Tighten & Tone Group - Thread 1

NBFIT

I love zumba. I want to get the Zumba & Just Dance for the Wii. Mix up the cardio a bit.



Thanks again for the responses! We can check in every Wednesday & see how each other is doing! I'll post a second thread (same name) next week.

jipper44

Thanks so much for starting this group! I'm 5'7" and currently 148 (down 7 lbs) and would like to be between 135 and 140...only a few more pounds to go! But I second ashleyb1031's sentiment of just toning and tightening so I don't have to look at the scale anymore!

I'm working out an average of 4 times per week, net 1200 cals. I start with a little warmup I learned in a bootcamp I took in January, then hit the bike for about 25 min of 5 min intervals. Next, I do some weights and resistance training. I don't really worry too much about muscle groups as long as I hit each one consistently throughout the week, though abs are everyday. I'm not doing any power lifting (super high weight, low reps) so I think my body can recover pretty well from day to day. I keep the weight heavy enough to make it between 15 and 20 reps before tiring...2-3 sets of each. After lifting, I go running for a couple miles. Working my way up to a sprint distance triathlon in June...just looking forward to finishing my first one

Lanfear

I'm with you guys

Started at 152lbs and would like to get to about 130lbs. Although I have lost between 8-9lbs since starting MFP, what I see in the mirror is definitely under the heading of "skinny fat". Especially my arms - talk about bingo wings. Urgh. And hips. Yuck.

I have about 5 days of the 30 Day Shred left and then I will be moving onto Turbo Fire, although I am considering investing in ChaLean Extreme and doing the hybrid programme (which would also mean having to buy some larger weights). I also cycle to/from work and bounce round on a horse once a week

I have also (after reading a lot of threads here) moved my calories up to 1440, which still gives me a 250-300 deficit from my "maintenance" so I will see how that goes with regards to losing - should still give me 0.5lb a week which is about right for my current weight/heigh/BMI

NBFIT

Thanks so much for starting this group! I'm 5'7" and currently 148 (down 7 lbs) and would like to be between 135 and 140...only a few more pounds to go! But I second ashleyb1031's sentiment of just toning and tightening so I don't have to look at the scale anymore!

I'm working out an average of 4 times per week, net 1200 cals. I start with a little warmup I learned in a bootcamp I took in January, then hit the bike for about 25 min of 5 min intervals. Next, I do some weights and resistance training. I don't really worry too much about muscle groups as long as I hit each one consistently throughout the week, though abs are everyday. I'm not doing any power lifting (super high weight, low reps) so I think my body can recover pretty well from day to day. I keep the weight heavy enough to make it between 15 and 20 reps before tiring...2-3 sets of each. After lifting, I go running for a couple miles. Working my way up to a sprint distance triathlon in June...just looking forward to finishing my first one

I'm 5'6" and would love to be 135-140. But focusing on the scale drove me nuts. I get aggravated that if I slack off at all, there will be no results or weight gained. Do you have this problem as well? Welcome & good luck w/your upcoming triathlon!

jipper44

Thanks so much for starting this group! I'm 5'7" and currently 148 (down 7 lbs) and would like to be between 135 and 140...only a few more pounds to go! But I second ashleyb1031's sentiment of just toning and tightening so I don't have to look at the scale anymore!

I'm working out an average of 4 times per week, net 1200 cals. I start with a little warmup I learned in a bootcamp I took in January, then hit the bike for about 25 min of 5 min intervals. Next, I do some weights and resistance training. I don't really worry too much about muscle groups as long as I hit each one consistently throughout the week, though abs are everyday. I'm not doing any power lifting (super high weight, low reps) so I think my body can recover pretty well from day to day. I keep the weight heavy enough to make it between 15 and 20 reps before tiring...2-3 sets of each. After lifting, I go running for a couple miles. Working my way up to a sprint distance triathlon in June...just looking forward to finishing my first one

I'm 5'6" and would love to be 135-140. But focusing on the scale drove me nuts. I get aggravated that if I slack off at all, there will be no results or weight gained. Do you have this problem as well? Welcome & good luck w/your upcoming triathlon!

Yes, I absolutely have this problem! I think one of the important things to remember is that as much as we want to "lose weight", our goals of toning and tightening may or may not accomplish as many actual pounds lost. I got the idea from another thread to put away the scale for Lent and so far it has been a wonderful mental break! I try really hard to focus on how good I'm feeling and how much better I am fitting in my clothes (I can put my jeans in the dryer now!!!).

I don't eat perfectly, I don't spend 3 hours in the gym everyday. I don't have time for that, this is real life. I make mistakes and I used to punish myself for them, sometimes I still do. I think we need to make sure we're taking care of ourselves mentally and emotionally as well as physically. Who knows the actual science (I'm an accountant) but I think many of us put extra pressure on ourselves and that just makes it harder to reduce stress already in our lives without our physical goals, it's more difficult to sleep well, and nearly impossible to truly celebrate ourselves. If you're anything like me, the balance is a constant struggle.

Thanks for the luck! I'll need it! Still loving this thread

cmowat13

I'm in too! I'm in a healthy weight range for my height, but I'm not happy with what I see in the mirror. For a while, I was doing a ton of cardio and cutting a lot of calories. I realized that I need to do weight/strength training and not cut back on calories so much, so I raised my calorie goal and I started the 30 day shred and today was my 30th day! I think I'll continue doing part of that dvd, but I'm going to start 6 week 6 pack and shred it with weights as well. I didn't start seeing results until a few days ago, so hopefully things are just starting to kick in, instead of me changing something and not realizing it. I work out 6 days a week, doing 30 day shred (now I'll be doing her other dvds), then the elliptical for 25-45 minutes depending on how I feel, then some extra thigh/ab exercises on the floor. I play co-ed soccer once a week, so on that day I've been cutting out the cardio part of my routine since I run so much during my games. I have also really increased my protein and water intake.

We'll see how it goes!

Good luck to everyone!

chuisle

Hi All!

For the next four weeks I will be changing my work out up...after nine weeks of doing 5x a week of cardio (running, ellipitcal, occasional dance) and strength training I am going to switch to 3x week of hot yoga and 2-3x strength training. I am excited to give my joints a break and rejuvinate them. After practicing on and off for 4 years I am confident in the power of hot yoga to transform the body and am looking forward to the mix up! I would recommend it for anyone looking to gain tone and strength!

jipper44

I'm also looking to start up yoga again! I absolutely love the way it makes me feel physically as well as mentally. It's one of those activities when I only think about what I'm doing at the moment. No worries of the day, no pressures from work, no expectations...it's a wonderful mental break while getting stretched out and stronger!

rethers

that looks like a good workout. I've always been skeptical of hitting each body part once a week with weights. I know it's better than never but it doesn't seem like I've ever gotten any serious toning from it. I think perhaps twice a week would be best but the challenge in that is committing to the time it takes. I like this workout you do since it looks like you could eliminate the cardio session afterwards (I never feel like I've done enough with just a weight session). I'm going to try it! Thanks!!