Toning - after or during weight loss?
Replies
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Yes, lift weights, disregard your insecurities and pick up a bar-bell, I promise it'll be the most rewarding experience with regard to your overall health and appearance.
This. You might feel weird about it the first couple of times, but then you'll just be the awesome chick who's not afraid to lift.0 -
Thanks! So 3 sets of 3 of 4 or 5 different compound lifts doesn't seem very time consuming. I've been waisting time then. Why do I see people at the gym for like 45 minutes?
Thank you for this. I didn't really understand how to "lift heavy" When I am weak. How do you know what's heavy? Is it the heaviest you can possibly manage like 3 times?Lift heavy. You will change your whole body.
I don't want to look bulky.
You won't.
http://www.jcdfitness.com/2011/06/i-dont-want-to-get-big-and-bulky-fitness-marketing-and-its-effect-on-women/
I'm quite weak and I don't know if this would really benefit me. I do yoga and that has worked for me. For what I want it to work for.
Being weak is probably the best reason to start lifting heavy (heavy for you).
"Heavy" has more to do with the rep range than actual weight...the weight is going to be relative to the experience of the lifter. "Heavy" weight for me is going to be nothing for an experienced power lifter for example. "Heavy" is generally defined by working in sets of 3-5 for reps of 1-5or6. The weight should be heavy enough to where you really are near failure on your 5th set if you're doing sets of 5 or 3rd set if you're doing sets of 3, etc.
The actual weight is relative to the lifter.
Lower rep is higher intensity so you will have to rest between sets. You do 5 moves in 5 sets each with rest it adds up. 25 sets with 1 min rest between going to be 50 plus minutes.0 -
My transformation. Lots of lifting (from the beginning), calorie deficit, almost no cardio. I'm a competitive female bodybuilder and when I'm not on stage I don't really look like I lift I just look sort of athletic.
A trainer or the "Starting Strength" program are good places to start.0 -
Buying toner is a pain.....not sure how it is related to weight loss though....:indifferent:
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marine lady, you go~ awesome~:flowerforyou:0
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marine lady, you go~ awesome~:flowerforyou:
Thank you! I felt like a sausage in the first picture :laugh:0 -
**THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS TONING** (not yelling, just emphasizing)
You can do two things:
- Build muscle
- Lose fat
That's it. There are no other options.
I lift heavy... usually more than the guys I see at the gym. You can view my photos if you must -- am I "bulky?" If so, then don't follow my advice.
There's a fundamental law that you have to understand -- Your size is limited by the amount of calories you consume. Even if you are one of those rare men or women who is genetically predisposed to building muscle faster than the rest of us, you are not going to get bulky unless you are eating more than you are burning.
Saying "I don't want to look bulky; therefore, I won't lift weights" is like saying, "I don't want to win marathons; therefore, I shouldn't use the treadmill" It's absurd because you probably couldn't get "bulky" if you tried.
Just nitpicking, but you can also add fat and lose muscle.
Good point!0 -
Thanks! So 3 sets of 3 of 4 or 5 different compound lifts doesn't seem very time consuming. I've been waisting time then. Why do I see people at the gym for like 45 minutes?
Thank you for this. I didn't really understand how to "lift heavy" When I am weak. How do you know what's heavy? Is it the heaviest you can possibly manage like 3 times?Lift heavy. You will change your whole body.
I don't want to look bulky.
You won't.
http://www.jcdfitness.com/2011/06/i-dont-want-to-get-big-and-bulky-fitness-marketing-and-its-effect-on-women/
I'm quite weak and I don't know if this would really benefit me. I do yoga and that has worked for me. For what I want it to work for.
Being weak is probably the best reason to start lifting heavy (heavy for you).
"Heavy" has more to do with the rep range than actual weight...the weight is going to be relative to the experience of the lifter. "Heavy" weight for me is going to be nothing for an experienced power lifter for example. "Heavy" is generally defined by working in sets of 3-5 for reps of 1-5or6. The weight should be heavy enough to where you really are near failure on your 5th set if you're doing sets of 5 or 3rd set if you're doing sets of 3, etc.
The actual weight is relative to the lifter.
If you're following an actual program and lifting heavy enough to require you to properly rest between sets, a good full body heavy lifting program is going to run you about 45 minutes pretty easily.
I would also add that as a beginner you can make great progress just focusing on those compound lifts, but at some point assistance work is going to be necessary to "assist" those lifts...in other words, you will ultimately stall on your strength gains and additional volume will be required to keep increasing your strength.
I do very little in the way of assistance work...maybe some pullups and dips. Regardless of my trying cycle (muscular endurance, hypertrophy, or strength/power), my lifts are primarily compounds...just the rep range changes. With a proper warm-up, my core stability and dynamic work, and throwing in a couple sets of box jumps for explosiveness...I'm pretty much pushing 60 minutes or so, longer if I have to wait for any equipment.
