What size weights to tone with?
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What most women mean by "toned" is lean muscle with fairly little fat. I would use the heaviest weights you can handle and work up to 4 to 5 sets of 5 reps each.
One caveat, however: Fat distribution is genetically determined. If you are close or at your ideal weight and body fat percentage and have areas of your body that have a disproportionate amount of fat, and are concerned about looking bigger in those areas, I would do only body weight exercises. Some weight exercises will make you look bigger, and since you can't spot reduce and are already at your lowest body fat %, you won't be able to lose that fat.
Note: I didn't say that you would "bulk up" like a bodybuilder. That would take a lot of work, a certain kind of genotype, and probably steroids. But you might get "bigger."0 -
I put on half a pound of muscle!
Now I'm huge!
Lol0 -
Two of the greatest words of advise from my trainer was. Unless you are in competition weight training WOMEN will not BULK up to the extent that you imagine you will do by your typical gym style work out- don't be afraid of weight!
Two- most women are doing aerobic exercise with their weight training. Meaning by not using the correct weight to challenge the muscle you are under working them.
Good way to gage a correct weight. Do three sets of 8/10. By the lasts sets last two reps you shouldbe pushing yourself/ challenging the muscle. If not......next time add weight to that exercise.
Hope that makes sense!0 -
God that word "toned" makes me angry. what every your lifting. lift heavier. diet accordingly. bulk = eat more then calculated daily cal intake thus do opposite.0
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Fat is bulky. Muscle is NOT bulky. Don't want to be bulky? Lift heavy weights, and lower your body fat percentage. That's all.0
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Honestly, what are bulky muscles? Do you have a link or a photo of someone "bulky?"
As a woman, I'm so tired of hearing this.
The point of lifting weight is resistance. After a while, whatever weights you lift will become too easy. You will have to increase weights or you'll just be wasting your time.
I could link to some photos of some very pear-shaped women with very bulky or big thighs, but that would be rude. I also think that these women need their large legs because of the kind of weight work they do and they're perfectly happy with their shapes. Looking conventionally attractive is not everything. But if a woman questions whether she could look big, I tell the truth: Some women can, depending on their builds.
If you have an overall slender build, you probably will build up muscle in a proportionate manner. If you are not evenly proportioned, particularly, if you are pear-shaped, you may need to look at how you work out in order to avoid increasing the illusion of being even more bottom-heavy.
How a woman looks is her choice, but it's silly to suggest that every woman who lifts weights is going to look like a fitness model. They tend to be a particular type: athletic and pleasantly muscular, but not stocky.0 -
have you heard of staci?? i dare you to call her bulky...
http://nerdfitness.com/blog/2011/07/21/meet-staci-your-new-powerlifting-super-hero/
on the left she is 13 1lbs. on the right, she is 142 lbs. and she can dead lift more then i weigh.
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Most women will not bulk up, even if they lift heavy. Our bodies do not have enough testosterone to do so. You'r better off lifting medium to heavy, since light at low reps doesn't d much in my experience.0
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First off, let me say that I am definitely not against lifting heavy...I can't wait to try it actually! I have seen and heard amazing things about it. I just don't have access to a gym and I haven't found a weight set cheap enough for my home.
Now, I might get my head bit off here, but you don't HAVE to lift heavy to get toned. You CAN use small weights. All that I have done is use "barbie weights" with Jillian Michaels(I can't sing her praises enough!) videos and a spin class at my school. I started out with 3lbs and worked my way up to 8. I went from "skinny fat" to pretty toned like this and in a short period of time. My before and afters are on my profile if you want to take a look! Hope this helps and good luck on your journey!!0 -
Hi, I'm new here to posting, but my two cents what it's worth, echoes everyone elses.
I'm doing P90X now, and I use 20 lbs for just about everything. There are a couple things I should up to 25 lbs, but haven't gone to buy them yet, so if I'm doing something that seems a little easy, I finish it, press pause, and sometimes do an extra couple of reps than the DVD recommends, or I get on my sons weight bench and do some supplemental until i feel more of a burn.
Obviously I should just go buy a few heavier weights, but haven't yet.
Like one of the other posters commented, I've lost several inches on each arm, and starting to see a bit of definition now, but you have to get rid of the layer of excess and have a base muscle before you can expect to have anything visible, or anything to tone.
Good Luck !0 -
People keep saying "You absolutely, positively WILL NOT bulk up from lifting heavy..." But when you get down to the real low body fats where you can appreciate the muscles you're building, don't your boobs disappear completely?
Can someone show me a picture of a non-bulky female body builder who does not have breast implants?
I have been lifting for 6 years. I have lost 10 pant sizes. The band on my bra has gone down. The cup size... still a DDD. (I have been a DDD since my Junior year of High School)
The only way you lose boobs while lifting is 1. You take steroids and testosterone... and/or 2. Your body didn't develop much breast mass to begin with and that is where the woman held her fat. If your body was meant to hold a B cup, you may look smaller when you build pectoral muscles. If you were an A cup to begin with... you MAY see a large decrease.
I am still hoping mine go down to at least a manageable DD.0 -
I agree with all above.
