Wanting to start with weights, need some direction. Please

morethanjustamomto4

Obviously I have read enough from people saying cardio and eating right/better isn't all there is. I believe I need to start doing something to TONE my body. How do I do that? I can NOT afford to go to a gym. This is what I have at my home: One pound hand weights (guess I can't get away will big changes just using those? lol), a 40 lb dumbbell set (4-2.5 lbs, 4-7.5 lbs), an exercise bench (incline/decline) and a treadmill. Can someone please tell me what I can do with this stuff to tone? CAN I tone with just these things? What "exercises" do I need to do? You can just give me the names, I can look up the directions. I guess mostly I need to work my belly fat, back/hip fat. (surely my bike riding and treadmill (incline always) will help with my butt/leg fat. (right?)) Please give me some advice. THANKS!!

yoovie

in order to get the 'toned look' the best strategy is to work to be able to be as strong as you want to look.

I suggest 4 lifts to start out with, combined with a bodyweight routine and then when you are comfortable with these and are hungry for more, start adding in accessories.

The 4 lifts are bench, squat, deadlift and over head press (or standing barbell shoulder press). Yes you can do these with dumbbells too!

THe best way to go about this is to use a program that will allow you to steadily increase the weight you lift in the proper amounts each time, so you dont end up stalling out because you stayed with one weight for too long, or because you go too fast and cant keep up with your own weights.

I suggest strstd.com for this. It will give you a routine and tell you how much to lift, how many times each week.

For your bodyweight routine (which is NO JOKE when it comes to helping to create that strong, lean, yet still obviously feminine look) I suggest googling the nerdfitness bodyweight workout.

TO start - master the bodyweight routine while experimenting with something like the incline or decline dumbbell bench press, shoulder press, and squatting while using those 7.5 pounders.

If you tell yourself - im doing one lift per day, on 3 or four days per week - building up to as heavy as I can lift at the moment - it wont take up as much time as cardio - but your body will burn all day. Lifting heavy is a great way to scorch excess bodyfat. If you combine with great nutrition, cardio and rest - that's how you reach your goal.

Motivation is not key. Self discipline and consistency ARE - unlike with cardio. With a weight lifting program, you'll get hungry for more Personal Records and you'll flip out over the incredible changes you'll start seeing within about 6-9 weeks. Im talking outrageous progress. It's not about HOW MANY reps you can do - it's about doing them with proper form, with a proper warm up and cool down (so you dont destroy your joints by pushing them when they are cold) and aiming for heavier.

And the good news? You control how you look. If you feel you are looking a way that you consider to be bulky - or veiny or thin skinned - just raise your bodyfat a half percentage or so. Or if you get to a point where you love how you look and want to stay that way - then you are still in control. You wont have to worry about it getting out of hand, because you can walk away and come back any time you want.

Definitely start with the nerdfitness bodyweight workout (holy ouch), read the first 2 thirds of the New Rules of Lifting for Women if you want to know the why's and how's and be reassured that you wont become she-hulk - cause you won't.

You are the mistress of your sexy destiny

(Dont worry - i think everyone starts out with 5 pounds and then they pee themselves the first time they pick up a barbell with two big boy plates on it)

Capt_Apollo

http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2010/02/15/how-to-build-your-own-workout-routine/

yoovie

also that

yoovie

Also her a good notebook and some badass characters to channel

morethanjustamomto4

Thank you both so much for the information and links. I read the article and will be heading over to the other site to develop a routine. I'm nervous but intend to do this. Thanks for the help! :-)

FindingAmy77

Obviously I have read enough from people saying cardio and eating right/better isn't all there is. I believe I need to start doing something to TONE my body. How do I do that? I can NOT afford to go to a gym. This is what I have at my home: One pound hand weights (guess I can't get away will big changes just using those? lol), a 40 lb dumbbell set (4-2.5 lbs, 4-7.5 lbs), an exercise bench (incline/decline) and a treadmill. Can someone please tell me what I can do with this stuff to tone? CAN I tone with just these things? What "exercises" do I need to do? You can just give me the names, I can look up the directions. I guess mostly I need to work my belly fat, back/hip fat. (surely my bike riding and treadmill (incline always) will help with my butt/leg fat. (right?)) Please give me some advice. THANKS!!

Girl go on you tube and look up Chris Freytag 10lb slimdown, she has wonderful at home workouts you can do to tone up like upper and lower body and vinyasa (flow) yoga. It is what got me toned when I lost before.. I do her workouts when I cant get to the pool or go walking due to rain here in Florida. Her voice isn't annoying like some are and the workouts are really good. Trust me the yoga alone will get you nice and toned and really work up some sweat. The weights set you have sounds good. You don't need a gym.. I don't use one. I have youtube, and my resistance bands and the pool and the outside. Its all for free. Just keep it up and the fat will go away. Take it one day at a time and make everything you do an activity even house cleaning. That is what I do. Oh yeah, try Billy Blanks tae bo, that is a great and fun workout too. He comes right up to your tv/screen and its like he is talking right to you sometimes "I see you, don't quit now.. just a few more" Its a fun workout and the more you can get through the entire workout without stopping is the more you feel so accomplished.

whierd

What yoovie and Capt_Apollo said.

helpfit101

No lifting weights won't directly reduce your bodyfat (much).

You also can't reduce fat in certain spots only.

To lose body fat (belly, back) go on a diet. Eat at a deficit. Do some cardio now and again too but no need to overdo it.

Now carrying around muscle burns more calories than fat. Like if you were very muscular and you sat on the couch all day you'd burn more than if you were just fat at the same body weight and sat on the same couch. Also, having more muscle looks good (so some say).

That's why you should do weight lifting.

You should do some full-body weight workouts.

Here's an example of a workout that can be done with dumbbells:
goblet squat (substitute dumbbell step up if you don't want this)
stiff legged dead-lift (substitute lunge if you don't want this)
bench press
shoulder press
bicep curl
overhead tricep extension
standing calve raise
one-handed bent-over dumbbell row
pull-up or lat pull down (machine) to work your way up to a pull-up

For abs:
plank
crunches

Good luck!

FindingAmy77

No lifting weights won't directly reduce your bodyfat (much).

You also can't reduce fat in certain spots only.

To lose body fat (belly, back) go on a diet. Eat at a deficit. Do some cardio now and again too but no need to overdo it.

Now carrying around muscle burns more calories than fat. Like if you were very muscular and you sat on the couch all day you'd burn more than if you were just fat at the same body weight and sat on the same couch. Also, having more muscle looks good (so some say).

That's why you should do weight lifting.

You should do some full-body weight workouts.

Here's an example of a workout that can be done with dumbbells:
goblet squat (substitute dumbbell step up if you don't want this)
stiff legged dead-lift (substitute lunge if you don't want this)
bench press
shoulder press
bicep curl
overhead tricep extension
standing calve raise
one-handed bent-over dumbbell row
pull-up or lat pull down (machine) to work your way up to a pull-up

For abs:
plank
crunches

Good luck!

She is right however I stick to my advice that you do not need a gym. You can get all these same exercise with the tae bo and Chris Freytag workouts. IF you can get to a pool or the beach it is a great whole body workout as well.

helpfit101

She is right however I stick to my advice that you do not need a gym. You can get all these same exercise with the tae bo and Chris Freytag workouts. IF you can get to a pool or the beach it is a great whole body workout as well.

She is right too. You can do all of these at home with a pair of dumbbells. Although for the chest press it's nice to have a bench, but you can do it on the couch or bed or floor too with a bit less range of motion.