best exercise for weightloss and toning?

LauriesTrying2BeFit · July 2012

i dont want to lift weights because i cant go to a gym so no point suggesting that,

would swimming be a good exercise to get into?

i currently go to a zumba class 1-2times a week and i go to on my bike every other day and just walk rest of time.

im mainly wanting to tone and get rid of leg fat!

thanks

dad106 · July 2012

Well in order to "tone" you need to be doing some sort of resistance training.

You don't necessarily have to lift weights but you can do things like bodyweight exercises or buy your own weights to use at home.

Google you are your own gym... it shows a ton of bodyweight exercises.

nmalek1025 · July 2012

Hey! There are TONS of excercise videos online that you can do for weightloss and toning. One popular one if Blogilates (you can google or check it out on youtube). ALso BodyROck TV has great workouts. You can also find alot of great informatin on Pinterest or Tumblr. Alot of people post their own workouts which are great and effective!

teez52 · July 2012

Your body is the best "free" weight you can get! Pushups, situps, bodyweight squats, inverse dips, lunges, incline pushups. These are just a few of the free exercises you can do with just your own body weight. As far as "toning", there is no such thing. Fat loss and muscle building, a combination of those is what people refer to as "toning". As you lose fat, you'll start to see your muscles more and as you start to build muscle you'll start to see your muscles more, which is what people refer to as "toning".

To lose fat, you must be on a calorie deficit (eating less than your TDEE), to gain muscle you have to be on a calorie surplus (eating more than your TDEE). Grab a 10-20% deficit (do the math, it's relatively simple) and go from there.

Lone_Wolf70 · July 2012

Indian squats (500) & pushups

manderson27 · July 2012

If you can find an Aqua Aerobics class they give you a good workout and they are fun.

Bobby_Clerici · July 2012

Sure, happy to help.
The best exercise for toning and weight loss is cardio and resistance.
Ladies have unique needs that I couldn't address given that what works for me may not be the best program for a female seeking peak fitness.
For cardio, do what you enjoy and what produces results.
As for the specifics of your resistance program, just see what has worked for others in your position who have achieved what you seek.
Here are some sites to give you ideas.

http://www.stumptuous.com/
http://www.weightliftingforwomen.net/
http://www.fitnessblender.com/

I know what works for me, and the main item that spells success is just the doing of something that targets every muscle group in the body.

It's work.
The planning and the doing is just work, and you need to go to those sites and educate yourself without relying too much on the advice on others who may not know too much.
Learn from the experts, then decide what your goals are and move from there.

All Is Possible!

jonchew · July 2012

Consider resistance bands - they are compact, and really do work. I have a set of BodyLastic bands which I feel are very nice (No, I don't work for them). There's also a VERY comprehensive set of free online videos at liveexercise.com.

KWNurse · July 2012

P90X....check it out

KNarrainen · July 2012

You don't have to rule out weights just because you can't go to the gym, you could get get some dumbells for home use.
However as other have suggested you can use you own body as resistance in push-ups, squats, pull-ups etc...
All of these will be great for toning all over.

cgrout78 · July 2012

agree with resistance bands...and bodyweight workouts.

devil_in_a_blue_dress · July 2012

I know a lot of people hate her, but Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred and Ripped in 30 will get you good results quick. None of strength training involves heavy lifting - some are just resistance moves other involve hand weights (I use 5 pound weights, but I know people that use 3), but you could easily skip the weights all together and just use body resistance --- it's mixed with cardio and ab specific moves. I've lost close to 15 total inches but have only lost like 2 pounds (which is good with me, I just wanted to tighten up).

MonkeyBars · July 2012

control your body weight, once you can do that, then add weights if you want more

we're all gonna have opinions on this, many will be different.

spot toning is an idea, not a reality.
strength training certain "parts" of you (especially machines) can put your body out of balance and lead to injury (been there, done that, even with free weights)...

if in doubt, get a PT, learn the ropes

with your body weight, you can do some much within a 2m square;
squats, burpees, mountain climber, handstands, pushups, you can get into great shape!
adding equipment gives variation, it's fun, it keeps you interested

do tabata timing (or HIIT)!
20 seconds flat out, 10 seconds recovery!
do 10 exercises - repeat the 20/10 x 6 times per exercise
You should be under 1hr (40-55mins) depending on how long it takes you to recover between sets!
Exercises should really engage your core, this is what holds the building together!
Strong arms and legs with weak core = INJURY!

try googling "Strong like Susan". she's on youtube & she rox!

good luck, train hard, but 4 remember legs to the table....
1 x diet (quality of the food you eat - don't believe the hype, read what the pioneers are saying, test it for yourself)
1 x cardio (exercise your heart, it wants to be strong)
1 x resistance (exercise your body, you want more muscle less fat, you will not be bulky)
1 x rest (get your 7-10hrs sleep, only you know what you need - as Arnie would say, sleep faster)

if the legs on the table are not balanced, it's more difficult!

Find your way!
(or hire a damn good PT)

MonkeyBars · July 2012

Sure, happy to help.
The best exercise for toning and weight loss is cardio and resistance.
Ladies have unique needs that I couldn't address given that what works for me may not be the best program for a female seeking peak fitness.
For cardio, do what you enjoy and what produces results.
As for the specifics of your resistance program, just see what has worked for others in your position who have achieved what you seek.
Here are some sites to give you ideas.

http://www.stumptuous.com/
http://www.weightliftingforwomen.net/
http://www.fitnessblender.com/

I know what works for me, and the main item that spells success is just the doing of something that targets every muscle group in the body.

It's work.
The planning and the doing is just work, and you need to go to those sites and educate yourself without relying too much on the advice on others who may not know too much.
Learn from the experts, then decide what your goals are and move from there.

All Is Possible!