when should I start toning.....

wildcata77

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

Yesterday

Crystalchaos72

It's never too early to start lifting weights!

^^^^THIS

Crystalchaos72

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

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

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

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

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.