Help Im Trying To Get Toned!

skinnydream115

Alright so usually my exercise is only cardio running/elliptical/bike/stair master. Well I want to do more so I bought a book on all different kind of excercises (since Im a beginer I needed to know what excercises worked what muscles). Now I need some advice on how to put it all together.. like do I do a few excercises from each body group daily. Or each day work on a certain group? I just would like any tips ..

Im thinking maybe it could go something like this

Monday: Lower Body ( legs, quads, calves, glutes,hamstrings, and lower back along with cardio
Tuesday: Upper Body (arms,delts,chest,triceps,biceps,shoulders,upper back) along with core workout and cardio
Wednesday: cardio
Thursday: Lower Body ( legs, quads, calves, glutes,hamstrings, and lower back along with cardio
Friday: Upper Body (arms,delts,chest,triceps,biceps,shoulders,upper back) along with core workout and cardio
Saturday: Core and cardio
Sunday: rest day

suggestions?

HoLLyZ82

i would break those workouts up more...but thats me. your body needs time to repair. maybe something like biceps & triceps one day. chest and back another, legs and butt and so one. just an idear

skinnydream115

thanks for the feedback yeah I think your right it may be kinda alot to do all lower body and cardio in one dayy.. breaking it up seems like a really good idea that way i can focus more on each muscles

damonmath

I have found that for the best results.... By results I mean the most bang for your time...

I do cardio first in every workout. Once your heart rate is up and has been for more than 25minutes... It will continue to stay there for the rest of your workout.

For your routines, I try to keep pushes and pulls on separate days. My routines look like this:

Monday
25 minutes cardio
Chest and Tricep workouts

Tuesday
25 minutes cardio
Back and Bicep workouts

Wednesday
Rest

Thursday
25 minutes cardio
Squats and calf raises and leg extensions

Friday
25 minutes cardio
Leg curls and abs

Weekends off

Hope this helps

themightymc

I do strength training 3 x a week and it takes me about 30-40 minutes, then I do 20-30 mins of moderate cardio. My workout week looks like this:

Sunday - Cardio - 40minutes
Monday - Chest, Triceps and Abs
Tuesday - Back, Biceps, and Abs
Wednesday - Cardio - 30 mins
Thursday - Legs, Calves, Shoulders and Glutes
Friday - Cardio - 30 mins to 1 hour
Saturday - Rest

For example, to break it down further, this would be my Monday Chest, Triceps and Abs workout:

Round 1
Chest - Chest Press - 3 sets of 12
Triceps - Tricep Kickbacks 3 sets of 12
Abs - Crunches 3 sets of 15

Round 2
Chest - Chest Flys - 3 sets of 12
Triceps - Cable pulldowns - 3 sets of 12
Abs - Leg Lifts - 3 sets of 12

Round 3
Chest - Push Ups - 3 sets of 12
Triceps - Bench Dips - 3 sets of 12
Abs - Air Bike - 3 sets of 12

Then Cardio.

I do the same routine for two weeks in a row, then I switch up which kinds of work out I do, for example, on the 3rd and 4th week, I will do 3 different chest exercises, 3 different Tricep exercises...helps the body guessing...and helps you not get bored. Once the 3rd and 4th week are done, I go back to the 1st and 2nd weeks workouts. Of course, the more you strength train, the stronger you get, so the weight you lift will increase. Hope this helps!

skinnydream115

I also think thats a great idea you guys are being very helpful thank you! Is 25 mins of cardio enough to lose fat though?? Im nervous about cutting it back I have been doing about 1 hour of cardio lately.. and im losing weight but I also want to tone up

themightymc

Ha, I think it's funny that the person who posted just before me had about the same grouped exercise....guess we're doing something right!

grimms11208

P90X is a good workout that breaks it up each day but also gives you a full body workout.

themightymc

Strength training burns calories too! I log 40 minutes and it gives me about 150ish calories burned. Also remember, you get an after burn from muscle, so I like to think of those as "bonus" calories. As far as my research has told me 20-30 minutes of cardio is all you need on days with a good strength training regimine. My mother is a personal trainer also, and has validated this info.

erickirb

I also think thats a great idea you guys are being very helpful thank you! Is 25 mins of cardio enough to lose fat though?? Im nervous about cutting it back I have been doing about 1 hour of cardio lately.. and im losing weight but I also want to tone up

you can lose fat with 0 cardio, cardio only allows you to eat more, your deficit is already created with diet, if you are following MFP. The more cals you burn from cardio the more you should be eating to fuel your body properly, otherwise you will be burning lean muscle along with fat.

what is your weekly weight loss goal set at? From your profile pic you look relatively lean, I would suggest a weekly goal of 0.5lbs, and make sure you eat back your burned calories.

Gemmageldmacher

One thing I would recommend is try always to incorporate core strength into your routines by doing as much as you can on an unstable surface (for example the Bosu, a foam pad, or the balance boards once you get really good). (BE CAREFUL!!) Like on your lower body days, lunge onto the Bosu, and do your squats on top of it. On your upper body days, balance on something during your bicep curls, tricep kickbacks, or even the lat pull downs. Always keep your stomach sucked in and engage your lower abs - all this will help with core strength in addition to the spot toning you're trying to do. good luck! :happy:

questionablemethods

Is 25 mins of cardio enough to lose fat though??

