Why the heavy lifting and lots of protein?

delicious_cocktail

But a lot of people on here say that in order to get a "toned" body you MUST lift heavy and eat a lot of protein.

A lot of people on here also say that cayenne pepper 'ramps up' the metabolism and that a coffee enema is good for you and that Dr Oz knows anything about weight loss. A lot of people say a lot of things.

I wouldn't say "in order to get a "toned" body you MUST lift heavy and eat a lot of protein."

You need to eat sufficient protein. You also need to eat sufficient fats and carbohydrates. It's also advisable to meet your micronutrient targets.
Resistance training cultivates muscles. It increases their density, their resting resistance to stretch (i.e. tone), and the overall proportion of lean body mass to fat.
Cutlivating muscle tissue will increase your resting metabolic rate which will increase the amount of calories you burn at rest. This will make the task of burning fat less intensive.
A 'toned' look is only attainable through reduction in body fat. At low body fat, if you have little muscle, you will look more wirey/sinewy/lean than if you have more muscle.
However, physiologically we all have the same muscle groups located in the same places. It is human anatomy. The various ratios of fat to muscle, muscle to height and build, fat to height and build, etc - - these are all variable.


So I will not undertake a defense of an assertion with which I disagree - and I think that when folks here are trying to answer you, they're trying to provide simplified explanations in response to a question which I'm not even sure you're asking.


All my lovin',
-DC

mdiaz0188

I agree with most here, yoga is def a type of resistance training - I would know...I practice 7times a week and I myself have found myself toning up without having to lift a single weight at a gym..... A lot of people underestimate the strength required to pull off a few yoga moves...especially if she likes to experiment with different poses and do all the fun upside down stuffs! I've taken yoga classes with people who do boxing for a living who found yoga to be "surprisingly challenging" ... it definitely has its benefits!

skullshank

for me, it's because the aesthetic result i want comes from lifting.
in addition to that, i really enjoy it. before i lifted and was doing only cardio, i dreaded my workout.
now i look forward to it. every. damn. day.

stefaniemazz

I guess I didn't realize yoga could have the same effect as "heavy lifting" and I also didn't realize 80 grams of protein is actually enough for her size.

I see a lot of people on here in really great shape, eating like 150 grams of protein and I'm like "woahh"

Thanks for the answers again.

PikaKnight

Yoga actually is a form of strength training.

A key thing about your sister: has she ever been a higher weight than she is now? *Edit to respond to your edit* Ah, so she lost weight. Still sounds like she's following the "recommendations" for not losing LBM. Higher protein relative to her. Some form of strength training.

The key is to keep protein up and do some form of strength training is when losing weight. While eating at a deficit, some amount of LBM is going to go with the fat. As a result, too much LBM gone with the fat can result in a body that isn't as "toned" as someone hoped for. With high protein and heavy lifting, less LBM is lost during weight loss. Add in a very small deficit, you're even better.

Also, 80~100g of protein is still a pretty decent amount, especially for an individual weighing 108 lbs. High protein is relative to LBM.

^This. Also, "lifting heavy" in regards to using barbells or dumbbells is a form of resistance/strength training and is usually recommended because you get the most bang for your buck.

But it's not the only form of resistance/strength training out there. Swimming, sprinting, bodyweight/calisthenics training (w/variations replacing the basics to continue to offer resistance), certain advanced/certain types of yoga, TRX Suspension, Sandbags, etc are also forms of resistance/strength training.

EvgeniZyntx

I guess I didn't realize yoga could have the same effect as "heavy lifting" and I also didn't realize 80 grams of protein is actually enough for her size.

I see a lot of people on here in really great shape, eating like 150 grams of protein and I'm like "woahh"

Thanks for the answers again.

Depends on goals - 150 grams would be a smidgen low for me. I try to hit 170. Depends on goals. I'm not shooting for 100 lbs.

jonnythan

I guess I didn't realize yoga could have the same effect as "heavy lifting" and I also didn't realize 80 grams of protein is actually enough for her size.

I see a lot of people on here in really great shape, eating like 150 grams of protein and I'm like "woahh"

Thanks for the answers again.

She has low body fat and a relatively low amount of muscle. Mediocre training and protein intake is enough to sustain that.

If you want to actually be stronger and have muscles bigger than an average sorority girl, you need to have high quality training and even more protein intake.