Also, a lot of people you see in the gym are likely doing split routines rather than full body routines and are generally going to be higher volume and take longer.0 -
Been there, done that, girl! It can be VERY intimidating to head into the weight room for the first time. Get yourself a super simple routine, realize that no one is really caring about what you're doing in there, and just go in and do it. Your confidence will build over time, but it is definitely an exercise in getting over your fears. I started at my university's gym where they had women-only weight room hours and I got some staff to help with using some of the equipment. I was SO TERRIFIED the first time I went in (irrational, yes, I know). But you will feel so proud of yourself for getting stronger!
And soon you don't care about if you're working out with guys or not. Everyone's there to do their own thing. Yoga is wonderful (I do it regularly), but the feeling of keeping a regular strength routine and seeing your progress is amazing... Not even just for the aesthetic results, but for the empowering feeling!
You can probably find a fairly cheap intro weight-lifting session at a YMCA somewhere. That might help with some nervousness.
Kind of OT: My opinion is that 'toning' is marketing-speak geared towards women to talk about getting strong in a way that doesn't seem too threatening or manly... silly really. Are we delicate little flower women who paradoxically have wonderful muscle definition through 'toning' but are still weak enough to attract men who can't deal with strong women (don't get me wrong, I love it when my bf lifts things for me lol... you get my point though....)? </rambling>
You will not turn into a scary-looking muscle monster from learning how to use a squat rack. On the contrary, you will gain quite a nice bum and the ability to be able to lift something off of yourself or someone else if it should ever be required. 0 -
Lift.....weights.....NOW!!!!!0
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**THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS TONING** (not yelling, just emphasizing)
You can do two things:
- Build muscle
- Lose fat
That's it. There are no other options.
I lift heavy... usually more than the guys I see at the gym. You can view my photos if you must -- am I "bulky?" If so, then don't follow my advice.
There's a fundamental law that you have to understand -- Your size is limited by the amount of calories you consume. Even if you are one of those rare men or women who is genetically predisposed to building muscle faster than the rest of us, you are not going to get bulky unless you are eating more than you are burning.
Saying "I don't want to look bulky; therefore, I won't lift weights" is like saying, "I don't want to win marathons; therefore, I shouldn't use the treadmill" It's absurd because you probably couldn't get "bulky" if you tried.
Just nitpicking, but you can also add fat and lose muscle.
Good point!
Shoot, if bulky means flat-as-hell stomach, where do I sign up!!??0 -
I am not trying to strength train but aim to reduce fat and sculpt the overall bodyshape.
That is what strength training is for...
jeeeeez. and in a few hours another post will come up with the same topic. Like tissue man....0 -
You can't "tone" what's not there. Lift HEAVY. And then Lift heavier.
I lift heavy and i am not bulky. I powerlift and for "cardio" although I prefer the word conditioning, I just lift weights faster. LOL. My conditioning of choice is kettlebells and I just competed in my first kettlebell sport event.
I WISH to all heck I could get bulky. It's hard for women.
True muscle gain..it's hard. Dont' be afraid to build muscle. And once you start seeign your shape come out, like I did, I actually wanted to get bigger!! It was a very different mindshift for me! And once I embraced it, I got stronger. Still have a hard time getting bigger though! But my strength has gone through the roof.0 -
I am not trying to strength train but aim to reduce fat and sculpt the overall bodyshape.
That is what strength training is for...
jeeeeez. and in a few hours another post will come up with the same topic. Like tissue man....
Just chill0 -
You can't "tone" what's not there. Lift HEAVY. And then Lift heavier.
I lift heavy and i am not bulky. I powerlift and for "cardio" although I prefer the word conditioning, I just lift weights faster. LOL. My conditioning of choice is kettlebells and I just competed in my first kettlebell sport event.
I WISH to all heck I could get bulky. It's hard for women.
True muscle gain..it's hard. Dont' be afraid to build muscle. And once you start seeign your shape come out, like I did, I actually wanted to get bigger!! It was a very different mindshift for me! And once I embraced it, I got stronger. Still have a hard time getting bigger though! But my strength has gone through the roof.
I think people took my bulky comment too literally. I am not saying I am scared to make myself to look muscular but I'm scared I'll just make my problem areas bigger with the tone underneath. But hey, I'm probably wrong. Which is why I am here
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You can't "tone" what's not there. Lift HEAVY. And then Lift heavier.
I lift heavy and i am not bulky. I powerlift and for "cardio" although I prefer the word conditioning, I just lift weights faster. LOL. My conditioning of choice is kettlebells and I just competed in my first kettlebell sport event.
I WISH to all heck I could get bulky. It's hard for women.
