when should I start toning.....

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  • manderson27
    manderson27 Posts: 3,510 Member
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    Yes as soon as possible is good. I recently changed my cardio to after my lifting and it has made a big difference to how much I lift. So all good advice from above posters.

    Good luck
  • HMVOL7409
    HMVOL7409 Posts: 1,588 Member
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    OMG! You used the "T-word"!!! While perfectly acceptable on other fitness sites and in health and fitness magazines, it is taboo on the the MFP forums. Prepare yourself for the attacks.

    Calm down there, no one is attacking but rather informing.
  • mmmyotwnz
    mmmyotwnz Posts: 119 Member
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    Lift weights now. You don't want any of that weight loss to be lean mass. Good strength training will preserve that mass.

    And as someone else mentioned, yeah, do it BEFORE cardio or on different days...you don't need 7 days of cardio.

    Ditto. I don't lift on my heavy cardio days. On the days that I lift weights, I do it first and go all out, and then if I'm up to it I do some kind of light cardio afterward. You'll notice really great changes in your body with strength training, so get started!

    The one thing I will caution you about is DON'T freak out if the scale stops moving for a little while (or just slows down). You're not gaining weight. Your muscles are retaining fluid to help repair them, and you will notice changes in your measurements. Your body fat percentage will be going down, so don't stress about the # on the scale. :smile:



    I wish I had heard this when I started this journey. I only learned this a couple of weeks ago. It seriously freaked me out that I was doing all of this cardio and hitting the weight machines and the scale stopped. Matter of fact it increased a couple of pounds and stayed there for about 13-15 days. Then I had a sudden drop and it has cycled this way for all of my recent journey(52days now). The thing that the scale can't say is the inches I have lost, I am pushing 20" now. The total dependence on the scale has thwarted my journey in the last 8-10 years. Why bust my butt if nothing is happening, this isn't worth it - WRONG!.

    So hit the weights! And like other posters on here, I have alternated the heavy lifting days with the heavy cardio. You don't need to hurt yourself and have a set back.
  • jmwilliams10
    jmwilliams10 Posts: 16
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    Didn't know.....just trying to figure our the best way to reach my goal.....
  • SPNLuver83
    SPNLuver83 Posts: 2,050 Member
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    NOW! "toning" is just another word for shredding fat and exposing muscle, so it is ALWAYS time to tone. If you haven't already, get some strength training into your routines!
  • lizziebeth1028
    lizziebeth1028 Posts: 3,602 Member
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    IMO and this is not based on scientific fact or bro-science = start now!!!! It's always great to have a well rounded fitness routine with Cardio and strength training, keeps your body guessing and keeps the workouts from getting to mundane!!
  • sisierra
    sisierra Posts: 707 Member
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    this is always what i have heard. I have not been doing strength training because after cardio i just don't have the strength to do anymore.

    Strength training should be done *before* cardio. Give that a try.

    not necessarily, but it's a good suggestion.

    However, I think you should alternate lifting days with cardio days. and start sooner rather than later =)
  • starcatcher1975
    starcatcher1975 Posts: 292 Member
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    I have been wondering the same thing lately. I want to start lifting weights but I still have over 100lbs to lose. Didn't know if it would really help with weight loss. Yes, I want to lose fat and inches but seriously...(*IMO*) a person who weighs over 200lbs is never going to be a size 8...at least not at 5'1" so I do need to drop some serious poundage. Guess I'll just stop worrying about it and start lifting weights. Also glad to see that I should not do heavy cardio and lifting on the same day, because that is exactly what I would have ended up doing. Now to finally stop making excuses and order that darn NROLFW book :happy:
  • MrsLVF
    MrsLVF Posts: 787 Member
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    Lift weights now. You don't want any of that weight loss to be lean mass. Good strength training will preserve that mass.

    And as someone else mentioned, yeah, do it BEFORE cardio or on different days...you don't need 7 days of cardio.

    Ditto. I don't lift on my heavy cardio days. On the days that I lift weights, I do it first and go all out, and then if I'm up to it I do some kind of light cardio afterward. You'll notice really great changes in your body with strength training, so get started!

    The one thing I will caution you about is DON'T freak out if the scale stops moving for a little while (or just slows down). You're not gaining weight. Your muscles are retaining fluid to help repair them, and you will notice changes in your measurements. Your body fat percentage will be going down, so don't stress about the # on the scale. :smile:

    exactly this ^^^^
  • Cambrendle
    Cambrendle Posts: 104 Member
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    I have been wondering the same thing lately. I want to start lifting weights but I still have over 100lbs to lose. Didn't know if it would really help with weight loss. Yes, I want to lose fat and inches but seriously...(*IMO*) a person who weighs over 200lbs is never going to be a size 8...at least not at 5'1" so I do need to drop some serious poundage. Guess I'll just stop worrying about it and start lifting weights. Also glad to see that I should not do heavy cardio and lifting on the same day, because that is exactly what I would have ended up doing. Now to finally stop making excuses and order that darn NROLFW book :happy:

