Good (short) videos on toning arms & legs/butt?

SunBunzz

I've done 30 Day Shred (twice) & did No More Trouble Zones (Jillian Michaels) for several months. I see a good change, but I've been taking breaks.

I wish to do my cardio separate from strength, as much as I love NMTZ, but it's nearly an hour long, & combining that with cardio is a little much for me. I just got running shoes, & I love to play Just Dance games for exceptionally intense (but shorter) cardio burn every other day or so. I guess what I'm looking for is something that is great for sculpting arms legs & butt, but only for a short time each day.

Are there any good arm (& legs/butt) exercises I can do for just a few minutes a day in between cardio that don't exceed 15 minutes? I don't need dramatic results in just a month, (as all the videos I've done claimed, & they were satisfactory, but I'm not that overweight, so they're not as obvious anyway)

I'm just working on gradually getting them sculpted over time. I think I'm done losing weight, now I'm just trying to stay healthy & tone up a bit of what's left over time. I do this workout called 7 minutes in Hell from an app called Carrot, where you do jumping jacks, push-ups, high-knees, plank stuff, squats, etc. Which is great, but it's probably only good for keeping your body strong, not making it stronger. Which is all I do it for. Just as a refresher workout.

I own sets of 2 to 6 pound hand weights, a mat & I can pretty much do intermediate stuff thanks to the NMTZ & 30 Day Shred, including regular push-ups with one leg raised, & my core is pretty strong. But I'm not an athlete. Basically stuff that helps quickly tone or tighten arms, legs/butt without cardio.

If it's on YouTube, please link it! And thaaaaaank you!

Cherimoose

"Toning", "sculpting", and "tightening" are all synonyms for "fat loss". As you may have heard, it's not possible to target fat loss. You'll get the best results following a full-body strength training program, like NROL, Stronglifts, Nerd Fitness, etc. The latter two have videos.. the first one is a book.
Consider investing in a pair of adjustable dumbbells that go to at least 20 lbs. each, since 6 pounders are useless for the larger muscle groups. Check thrift stores or Craigslist for equipment.

SunBunzz

I don't want to be a body builder, I just want to get a little leaner in the areas I mentioned, without doing an entire body-enhancing workout that takes 50 minutes like I have been. I Just want to stick to my normal cardio regimen & focus on a couple of areas I could gradually get to look leaner over time.

If more than one person says that's impossible, I'll take your word for it. Just checking to see if others have anymore input.

The reason I feel at a standstill is that some people say "YOU CAN'T spot-produce fat" which I believe, but others say "You can strengthen & tighten certain areas with strength" so it's one or the other. I never know for sure on who actually knows.

I've been corrected numerous times for using words like "toned" or "sculpted" but you know what I mean. I don't feel like using the proper terminology because it would limit my specific question WITHOUT using words like those^ just saying.

mustgetmuscles1

Toning or sculpting has to be losing body fat and/or gaining retaining muscle. There really is not another choice. You can get some initial swelling in a muscle group that make the appear bigger or toner or whatever but it is temporary.

To get the tone look you are probably going for you will need to lose some body fat, which will come from calorie and nutrient management and strength training to retain your current muscle while you lose the body fat. 2 to 6 pound dumbbells is not really going to do anything for you.

You will not accidentally look like a bodybuilder without years of lifting some seriously heavy weights and eating a lot of food. And even then being female you would probably need some drugs.

ETA: The work you have done so far is awesome. All I could recommend is to up the strength training and dont be afraid its going to turn you into a bodybuilder. Eat at maintenance if you are at your goal weight already.

SunBunzz

You will not accidentally look like a bodybuilder without years of lifting some seriously heavy weights and eating a lot of food. And even then being female you would probably need some drugs.

Hahaha I figured as much. I don't think I'll have to worry about that. lol But I was half-kidding. Just thought getting barbells sounded a little more advanced. But maybe that's how some people trim down? I've never used them before. My fiancé is pretty sure he doesn't want me losing anymore weight though. lol I'll LOSE MY BEWBS!

(Sigh) Maybe it is impossible to get certain parts of you to get tighter in muscle-tone without dropping more & more pounds? :frown:

lisalsd1

"Toning", "sculpting", and "tightening" are all synonyms for "fat loss". As you may have heard, it's not possible to target fat loss. You'll get the best results following a full-body strength training program, like NROL, Stronglifts, Nerd Fitness, etc. The latter two have videos.. the first one is a book.
Consider investing in a pair of adjustable dumbbells that go to at least 20 lbs. each, since 6 pounders are useless for the larger muscle groups. Check thrift stores or Craigslist for equipment.

+1

OP- I'm a little confused by your goal. Do you just want to be smaller? If so, that's fat loss. You don't want big muscles, but do you want strong muscles? If so, yes, you do need heavier weights than 6lbs.

I've been lifting (progressively heavier_ for over a year. My muscles are not huge; but you can see my muscles, b/c I have lost fat. My muscles are much stronger than when I started a year ago. I used New Rules as a program guide.

mustgetmuscles1

You will not accidentally look like a bodybuilder without years of lifting some seriously heavy weights and eating a lot of food. And even then being female you would probably need some drugs.

Hahaha I figured as much. I don't think I'll have to worry about that. lol But I was half-kidding. Just thought getting barbells sounded a little more advanced. But maybe that's how some people trim down? I've never used them before. My fiancé is pretty sure he doesn't want me losing anymore weight though. lol I'll LOSE MY BEWBS!

(Sigh) Maybe it is impossible to get certain parts of you to get tighter in muscle-tone without dropping more & more pounds? :frown:

I wouldnt worry about the weight if you are at your goal weight already but you can eat around maintenance and lower body fat over time with some strength training. Doesn have to be weights though. Plenty of body weight work you can do to build strength.

AllOutof_Bubblegum

I just want to get a little leaner in the areas I mentioned, without doing an entire body-enhancing workout that takes 50 minutes like I have been.

That's.......not really likely. To get leaner, you need to lose body fat. Fat will drop from wherever it feels like on the body. Not necessarily the parts you want. The best way to do that actually probably WOULD be a full body-enhancing workout. And ditch those puny little 2-6 pound weights, they will get you nowhere. Think about this: If light weights were actually effective, every woman with a large handbag or a toddler would have totally ripped arms in a matter of weeks.

Start lifting heavy weights. It will take longer than 7 or so minutes, so jut accept that. You're going to want to lift for at least 20-50 minutes several times a week to get good results.

And you may indeed lose your bewbs, You must also accept that as a possibility. It 100% cannot be avoided if that is where you are genetically predisposed to lose weight. I have accepted it, and my husband knows we'll have to buy them back at one point. I guess I'll start saving now. :explode: lol. Oh, well.

AlysonG2

Sounds like fitnessblender.com might be what you're looking for. It's free and you can search workouts by time, difficulty, upper or lower body, and what type of equipment you have.

Sierra_christine89

I love Tiffany Rothe on Youtube. Her videos are short, and sweet (about 10 min. long each) and she is so motivating, and encouraging. Plus she has real people behind her helping in most of her videos. She's helped me tone up quite a bit along with my regular cardio routine.

I've tried Fitnessblender and everyone seems to love it, but it's just so monotone, and doesn't get me pumped and excited to workout. Tiffany's videos are fun. You should look at them

My all time favorite is her "10 min. booty shaking waste workout" where you just dance for 10 min. but definitely feel it the next day, and if you add that in with whatever else you're doing for a workout, your waist will shrink inches in about a week. It's crazy effective. Wish I would have taken pics to show everyone how amazing that video is.

Best of luck!