Help! Toning Workout Plan For Women

bbear

Hi there...I'm going to Las Veges in 7 weeks and am looking to find a program designed to tone me up before I'm seen in a baithing suit (just got butterflies in my stomach!). My areas of concern are my stomach, arms, and booty. I can't seem to find anything online that plans out cardio and weight training routines designed to do this. I'm already doing strength training and cardio 5 days a week and am in pretty good shape, but would like to find a program that is designed to give the results I'm looking for. Any suggestions would be much appreciated. Thanks!

kswietek

I'm going to suggest Jillian Michael's 30 day shred. IMO, it's a great mix of cardio and strength, 20 min. She does cardio, work with dumbells, abs and other strength moves for the legs.

I'm on level 3, I did each level for one week then moved on. There were things that became easier and things that are still hard and kick your butt.

HTH, good luck.

missykaye1975

This is just my opinion, so take it or leave it.....but I think the word "tone" (in relation to muscle) is a bit retro now.... All muscle tone is, is the muscle shape and definition you see when your muscles are NOT flexed.

It sounds like you are already doing what you need to--strength training and cardio, but are you lifting HEAVY to BUILD muscle, so you have muscle to see when the fat layer is removed? If you're lifting light weights with high reps, all you're doing is giving yourself another light endurance workout. You need to build muscle, and then lose the fat off the top to give you that "toned" look. Losing fat is all about diet--is your diet in check? Are you eating enough, drinking plenty of water, getting plenty of rest between strength training sessions, etc.? These are all important factors to getting a leaner body.

I highly recommend visiting bodybuilding.com for some good workout plans, and great articles on fitness and nutrition, along with a "transformations" section that is totally motivating!

Just my 2 cents! Hope you accomplish all you want to with your fitness goals!!

dinosgirl

ChaLEAN Extreme focuses on building muscles with heavier weights, less reps to build lean muscles. I have been doing it for about 6 weeks now and have had wonderful results. I have shaplier muscles in my legs and arms, although still covered by a layer of fat. But I don't lose fat as easily as I gain muscle, plus I haven't really been watching my diet lately. I did follow the CE diet plan for about 2 weeks and the recipes were very tasty. It's a 90-day program but you could stil see some pretty good results in the 6 or 7 weeks you have.

I hope we have nicer weather for you here in Vegas when you come to visit. We have had more rainfall here in this past week and a half than we did all year last year!

ivykivy

You could also try the Firm 500 calorie burn. The lady is a lunge, plie, and squat maniac but they do work. Besides bodybuilding.com you could also check out http://www.thinkmuscle.com/sections/women.htm for the diet aspect and http://www.muscleandstrength.com/workouts/tone.html for plans.

missykaye1975

Just to disspell the myth that if you lift heavy you will "bulk" up........the vast majority of women do NOT build muscle easily. We have approx. 1/16th the amount of testosterone (the anabolic, or muscle-building hormone) that men do, and it takes most men YEARS to build a good amount of muscle. Even the best of us who are actively trying to build muscle, eat enough, train intensely, etc., would be at the top of the class to gain even 1 lb. of muscle in a month! Women gain FAT easily, which sometimes can be mistaken for muscle if you are strength training, especially if we do not watch our eating habits. The female, "she-man" bodybuilders that you see with hulking amounts of muscle are on anabolic steroids in order to look that way.....so the moral of the story is--do NOT be afraid to lift heavy! ;0)