True muscle gain..it's hard. Dont' be afraid to build muscle. And once you start seeign your shape come out, like I did, I actually wanted to get bigger!! It was a very different mindshift for me! And once I embraced it, I got stronger. Still have a hard time getting bigger though! But my strength has gone through the roof.
I think people took my bulky comment too literally. I am not saying I am scared to make myself to look muscular but I'm scared I'll just make my problem areas bigger with the tone underneath. But hey, I'm probably wrong. Which is why I am here
yeah..."bulky" is a relative term in people's eyes...0 -
You can't "tone" what's not there. Lift HEAVY. And then Lift heavier.
I lift heavy and i am not bulky. I powerlift and for "cardio" although I prefer the word conditioning, I just lift weights faster. LOL. My conditioning of choice is kettlebells and I just competed in my first kettlebell sport event.
I WISH to all heck I could get bulky. It's hard for women.
True muscle gain..it's hard. Dont' be afraid to build muscle. And once you start seeign your shape come out, like I did, I actually wanted to get bigger!! It was a very different mindshift for me! And once I embraced it, I got stronger. Still have a hard time getting bigger though! But my strength has gone through the roof.
I think people took my bulky comment too literally. I am not saying I am scared to make myself to look muscular but I'm scared I'll just make my problem areas bigger with the tone underneath. But hey, I'm probably wrong. Which is why I am here
even if that were to happen, odds are you would probably be more pleased with the new shape and not really notice that its might be a little 'bigger'0 -
By bulky do you mean like this?
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1315234-me-running-eating-less-calories-vs-me-eating-more-lifting0 -
Hey! You guys have given some really great advice so far. Would it be effective to strength train for 3 days a week and then use the rest of the week for interval cardio? I have around 25 pounds of fat to lose.0
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I'm confused by your definition of toning. You say you tone but you lose inches off your waist. That is losing weight to me. My definition of toning is losing body fat so that your muscle definition can reveal itself. In the process you lose inches off your body, you may or may not see a difference in the scale, depending on how much you have to lose. And to do this, you eat at a slight deficit and lift heavy. You do this whether you are obese or close to your weight goal. You will not bulk up, I promise you. Women need to work out really really hard, eat a *kitten* ton of calories and take steroids to look bulky. You will look sexy. That is all.
ETA: Make sure you get enough protein in so that you are not losing muscle along in the process. You want to lose fat and hang on to your muscles
ETA again: You sound just like me about 2 years ago before I discovered the benefits of heavy lifting. I was insecure about lifting with the boys, I thought yoga and cardio could help me reach my goal. Please take everyone's advice 0 -
"Toning" has a different meaning to everyone.
I agree with most of the posts, you have to lift. You should be "toning" throughout your entire weight loss journey. Cardio only won't do the trick. You absolutely will not look "bulky". Strength training will actually speed up your process! There is no better way.
Feel free to add me 0 -
Lift heavy. You will change your whole body.
I don't want to look bulky.
So long as you're not on the juice it won't be a problem, women don't naturally gain much muscle. "Toning" is not a process, you can either build muscle, or cut fat, the "toning" is merely the muscle definition coming through as a result of diminishing body fat, so you need to either build more muscle, or lose more fat, because there are no special exercises that tone anything.
Rigger
So you're saying lift weights? I would be a little conscious doing that to be honest.
Why?
I've never used the gym for weight and it's usually filled with men. Should I have a member of staff advice me on what weights I should lift? Because my sister has a personal trainer and he told her to not bother with lifting and to work on cardio?
Tell your sister to fire her BS trainer ASAP.
+1, and read this OP. Lots of women are afraid to go in the weights section, but you have as much right to be in there as anyone else. I was nervous the first time, and realized I had only done my warm-ups and one working set by the time I got home, but the next time, it was nothin'! http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1169757-i-am-the-woman-in-the-freeweights-section-of-the-gym0 -
You can't "tone" what's not there. Lift HEAVY. And then Lift heavier.
I lift heavy and i am not bulky. I powerlift and for "cardio" although I prefer the word conditioning, I just lift weights faster. LOL. My conditioning of choice is kettlebells and I just competed in my first kettlebell sport event.
I WISH to all heck I could get bulky. It's hard for women.
True muscle gain..it's hard. Dont' be afraid to build muscle. And once you start seeign your shape come out, like I did, I actually wanted to get bigger!! It was a very different mindshift for me! And once I embraced it, I got stronger. Still have a hard time getting bigger though! But my strength has gone through the roof.