Fat is lost through creating a caloric deficit. Cardio is one way of creating a deficit, but eating less is too. In my experience, eating at a moderate deficit, 30 mins of cardio most days a week and weight training 3x/week was plenty to keep losing fairly consistently. I feel like anything beyond that is exercise for exercise's sake/personal enjoyment/sports training/etc.

CRMrunner

I also think thats a great idea you guys are being very helpful thank you! Is 25 mins of cardio enough to lose fat though?? Im nervous about cutting it back I have been doing about 1 hour of cardio lately.. and im losing weight but I also want to tone up

And if you are doing cardio after your strength training, those 25 minutes will feel like the last 25 minutes of the hour, not the first. You'll be fatigued from the strength training and you'll have to work harder.

ryno0618

in order to more easily get in all the exercise I would suggest shortening the cardio time but pushing yourself harder. So do cardio 20-30 minutes before strength but do HIIT or some version of interval training that will get your heart rate up faster and burn fat more efficiently without having to sacrifice strength and lifting time.

Example: I can burn more calories and work harder doing 20 minutes of walk/sprint intervals every other minute than I can running at a medium clip for 60 minutes.

mishmash73

I don't have that much time to do 1 set of cardio & 1 set of strength workouts. I've been blending them together based on what my trainer has done with me. and also, i don't use machines b/c i don't belong to a gym & need to be able to workout anywhere with or without dumb bells. I have a set of dumb bells at home but i've easily done a 'your own body weight' workout. i alternate 1 cardio exercise to get my heart rate up & then do a strength exercise. by the time my heart rate drops i'm done w/the strength, i do another cardio. there's also a difference between becoming 'toned' or bulking up like some of the people that responded look like they've done.

below is an example of one of my workouts... its called a ladder or pyramid workout where you do 10 of each exercise, then 9 of each of them, 8 of them, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 of each then back up to 2 of each, 3 of each, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 of each & 10 of each.

the nice things about ladders is that you can do the cardio & then pick a specific body part for the strength. I've done ladders focusing on abs, or arms. Most of my cardio is leg intensive. the intensity or the length of the workout depends on how many exercises you pick. you end up doing 110 of each exercise you pick. the most i've done is 6 & then i'm dying at the end.

Kettle bell swings (i use a 25lb-30lb dumb bell)
pushups
squat jumps
bilateral shoulder raises (using 20lb dumb bells but 10-15 if you're a beginner)
burpees

oneIT

I also think thats a great idea you guys are being very helpful thank you! Is 25 mins of cardio enough to lose fat though?? Im nervous about cutting it back I have been doing about 1 hour of cardio lately.. and im losing weight but I also want to tone up

you can lose fat with 0 cardio, cardio only allows you to eat more, your deficit is already created with diet, if you are following MFP. The more cals you burn from cardio the more you should be eating to fuel your body properly, otherwise you will be burning lean muscle along with fat.

what is your weekly weight loss goal set at? From your profile pic you look relatively lean, I would suggest a weekly goal of 0.5lbs, and make sure you eat back your burned calories.

This is true but I seem to loose more fat (or something) when I workout for some reason. I eat back cals too and workouts are tracked with a HRM. Pretty sure your body burns a whole lot more between workouts, maybe that is why.

thecrossfitter

I know this is a pretty general statement, but I did want to throw in my 2 cents.

If toned is your goal (low body fat with enough muscle built up to be defined/slightly show), then I would recommend doing compound lifts with free weights. Isolated exercises (from my understanding) such as bicep curls are great if you're going for hypertrophy (physically large muscles). I know my goal is to have a toned looking body, and working with compound lifts with the barbell have been the most useful! I love things like thrusters or clean & jerks, for example, because I use my entire body, build strength, and it gets my heart racing (hah - try and tell me this also doesn't feel like a cardiovascular workout - the heart races!)

I don't do my own programming, so I can't claim to have the know-how behind it, but we don't really break up days by body part (that said, my coach isn't stupid and he isn't going to keep going heavy on the same muscle groups days on end without letting them rest). But I feel like most of the things I do are using multiple areas of my body at once.

themightymc

I actually find that doing my cardio after my strength training to be better for me. I suppose that for everyone it is different, but after busting my *kitten* with cardio, even for 25 minutes (sometimes interval cardio during 2 of my workout sessions per week), there's no way I'm hitting up the weight room. I am exhausted and sweaty after my cardio. For me, I feel like I am better off and can lift weights with proper form and not rush through it just cuz I'm tired after my cardio.

pdworkman

I do cardio first in every workout. Once your heart rate is up and has been for more than 25minutes... It will continue to stay there for the rest of your workout.

I have never heard this before, and have not found it to be true myself. My heartrate slows down pretty quickly after I finish the cardio portion of my workout.