    starcatcher - you may be pleasantly surprised when you start building muscle and losing inches. I'm 5'9" and at 170 lbs I was wearing a size 8 in jeans- albeit a few years ago - I don't know what your goal is, but it may take some time to get there, but if you keep at it, it'll happen :flowerforyou: also - I'm financially limited so I can't purchase any dumbells or a gym membership yet to lift heavy - but I'm using what's in my cupboard - refilling 42 and 64 ounce tea jugs and ketchup bottles and using those - it's a great way to start without hurting yourself, and not saying "I can't afford the equipment so I'll just start later..." <--- my biggest excuse. I got the 30 day shred and shred it with weights from JM for a total of $4.95 delivered- I've only started the 30 day shred and it's kicking my behind with the 42 oz tea jugs :bigsmile:
  • wildcata77
    wildcata77 Posts: 660
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    Strenghth training should be part of your exercise routine now. And "toning" is just building muscle. Strength training regularly will increase your metabolic rate.

    this is always what i have heard. I have not been doing strength training because after cardio i just don't have the strength to do anymore.

    I thought the same, but recently added strength training and cut way down on the amount of cardio I do. I do about a 12-13 cardio warmup to get my heart rate up, lift for about 40 minutes, and then cool down on the treadmill for however long I can go, usuall another 10-20 minutes. I'm losing slowly, but I can tell by my energy increase and just the way I FEEL that it's working.

    Good luck! I have found that the lifting is much more addictive than cardio, so I'm also more motivated to get my butt to the gym!
  • Emancipated_Tai
    Emancipated_Tai Posts: 756 Member
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    Yesterday
  • Crystalchaos72
    Crystalchaos72 Posts: 531
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    It's never too early to start lifting weights!

    ^^^^THIS
  • Crystalchaos72
    Crystalchaos72 Posts: 531
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    I have been wondering the same thing lately. I want to start lifting weights but I still have over 100lbs to lose. Didn't know if it would really help with weight loss. Yes, I want to lose fat and inches but seriously...(*IMO*) a person who weighs over 200lbs is never going to be a size 8...at least not at 5'1" so I do need to drop some serious poundage. Guess I'll just stop worrying about it and start lifting weights. Also glad to see that I should not do heavy cardio and lifting on the same day, because that is exactly what I would have ended up doing. Now to finally stop making excuses and order that darn NROLFW book :happy:


    This is interesting.....I wear a 6-8. 5'6.5" 153#. Started at 268#
  • rybo
    rybo Posts: 5,424 Member
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    Unless a person is healing from injury, I don't understand the concept of "waiting" to start a particular exercise. It seems to be common practice, but it makes no sense at all.
  • starcatcher1975
    starcatcher1975 Posts: 292 Member
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    I have been wondering the same thing lately. I want to start lifting weights but I still have over 100lbs to lose. Didn't know if it would really help with weight loss. Yes, I want to lose fat and inches but seriously...(*IMO*) a person who weighs over 200lbs is never going to be a size 8...at least not at 5'1" so I do need to drop some serious poundage. Guess I'll just stop worrying about it and start lifting weights. Also glad to see that I should not do heavy cardio and lifting on the same day, because that is exactly what I would have ended up doing. Now to finally stop making excuses and order that darn NROLFW book :happy:


    This is interesting.....I wear a 6-8. 5'6.5" 153#. Started at 268#

    I just meant that I don't think I'll be able to stay 235#, 5'1" and be down to a size 8. I do know that a lot of fit people who lift heavy weigh more than what they look like they weigh (hope that makes sense) and I was not trying to offend or upset anyone. But at my height and weight right now I just don't see how only losing inches would help me. Wouldn't I eventually need to lose weight too? Sorry if I'm making it more complicated than it really is or if I'm just dumber than a box of rocks today.

    Rybo: I'm not sure about the OP but I had heard (first mistake I guess was in going off what I heard instead of finding out the facts for myself) was that very heavy people should be closer to goal weight before attempting heavy lifting. I was told something about not being able to tell they were actually doing anything, lifting not helping with actual weight loss, possible injury from improper form because of my weight...the list goes on and on.

    And I'm not focused on reaching a certain weight/size but I'm not going to lie: I would love to finally be able to slip on a pair of single digit pants and look better in them now than I did at 20...sigh, if I had only started this years ago instead of waiting
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,688 Member
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    OMG! You used the "T-word"!!! While perfectly acceptable on other fitness sites and in health and fitness magazines, it is taboo on the the MFP forums. Prepare yourself for the attacks.
    They also tout doing exercises (like ab work) to directly lose body fat, special diets, celebrity workouts (just about every magazine has a "lose that tummy!" or "get lean" title somewhere on the cover) which most of us here know is exaggerated or misinformed.
    Nothing wrong with giving out CORRECT information.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • Elisac2008
    Elisac2008 Posts: 83 Member
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    this is always what i have heard. I have not been doing strength training because after cardio i just don't have the strength to do anymore.

    Strength training should be done *before* cardio. Give that a try.

    thanks I am going to do strength every other day, on days i don't do cardio.

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