Skinny fat help

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ghgs13
ghgs13 Posts: 27
in Fitness and Exercise
I'm 5ft6 and weight 119 pounds. I'm fairly active, but it's all cardio. I'm slim, but I'm not toned at all, which is what makes me want to lose weight, to be less fat. I'm unsure of the way I've been going about decreasing my body fat percentage. Maybe calorie counting and more cardio isn't the answer. However, I don't have access to a gym. Just attempting push ups and crunches at home is a) incredibly boring, and therefore so hard to get motivated to do and b) I frankly don't have enough muscle to start doing the exercises I have found when researching this topic. I've read that cardio can not make you more toned, because being toned requires muscle. I'll just get slimmer and no more toned with cardio, is the point I seem to be getting from reading about it.

Is there no sport which can increase muscle, other than lifting? Ballet dancers for example are very muscular-is that just strength training on top of their dancing, as dancing is considered cardio?

Thank you for reading, any replies will be very much appreciated, and I'm sorry if this topic has come up before!

Replies

  • lizziebeth1028
    lizziebeth1028 Posts: 3,602 Member
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    Power yoga!! There are some good DVD's out there for this. Jillian Michaels yoga meltdown is a awesome full bodyweight work out! I recently picked up Bob Harper's warrior yoga too, very good!

    There's more to strength training than pushups and crunches. If you pick of the book 'new rules of lifting for women' lot's of excellent information in there regarding strength training. Get some hand weights, kettlebells, stability ball and work on setting up a home gym for strength training and calisthenics.
  • dad106
    dad106 Posts: 4,868 Member
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    There is more to strength training then just push ups and crunches.

    Do Squats, Lunges, Step Ups, Dips, Over head presses, Dead lifts, Planks.. and the list goes on and on.

    Google Bodyweight exercises and you'll see all you can do... once those get easy and you need to start incorporating weights, then you can look into gym access or setting up a home gym.
  • contingencyplan
    contingencyplan Posts: 3,639 Member
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    Kettlebell training!
  • npatel160
    npatel160 Posts: 233 Member
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    I am also 5'6" I want to lose the last 10 lbs and then tone up too...I found this great website below that has some great strength training exercises for beginners and you don't have to have a gym membership....hope these help!

    http://www.home-weight-training-for-women.com/toning-workouts.html
  • half_moon
    half_moon Posts: 807 Member
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    Take a kickboxing class or a strength training/barbell course at your local gym! Ohhh yesss... the muscles will come.
  • julialla
    julialla Posts: 232 Member
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    Try the 30 day shred! I'm on Day 19 and it's toning me up all over. But, since you're a lot skinner than me, you'll see results much quicker I believe! You can find it on Youtube, 3 levels, and you just need a set of dumbells. Read up on it. Good Luck.
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
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    Google bodyweight strength training.

    Cardio such as hiking up a mountain or walking/running up stairs will build leg muscles. But most cardio doesn't do a lot for toning the upper body.

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