What's best program which helped you to tone up?

MashaSK

I've donloaded brazilian butt workout and it seemed too easy and a bit boring...any other programs which helped you tone up (especially legs)

mideon_696

I've donloaded brazilian butt workout and it seemed too easy and a bit boring...any other programs which helped you tone up (especially legs)

please stop using "tone up" lol.

just get lifting girl. if you want "tone"...(actually you want more muscle and less fat) then you gotta get lifting.

i cant tell you how much good some heavy squatting will do for your legs and butt!
we have girls in our gym who continue to improve these areas every month. and guess what, all they do it lift heavy.

MissGraziano

30 Day Shred!

Phrak

Grabbing some weight and fighting against gravity usually helps people "tone" up.

Mrshotwing

30 day shred is a good one.

Yanicka1

Heavy strenght training. You should read the book "new rules of lifting for women"

spitfire1962

Jillian Michaels Body Revolution!!!! 15 DVD's, 90 day workout, and it's intense!!! I just love it!

StrengthIDidntKnow

Insanity

Years ago - I was doing yoga 3x a week and you could see the muscle definition.

Desika87

30 day shred is a good one.

def. pays off :-)

DonttrythatwithME

squat squat squat, with weights and heavy ones dont mess around with anything else IMO

Skeels

P90X, Insanity "The Asylum"

TLPat

i like this thread...glad to get some confirmation on the 30 Day Shred and the weight lifting (which i just started) am currently reading New Rules ......

IcassI

I will be starting ChaLean Extreme which is at home strength training program. I've seen good results from other women that have done it.

bluebird321

Kettlebells will get the heart rate up and provides decent resistance.

Bding123

In my opinion even better than 30 day shred is 'No More Trouble Zones' Its a killer but it works! You won't lose much weight doing it but you will lose all that unwanted fat! I swear by it (dropped over 2 dress sizes in 3 months)!

Ambrogio1

I like to use butt sucks. I stand there and clinch my cheeks, about 1-2000 reps. I feel this has greatly helped me

Louise1247

Over the years, people have taken the word 'tone' and redefined it to mean how lean we are--how defined our muscles appear. In fact, it's even a gender specific word. Women go to the gym to 'tone up' while men go to the gym to lift weights and build muscle but, the truth is, they are the exact same things. Becoming lean and building muscle requires lifting weights, the difference is in how much you lift.

While you can lift weights to change your body, you're limited as to what you can really change about your muscles. In a nutshell, this is what your muscles can do:

1. Grow larger and/or stronger
2. Shrink smaller and/or get weaker
You can't make a muscle longer (without surgery) and you can't etch it into a certain shape or look. If your goal is to see your muscles, your goal isn't toning--it's losing body fat. And, whether you're a man or woman, wanting to bulk up or slim down, you'll do the same kinds of exercises and training methods. The difference lies in the weights, reps and sets you'll do, as well as how many calories you take in (more if you're building muscle, less if you're trying to lose fat).

You may be wondering why it matters if you believe in toning or not. The problem with the idea of toning is that it leads to that other stubborn myth... SPOT toning

After all you've read here, you may be wondering exactly what to do to get more definition in your body. The answer is simple: Lose body fat. To lose body fat you need 3 key elements: Regular cardio exercise, consistent strength training for all your muscle groups and a healthy, low-calorie diet.

(about.com)

contingencyplan

Picking heavy things up and putting them down. Full body calisthenics circuits. Jumping rope for cardio.

tansygreen

I'm curious. I often hear people talking on here about women 'lifting heavy'. For an average sized woman, what is 'heavy'? I mean in lbs or kilos, for free weights one in each hand say?

So many people swear by this, but I am totally clueless about what this would involve. My gym has some free weights in a corner, but the room with all the serious weights is just full of men who are serious about lifting. I would feel quite intimidated going in there.

Is it possible to still build muscle lifting the hand weights and doing things like bicep and tricep curls, and so on, or do you think that's a waste of time?

trud72

Gotta say p90x! hard core but FAB! :drinker: yay go Tony x

mcpherson4

bumpin'

Phrak

I'm curious. I often hear people talking on here about women 'lifting heavy'. For an average sized woman, what is 'heavy'? I mean in lbs or kilos, for free weights one in each hand say?

So many people swear by this, but I am totally clueless about what this would involve. My gym has some free weights in a corner, but the room with all the serious weights is just full of men who are serious about lifting. I would feel quite intimidated going in there.

Is it possible to still build muscle lifting the hand weights and doing things like bicep and tricep curls, and so on, or do you think that's a waste of time?

"Heavy" would be something you struggle to get 5-6 reps with.

sarahkatara

Hands-down, BodyRock TV: http://www.bodyrock.tv
12 -30 minutes per day. INTENSE. Can be done at all levels (even REALLY beginner) and whips you into shape like you wouldn't believe.

bcattoes

I like calisthenics and running stairs for my legs.

medoria

I really load the term tone but ill answer this anyway.

I like Jillian Michaels No more trouble zone and Killer buns and thighs.
If a dvd is to easy its not so much the dvd in itself as the fact that you might be using dumbells or barbells that are to easy.
With NMTZ I make the most of it by supersetting every move I can doing the same leg for 25 to 30 reps instead of alternate left and right.

ready2tryagain42

The program that helped me ton up the best was water aerobics and a combo weight training class I took at the gym I go to here. It is a military program and kicked my butt.

juliebeannn

squat squat squat, with weights and heavy ones dont mess around with anything else IMO

^^^ this + deadlifts and other compound movements for a great total body workout

edit: i follow the stronglifts program. LOVE IT!

turningstar

Heavy lifting. Barbell squats, deadlifts, etc. I HIGHLY recommend New Rules of Lifting for Women. Especially if you have never lifted weights before and don't know where to start.

pennyrtyler

Definitely NOT a waste of time. My trainer helped me work my way up from machines when I was just starting out because they stabilize themselves, onto cables which require a little more work from me to keep them stabilized (keeping proper form and avoiding injuries), and then finally I graduated to free weights. YAY!!!

Don't worry about what's heavy for someone else. Just start with a weight that is challenging enough, but that you can keep your form throughout the set. As you get stronger, you can increase your reps and weight over time.

Make sure you don't forget your cardio, though. Keep your heart rate up as much as possible (safely!!) while you're working out. I spent about three months building up my muscles without really dieting or working on cardio. I definitely got stronger, but my muscles were all under the same fat I had when I started.

Best advice: Hire a trainer to help you establish a routine and check back in with them every couple of weeks to make changes.

tansygreen

"Heavy" would be something you struggle to get 5-6 reps with.

Thanks for this - that I can understand!

IllianaIman

Picking heavy things up and putting them down. Full body calisthenics circuits. Jumping rope for cardio.

LOL, have you ever seen the commercial for planet fitness:

The BIG dude that says: "I pick things up and put them dowuuuuun" LOL

U just reminded me of him!
:laugh: