Best exercise to lose inches?

mel4bee
mel4bee Posts: 225 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hello

I'm at the point where I only have one pound to lose and I was wondering what was the best exercise to lose inches without really losing weight. I feel like I can't really lose anymore after I hit my goal (110 pounds and 5'3'') but I also feel like I need a new goal and I could still lose 1 or 2 inches at the waist, thighs and butt.

Replies

  • mel4bee
    mel4bee Posts: 225 Member
    Anyone??
  • daniellemm1
    daniellemm1 Posts: 465 Member
    I lost 12 inches doing 30DS. 28 minutes a day for 30 days, can't beat that :)
  • ruwise
    ruwise Posts: 265 Member
    I'm no expert but I'd guess you are best off doing strength training to tone up. Muscle weighs more but takes up less space.
  • 2RobD
    2RobD Posts: 33
    30DS?
  • DuckDynastyMakesMeLaugh
    DuckDynastyMakesMeLaugh Posts: 363 Member
    30DS?

    Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,294 Member
    A caloric deficit combined with heavy lifting strength training
  • KeViN_v2pt0
    KeViN_v2pt0 Posts: 375 Member
    You have 1lb to lose?

    I just urinate
  • fatboymax1
    fatboymax1 Posts: 5
    Squats!
  • KyleB65
    KyleB65 Posts: 1,196 Member
    Weights / Strength / Resistance training.
  • darrensurrey
    darrensurrey Posts: 3,942 Member
    You've just discovered why traditional dieting doesn't always get you what you want ie by focusing on your weight.
    A caloric deficit combined with heavy lifting strength training

    Agreed. You may end up heavier but will look leaner and more athletic. Would you rather be 10% heavier but look 10% lighter or be 10% lighter but look 10% heavier? :D
  • bmqbonnie
    bmqbonnie Posts: 836 Member
    Supposedly interval training is better for getting rid of fat than slow and steady. So if your cardio is jogging at a steady pace, try throwing in some sprints. And lifting like others said will make a big difference too. While I'm not in the school of thought that you should ditch cardio, I would focus on weight lifting. Start taking progress pics of yourself so that you can compare so that you don't get discouraged if you do gain some weight.
  • mel4bee
    mel4bee Posts: 225 Member
    You have 1lb to lose?

    I just urinate

    I lost a total of 13 in totals

    No need to be rude. Everybody have their own goals. I am doing this for myself and to start a better lifestyle. I was not doing any exercise and not eating right prior to that. I am naturally pretty thin but due to medication, I gained 10 pounds in a week.

    It is not that I don't look lean, It is just that I think that I need toning but I don't have the money to go heavy lifting at the gym and dont feel confortable doing so, I want to do this at home
  • darrensurrey
    darrensurrey Posts: 3,942 Member
    Experiment with calisthenics. You basically need to do the toughest exercises you can do for any variation. For instance, to work the chest, if you find knee press ups easy, and can crank out 20 toe/proper press ups then you need to look at one handed press ups or raising your feet on a chair or wide press ups or ultra slow press ups. For legs, you can't just do bodyweight squats for 500 reps. You'll have to get a mate to climb on your back while you squat. Too easy? Try lunges. Too easy? Try Bulgarian squats. With the friend piggybacking!
  • SarahBeth0625
    SarahBeth0625 Posts: 685 Member
    I say a combination of cardio and strength training, but the results you will see from strength training will far outweigh the results from cardio (in my experience). Lift, do squats and lunges, abwork... I never thought I'd see results but I did! I put the new routine to work 5 months ago. I used to like cardio more, and now I like the strength training a lot more and somewhat dread my cardio days....
  • FrnkLft
    FrnkLft Posts: 1,821 Member
    You have 1lb to lose?

    I just urinate

    I lost a total of 13 in totals

    No need to be rude. Everybody have their own goals. I am doing this for myself and to start a better lifestyle. I was not doing any exercise and not eating right prior to that. I am naturally pretty thin but due to medication, I gained 10 pounds in a week.

    It is not that I don't look lean, It is just that I think that I need toning but I don't have the money to go heavy lifting at the gym and dont feel confortable doing so, I want to do this at home

    Buy a book and read about this. New Rules of Lifting for Women is my best recommendation, even if you don't end up lifting at the gym, the info in the book is invaluable. If you don't have weights, you can do bodyweight exercises. Keep it simple and focused on pushups, pull ups, chin ups, situps, and squats.
  • sandrop329
    sandrop329 Posts: 26 Member
    Fork put downs are great! :)
  • Mia_RagazzaTosta
    Mia_RagazzaTosta Posts: 4,885 Member
    A caloric deficit combined with heavy lifting strength training

    Quoting for emphasis
  • SarahBeth0625
    SarahBeth0625 Posts: 685 Member
    Also, I see your response that you want to do this from home? Very possible! Purchase a couple of 15 lb. dumbbells and Youtube the exercises. Take notes. That's what I did, and I do it at the Y because I have 3 kids who would all be climbing on me at home, but try to work different muscle groups different days. A great ab video available on Youtube is the Laura London abs one. I love it, and you will definitely feel it. The bonus is it only takes 10 minutes.

    All the other moves my coach gave me, I looked up online so I could figure out proper technique, and because I am a visual learner. I had to take notes on how to stand and how to hold the dumbbells and everything. I felt a little dumb at first, looking at my piece of paper, but over time I got used to it all and now I can workout with confidence.
  • Mady1911
    Mady1911 Posts: 90 Member
    Squats, lunges, ab crunches. And increase by 5 your sets every forthnight or so, then add weights!
  • wswing
    wswing Posts: 39 Member
    Squats!
    This ^^^
  • brower47
    brower47 Posts: 16,356 Member
    A caloric deficit combined with heavy lifting strength training

    ^This.
  • mel4bee
    mel4bee Posts: 225 Member
    Thanks guys, I did a 30 minutes strength training routine this morning and will continue doing cardio along with that... I already did some circuit training. I have some 5 pounds dumbells at home. Starting with that as I am pretty new to this. Asked for 8 and 10 pounds ones for christmas and a kettle bell.

    Will look at the book.
  • Cranquistador
    Cranquistador Posts: 39,744 Member
    A caloric deficit combined with heavy lifting strength training

    ^This.
    ding ding ding.
  • SarahBeth0625
    SarahBeth0625 Posts: 685 Member
    Thanks guys, I did a 30 minutes strength training routine this morning and will continue doing cardio along with that... I already did some circuit training. I have some 5 pounds dumbells at home. Starting with that as I am pretty new to this. Asked for 8 and 10 pounds ones for christmas and a kettle bell.

    Will look at the book.

    Awesome! Keep at it! I think you will see that you get results from strength training and if you continue to push yourself (increasing weight as need be), the sky is the limit!
  • FrnkLft
    FrnkLft Posts: 1,821 Member
    Thanks guys, I did a 30 minutes strength training routine this morning and will continue doing cardio along with that... I already did some circuit training. I have some 5 pounds dumbells at home. Starting with that as I am pretty new to this. Asked for 8 and 10 pounds ones for christmas and a kettle bell.

    Will look at the book.

    If you're serious about this, buy the book before you buy the dumbbells. Otherwise you're just going to be wasting your time.

    For instance, why are you asking for such light weight? I mean 8 lbs? That's less than a backpack for an elementary school kid. I would START your dumbbell set with a 2x15 & 2x20 lbs. dumbbells. That would give you 15, 20, 30, 35, 40 lbs to work with, and you'll actually be DOING work rather than just FEELING like you did something.

    Remember, just the barbell in the gym is 45 lbs... I have a girl-friend who was completely untrained, and we started squats at 45 lbs (just the bar) doing 5x5, then 50-60-70 lbs. In a few *weeks* she was already doing 90 lbs for as many reps as possible, and hitting 10 or 20 at a time. She was also only lifting once a week with me on Sunday morning.
  • rrsuthy
    rrsuthy Posts: 236 Member
    I work out at home. I have some dumbbells, kettlebells, yoga mats, etc. I don't have any big machines, workout bench or bars. I go to the library and check out workout dvds so I can see what I like and keep my interest up. I have a bunch of workout dvds at home and they are my go-to when I don't have anything from the library. I got them from Amazon or Collagevideo, and I also picked some up, very cheap, at Half Price Books.

    My favorites for toning are Jackie Warner and Jessica Smith. I'm not a big Jillian Michales fan, but that's the joy of using library dvds.
  • TR0berts
    TR0berts Posts: 7,739 Member
    If you (or whomever you're asking for Christmas) can afford them - get some adjustable dumbbells. That is, if you are set on using dumbbells. I have some Weiders at home that go up to 25 each. I couldn't afford the heavier ones, but these are fine for P90X or RushFit type programs.

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