looked ripped was at c15% fat. And I was not healthy then.

“Toned” simply means seeing the musculature, and for many women, that is only possible when posing or flexing. Don’t compare yourself to social media!

AnnPT77

I'm not "toned", not concerned at all about becoming "toned" . . . which is not to imply that I'm dismissive of people with those kinds of goals - they're fine - just saying they aren't my goals.

That's a preface to what I'm about to post, in response to @claireychn074's comment about flexing vs. not flexing. (She looks strong and excellent to me, gotta say, flexed or unflexed, and her powerlifting accomplishments are enviable.)

The photos of me below are more about what people get wrong when they say that they have massive amounts of upper arm fat or loose skin, when what they actually have is an un-flexed upper arm with relaxed triceps muscles that are being pulled down slack because of gravity.

These photos are the same arm, photos taken literal seconds apart. It was a few years ago when I was around 65-66 y/o, but I don't think it's much different now at 70. Flexing makes a huuuuge difference in appearance, and yes, the influencers online use flexing, lighting, makeup, professional photographers, dehydration, carb de-loading, and even photo editing to show you their bodies (supposedly, anyway). Don't be deceived. I interact with some high-level collegiate rowers not much younger than you. They look very muscular right after a hard race, and toned yet sleek a few hours later in short, spaghetti-strap party dresses. At the party, you wouldn't dream how muscular and strong they actually are.

So, my relaxed arm:

My flexed arm:

This is about the closest I have to a "just walking around in real life" photo from the same time period, probably mid-20s body fat percent, and I wouldn't call that look "toned", personally.

A thing to watch out for, as a woman - assuming the woman wants to be healthy - is that the low body fat percentages some influencers have in their publicity photos are not compatible with good health (mental or physical) or with happy life balance. Some of them simply don't stay there very long, most of them would look different in routine day-to-day life candid photos, and a few - sadly - are in the throes of an appearance-driven eating disorder and encouraging that in others . . . perhaps without recognizing that that's what it is.

Be careful.

mar_sbar

Hi, and welcome to MFP. Cheers for getting back into a fitness regimen. To add to what Ann and Clairey posted above, start off with something like a full body routine done 3 days a week. You'll want to focus on compound lifts like deadlift, bench press, squat, overhead press, and rows. That will ensure that you work out multiple muscle groups and maximize growth. Make sure you learn proper form and prioritize time under tension (lifting the weight for 1 second and lowering it for 2). You'll also want to get regular cardio in. Anything you enjoy like hiking, running, martial arts, or even just walking will be beneficial. Best of luck, and enjoy the MFP threads here. There are many helpful people.