Lift as heavy as you can
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People keep saying "You absolutely, positively WILL NOT bulk up from lifting heavy..." But when you get down to the real low body fats where you can appreciate the muscles you're building, don't your boobs disappear completely?
Can someone show me a picture of a non-bulky female body builder who does not have breast implants?
Bodybuilding itself is slightly different to other areas such as figure and bikini. I don't know the ins and outs, they're all part of bodybuilding, but bikini is the least muscled, figure slightly more, and the actual bodybuilding area tends to be quite "bulky" by many people's standards as they train specifically for that. That's not to say if you lift heavy, you end up like that, they train and eat specifically for muscle gains, and for the shows, they have really low bodyfat%'s
All of them however, will lift regularly, apart from maybe a few of the bikini competitors who are naturally genetically blessed, but most do.
Here are some who do not have breast implants (as far as I know) I found these out a couple of months ago as I was curious myself (small boobs, do not want implants)
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Mystiedragonfly, Heidi1990, thank you for your answers!
You'r right, the bikini competitor photos are the ones I'm thinking of, where the women are very fit and 'toned'(sorry to those that hate the word!), and they all seem to have implants.
When I see a woman whose shoulders dwarf her chest, that's what I consider 'bulky', and I the women I knew personally that looked like that did not take steroids, they just lifted heavy. I went from a C cup to a full A after losing weight, and I'd rather not get big shoulders on top of that.0 -
'Do not be afraid to lift heavy. You will not get bulky, I promise. I lift heavy(6-12 reps per set for 3 sets), and I am not bulky at all, just very toned. Pick a weight that you can do between 8 and 12 reps with.
thank you for sharing 0 -
People keep saying "You absolutely, positively WILL NOT bulk up from lifting heavy..." But when you get down to the real low body fats where you can appreciate the muscles you're building, don't your boobs disappear completely?
Can someone show me a picture of a non-bulky female body builder who does not have breast implants?
i dont understand your question. boobs are fat, generally speaking people with clearly defined muscles have low body fat, which logically means if she's a woman who's doesnt store most of her body fat on her chest, then she will have smaller boobs to begin with and smaller ones at the end.. right?
and anyway what does being bulky have to do with breast size?0 -
"i dont understand your question. boobs are fat, generally speaking people with clearly defined muscles have low body fat, which logically means if she's a woman who's doesnt store most of her body fat on her chest, then she will have smaller boobs to begin with and smaller ones at the end.. right?"
That's what I thought...So it seems a little silly to post up a picture of a bikini model and say "This is what heavy lifting does for you!" when in fact, it's what heavy lifting and a good plastic surgeon did. I don't have a problem with breast implants, I just don't see them in my future.
"and anyway what does being bulky have to do with breast size? "
Imo, a woman with large and muscular arms who has little or no boobage to balance them, looks bulky. I'm trying to avoid that, but it's hard to get a good idea of what lifting will look like on someone with no implants.0 -
You won't get "bulky" lifting heavy weights.
Unless you use steroids
Or already have a high body fat %.
*Muscles under fat look "bulky", not "toned". Lower the body fat% & you have beautiful muscle "tone".
<
***see my arm in profile pic
large, no definition, bigger than my man's arm = BULKY from lifting heavy with high body fat %.
You should definitely lift heavy as suggested, however if you still have a lot to lose, and have a high body fat % be prepared to possibly look "bulky" for a while, until the fat cells start shrinking
I had that "bulky" look for about the first 3 months of heavy lifting, I am just now starting lo lose enough body fat to not look so "bulky". It was well worth the wait.0 -
Imo, a woman with large and muscular arms who has little or no boobage to balance them, looks bulky. I'm trying to avoid that, but it's hard to get a good idea of what lifting will look like on someone with no implants.
I think it's ugly when a woman has a man chest or even looks like a man. If a woman lifts like a man, she will eventually get a body like a man. Breast is fat and fat can shrink in that area, leaving women with men breasts and that's why so many bodybuilder women get breast implant.0 -
<<< Lifts heavy things. Has 32DDD boobies (all natural, and after shedding an entire person worth of weight)
I think it's ugly when a woman has a man chest or even looks like a man. If a woman lifts like a man, she will eventually get a body like a man. Breast is fat and fat can shrink in that area, leaving women with men breasts and that's why so many bodybuilder women get breast implant.0 -
Honestly, what are bulky muscles? Do you have a link or a photo of someone "bulky?"
As a woman, I'm so tired of hearing this.
The point of lifting weight is resistance. After a while, whatever weights you lift will become too easy. You will have to increase weights or you'll just be wasting your time.
THIS^
Agreed!!!0 -
<<< Lifts heavy things. Has 32DDD boobies (all natural, and after shedding an entire person worth of weight)
I think it's ugly when a woman has a man chest or even looks like a man. If a woman lifts like a man, she will eventually get a body like a man. Breast is fat and fat can shrink in that area, leaving women with men breasts and that's why so many bodybuilder women get breast implant.0 -
Imo, a woman with large and muscular arms who has little or no boobage to balance them, looks bulky. I'm trying to avoid that, but it's hard to get a good idea of what lifting will look like on someone with no implants.