Pam

erickirb

I do cardio first in every workout. Once your heart rate is up and has been for more than 25minutes... It will continue to stay there for the rest of your workout.

I have never heard this before, and have not found it to be true myself. My heartrate slows down pretty quickly after I finish the cardio portion of my workout.

Pam

I do the opposite of that. I do weights first as if you are tired it is dangerous to lift as it is much harder to keep good form.

jenna25

bumppp

Rae6503

Yeah, I've read that you should lift first than cardio. Lifting needs the glycogen (sp?). If you do cardio first your lifting will really suffer. I also think that body splits are good for beginners. No reason to break it up more into shoulders or biceps or whatever. New Rules of Weight Lifting for Women is a great program for beginners (it does full body), or I think you can find good programs on bodybuilding.com.

HoLLyZ82

I do cardio first in every workout. Once your heart rate is up and has been for more than 25minutes... It will continue to stay there for the rest of your workout.

I have never heard this before, and have not found it to be true myself. My heartrate slows down pretty quickly after I finish the cardio portion of my workout.

Pam

I do the opposite of that. I do weights first as if you are tired it is dangerous to lift as it is much harder to keep good form.

im the same , i lift first. i was always told it was better to lift first then do about 20-35 minutes of cardio after because by lifting first you burn through your sugar and once you get to cardio you are already into burning fat. anyone else?

HoLLyZ82

Yeah, I've read that you should lift first than cardio. Lifting needs the glycogen (sp?). If you do cardio first your lifting will really suffer. I also think that body splits are good for beginners. No reason to break it up more into shoulders or biceps or whatever. New Rules of Weight Lifting for Women is a great program for beginners (it does full body), or I think you can find good programs on bodybuilding.com.

beat me to it rae! :drinker:

erickirb

I do cardio first in every workout. Once your heart rate is up and has been for more than 25minutes... It will continue to stay there for the rest of your workout.

I have never heard this before, and have not found it to be true myself. My heartrate slows down pretty quickly after I finish the cardio portion of my workout.

Pam

I do the opposite of that. I do weights first as if you are tired it is dangerous to lift as it is much harder to keep good form.

im the same , i lift first. i was always told it was better to lift first then do about 20-35 minutes of cardio after because by lifting first you burn through your sugar and once you get to cardio you are already into burning fat. anyone else?

This is another reason to lift first.

JEdgarThomas

idk why, but it irks me when anyone uses "toned" to describe the human physique. Am i the only one?

Perhaps i'm wrong, but i always thought of it as being a descrpition of the density or firmness of a muscle. Which completely disregards how much fat is surrounding those muscles.

addisondisease

Yep its impossible to tone a muscle, you can look toned but you can't tone. Its often so misused that i think it should be taken from the exercise community as a whole

rach1015

bump

gloria84

This is why I love this site!!! Lots of people with helpful information....bump to finish reading later!

half_marathon

bodybilding.com is a great source of helpful informations and different routines!

TiffaniBarrett

Here is mine :-)

Day 1:

Seated Ab Twist - 5kgs - 3 x 20
Ab Leg Extensions - 6 x 10
Ab Leg Lifts - 6 x 10
Side Bends - 10kg - 3 x 10 either side

Squats with barbell - 40kg - 3 x 10
Adductor - 30kg - 3 x 10
Leg Press (Single Leg) - 30kg - 3 x 10 either side
Leg Curls - 20kg - 3 x 10
Leg Extensions - 20kg - 3 x 10


Day 2:

Seated Ab Twist - 5kgs - 3 x 20
Ab Leg Extensions - 6 x 10
Ab Leg Lifts - 6 x 10
Side Bends - 10kg - 3 x 10 either side

Tricep Pull Down - 10kg - 3 x 10
Bicep Curls - 5kg each arm - 3 x 10
Shoulder Press - 5kg each arm - 3 x 10
Bench Press - 30kg - 3 x 10


Day 3:

Seated Ab Twist - 5kgs - 3 x 20
Ab Leg Extensions - 6 x 10
Ab Leg Lifts - 6 x 10
Side Bends - 10kg - 3 x 10 either side

Lunges - 8kg each hand - 3 x 10
Reverse Lunges - 8kg each hand - 3 x 10
Standing Calf Raises - 10kg each hand - 3 x 10
Leg Press (Single Leg) - 30kg - 3 x 10 either side
Adductor - 30kg - 3 x 10

Shoulder Press - 5kg either hand - 3 x 10

I do abs each time because I am trying to focus on them. I know you cannot spot reduce, but I am doing other things to lower the body fat all over, I feel that I am accomplishing something from focussing on my abs every time I do a strength/weight work out.

Each workout is roughly an hour a time - I do these in the mornings on Monday/Weds/Fri
I also do BodyCombat on Monday evening, Zumba Tuesday Evening, Boxercise Weds Evening, and Bums and Tums Thursday Evening. Sometimes, I throw in a Jillian Michaels DVD on a Sat or Sunday - but I work in a nightclub on the weekends so running around there is exercise on its own!!