I think people took my bulky comment too literally. I am not saying I am scared to make myself to look muscular but I'm scared I'll just make my problem areas bigger with the tone underneath. But hey, I'm probably wrong. Which is why I am here
I was worried about the same thing too when I first started with the weights, but I was way wrong to be. At first I freaked out because I thought I was gaining weight because my clothes were a bit tighter, but I continued on with the program and the (mostly lol) healthy eating and was very happy with what I saw. I'd give it a try and take all of the wonderful advice given here. Stick with it for at least three months so that you can start to see the results and I promise you'll be so glad you did.
And I have to add that you look awesome already! :happy:0 -
Do Yoga...so that you remain flexible enough that you don't injure yourself during strength training.
Do Cardio....so that you don't run out of breath completing your set during strength training.
Do Strength training....to look like a fit badass0 -
You can't "tone" what's not there. Lift HEAVY. And then Lift heavier.
I lift heavy and i am not bulky. I powerlift and for "cardio" although I prefer the word conditioning, I just lift weights faster. LOL. My conditioning of choice is kettlebells and I just competed in my first kettlebell sport event.
I WISH to all heck I could get bulky. It's hard for women.
True muscle gain..it's hard. Dont' be afraid to build muscle. And once you start seeign your shape come out, like I did, I actually wanted to get bigger!! It was a very different mindshift for me! And once I embraced it, I got stronger. Still have a hard time getting bigger though! But my strength has gone through the roof.
I think people took my bulky comment too literally. I am not saying I am scared to make myself to look muscular but I'm scared I'll just make my problem areas bigger with the tone underneath. But hey, I'm probably wrong. Which is why I am here
I was worried about the same thing too when I first started with the weights, but I was way wrong to be. At first I freaked out because I thought I was gaining weight because my clothes were a bit tighter, but I continued on with the program and the (mostly lol) healthy eating and was very happy with what I saw. I'd give it a try and take all of the wonderful advice given here. Stick with it for at least three months so that you can start to see the results and I promise you'll be so glad you did.
And I have to add that you look awesome already! :happy:
Yeah I think I'll gave to give it a try! I'm just worried about getting larger without dropping the weight! Haha.
Thank you!0 -
Hey! You guys have given some really great advice so far. Would it be effective to strength train for 3 days a week and then use the rest of the week for interval cardio? I have around 25 pounds of fat to lose.
I think that is a very good approach. If you are a novice to weight lifting (and I consider myself a novice so I think most people are) then doing a full body routine 3 days a week is pretty ideal. Give yourself a rest day in between and on that rest day you can do interval cardio. Makes for a good well rounded 5-6 day workout regime. I'd take at least one day completely off to rest up, rest is important.0 -
What is your understanding and definition of "toning"?So I've always done exercise but not that much "toning". I've lost about 12 pounds and am looking to lose another 10. Should I start the toning process? Someone once said toning is pointless when you haven't lost all the weight you want to. Others say you should tone as you lose. Which is it?
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition0 -
You can't "tone" what's not there. Lift HEAVY. And then Lift heavier.
I lift heavy and i am not bulky. I powerlift and for "cardio" although I prefer the word conditioning, I just lift weights faster. LOL. My conditioning of choice is kettlebells and I just competed in my first kettlebell sport event.
I WISH to all heck I could get bulky. It's hard for women.
True muscle gain..it's hard. Dont' be afraid to build muscle. And once you start seeign your shape come out, like I did, I actually wanted to get bigger!! It was a very different mindshift for me! And once I embraced it, I got stronger. Still have a hard time getting bigger though! But my strength has gone through the roof.
I think people took my bulky comment too literally. I am not saying I am scared to make myself to look muscular but I'm scared I'll just make my problem areas bigger with the tone underneath. But hey, I'm probably wrong. Which is why I am here
I was worried about the same thing too when I first started with the weights, but I was way wrong to be. At first I freaked out because I thought I was gaining weight because my clothes were a bit tighter, but I continued on with the program and the (mostly lol) healthy eating and was very happy with what I saw. I'd give it a try and take all of the wonderful advice given here. Stick with it for at least three months so that you can start to see the results and I promise you'll be so glad you did.
And I have to add that you look awesome already! :happy:
Yeah I think I'll gave to give it a try! I'm just worried about getting larger without dropping the weight! Haha.
Thank you!
If you lift and you eat enough to support your lifting so that you can gain muscle your weight won't go down if anything it will go up. But you won't get larger, not disproportionately anyways.0 -
Lift heavy. You will change your whole body.
I don't want to look bulky.
You won't. You're female.
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1096001-halp-heavy-lifting-made-me-supah-bulky0 -
I creeped your profile pics. Did you lose the tummy flap just from lifting and diet? Just really would like to know if this is a possibility for me!My transformation. Lots of lifting (from the beginning), calorie deficit, almost no cardio. I'm a competitive female bodybuilder and when I'm not on stage I don't really look like I lift I just look sort of athletic.
A trainer or the "Starting Strength" program are good places to start.0
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