I think it's ugly when a woman has a man chest or even looks like a man. If a woman lifts like a man, she will eventually get a body like a man. Breast is fat and fat can shrink in that area, leaving women with men breasts and that's why so many bodybuilder women get breast implant.
I lift heavy and have 34D's (all natural) and am at 21% body fat. The only people who end up looking "manly" are people doing body building competitions and on a VERY strict diet and sometimes testosterone supplements who get their body fat down extremely low. Lifting heavy alone will not do this to a person but it will allow you to achieve the so called "toned" look everyone wants.0 -
Why yes, yes they are. Actually, they are two penises that are shaped like breasts. You should see what I have going on downstairs thanks to all those squats I've been doing.<<< Lifts heavy things. Has 32DDD boobies (all natural, and after shedding an entire person worth of weight)
I think it's ugly when a woman has a man chest or even looks like a man. If a woman lifts like a man, she will eventually get a body like a man. Breast is fat and fat can shrink in that area, leaving women with men breasts and that's why so many bodybuilder women get breast implant.
dont lie. those DDDs are actually a penis right?0 -
THis is the stupidest, most insulting and ignorant thing I've heard you say, and I haven't heard anyone say anything as ignorant as what you say on here. :explode:
I lift heavy and I look hot. If anyone looks like a man, well, I guess we can compare profile pictures you and me, cuz no matter how much you denigrate women who lift heavy, you have NEVER ONCE put up a progress pic comparison, and your profile picture is the same as it ever has been the entire time I've been on here. For goodness sakes, woman(?)!
Seriously, between me and AZakery, who looks like a man?
AZackery, you add nothing to weight lifting threads but insults and ignorance. STOP discouraging women from doing something that will get them the results they want, help them build stronger muscles (obviously) and stronger bones! Do you know the incidence rate of osteoporosis? Weight lifting builds strong bones.
BTW, I have gotten smaller since I started lifting weights (heavy as can be, squat more than my bodyweight on the bar). I do my pushups with my feet elevated. I push heavier weights than some of the men in my gym. AND? My rack is size 36D, with a 29 inch waist. Lift like a man, look like a man, my *kitten*.
STOP LYING TO PEOPLE!Imo, a woman with large and muscular arms who has little or no boobage to balance them, looks bulky. I'm trying to avoid that, but it's hard to get a good idea of what lifting will look like on someone with no implants.
I think it's ugly when a woman has a man chest or even looks like a man. If a woman lifts like a man, she will eventually get a body like a man. Breast is fat and fat can shrink in that area, leaving women with men breasts and that's why so many bodybuilder women get breast implant.0 -
Imo, a woman with large and muscular arms who has little or no boobage to balance them, looks bulky. I'm trying to avoid that, but it's hard to get a good idea of what lifting will look like on someone with no implants.
I think it's ugly when a woman has a man chest or even looks like a man. If a woman lifts like a man, she will eventually get a body like a man. Breast is fat and fat can shrink in that area, leaving women with men breasts and that's why so many bodybuilder women get breast implant.
Reported.0 -
THis is the stupidest, most insulting and ignorant thing I've heard you say, and I haven't heard anyone say anything as ignorant as what you say on here. :explode:
I lift heavy and I look hot. If anyone looks like a man, well, I guess we can compare profile pictures you and me, cuz no matter how much you denigrate women who lift heavy, you have NEVER ONCE put up a progress pic comparison, and your profile picture is the same as it ever has been the entire time I've been on here. For goodness sakes, woman(?)!
Seriously, between me and AZakery, who looks like a man?
AZackery, you add nothing to weight lifting threads but insults and ignorance. STOP discouraging women from doing something that will get them the results they want, help them build stronger muscles (obviously) and stronger bones! Do you know the incidence rate of osteoporosis? Weight lifting builds strong bones.
BTW, I have gotten smaller since I started lifting weights (heavy as can be, squat more than my bodyweight on the bar). I do my pushups with my feet elevated. I push heavier weights than some of the men in my gym. AND? My rack is size 36D, with a 29 inch waist. Lift like a man, look like a man, my *kitten*.
STOP LYING TO PEOPLE!Imo, a woman with large and muscular arms who has little or no boobage to balance them, looks bulky. I'm trying to avoid that, but it's hard to get a good idea of what lifting will look like on someone with no implants.
I think it's ugly when a woman has a man chest or even looks like a man. If a woman lifts like a man, she will eventually get a body like a man. Breast is fat and fat can shrink in that area, leaving women with men breasts and that's why so many bodybuilder women get breast implant.
Amen!
You my dear, are my hero for the day.
Seriously.0 -
OP I lift heavy - Im a 36D. Trust me my rack is seriously rockin.0
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OP I lift heavy - Im a 36D. Trust me my rack is seriously rockin.
Plus, putting some muscle on under there, lifts and firms them to some extent. And this is from a man's perspective...who better to judge?0 -
"Good Girls Tone, Bad Girls Lift" I'm a bad Girl and not bulky at all.0
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