Toning stomach

hamer007

So I have finally reached my goal of 140lbs!! i am 5'9 and I'm very happy with where I am now. But after having two children my stomach still has a little softness and I would love some ideas about tightening it up and strength training. I have done nothing but cardio for the past year, so I'm new to weights and not sure where to start. I would like to tone up my stomach and butt without adding too much bulk. Any tips?? Thanks!

steve0820

Squats and Deadlifts!! Will work the best for what you want. But, keep in mind, you're nutrition will play a huge role. Also, you can't spot reduce.

Starting Strength
Stronglifts
NROLFW


As far as adding bulk, that won't happen unless you're in a calorie surplus, and even then, its not easy.

LoseYouself

So I have finally reached my goal of 140lbs!! i am 5'9 and I'm very happy with where I am now. But after having two children my stomach still has a little softness and I would love some ideas about tightening it up and strength training. I have done nothing but cardio for the past year, so I'm new to weights and not sure where to start. I would like to tone up my stomach and butt without adding too much bulk. Any tips?? Thanks!

Toning = building muscle or revealing existing muscle by lowering bodyfat %. You can't "tone" a muscle technically. Also, getting bulky is hard for women to do compared to men, and even for men it's not an easy task. It's not something you'll accidentally do by lifting some weights, so don't even worry about that. I agree with the previous poster about squats and deadlifts. They're compound exercises that involve your entire body and you'll do quite a bit of stabilizing with your core.

Good luck! :bigsmile: