Am I doing enough?

ErinBbbyy
ErinBbbyy Posts: 2
in Fitness and Exercise
Hi there,

I'm 5'7 and about 133 pounds. Currently I'm trying to maybe lose a bit of weight, but really I just want to tone up. But I'm not sure if I'm doing enough. I'm going to start going to the gym, and typically when I go to the gym, I do about 20 minutes of cardio, and maybe some strength training. I usually only go about once a month, but I'm gonna start making a routine out of it. So here's my question-- Is 20 minutes of cardio a day going to help me get toned? I typically don't exercise AT ALL, so I'm thinking that some exercise is better than none?

Please let me know your opinions, as I'd really like to see results! If you have ideas for what I should be doing, feel free to post those also.

Replies

  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    Put your emphasis on strength/resistance training if you want to "tone"...i.e. change you body composition...cardio isn't going to do it...cardio is just weight lifting for your heart and cardiovascular system. Do an actual program too...just willy nilly picking up weights or doing this machine or that machine isn't going to get you very far. Do an actual program that has you doing progressive loading/overload for best results...eat at maintenance.
  • Will_Thrust_For_Candy
    Will_Thrust_For_Candy Posts: 6,109 Member
    Put your emphasis on strength/resistance training if you want to "tone"...i.e. change you body composition...cardio isn't going to do it...cardio is just weight lifting for your heart and cardiovascular system. Do an actual program too...just willy nilly picking up weights or doing this machine or that machine isn't going to get you very far. Do an actual program that has you doing progressive loading/overload for best results...eat at maintenance.

    Agreed ^^^^
  • jamiek917
    jamiek917 Posts: 610 Member
    agreed. toned= muscle, and you are going to get more toned/muscular by strength training
  • furenaef
    furenaef Posts: 157 Member
    agreed. toned= muscle, and you are going to get more toned/muscular by strength training

    to add to this, do the basic stuff and stop doing curls or tricept kick backs. do push ups /pull ups, OHP squats, compound movements, leave the bs workouts out. like abs (unless you really go heavy) or chest flies
  • ElliottTN
    ElliottTN Posts: 1,614 Member
    Here is the short answer: nope
  • ErinBbbyy
    ErinBbbyy Posts: 2
    How would I go about starting a strength routine? I really have no idea where to start.
  • Will_Thrust_For_Candy
    Will_Thrust_For_Candy Posts: 6,109 Member
    Look into Starting Strength, Stronglifts 5x5 or The New Rules of Lifting for Women.

    If possible, you can see if a trainer from your gym can help you out by showing you proper form for the lifts. These 3 programs are all solid programs for beginners and focus on basic compound movements.

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