I wanna tone up, but….

fitandskinnygal
fitandskinnygal Posts: 487
in Fitness and Exercise
I'm not even close to my goal weight yet, but I feel like I need to do some cardio like pilates or something to tone up as I have some flab on my stomach and thighs.
If I do this, will I gain muscle under my fat? Or will gaining muscle help burn the fat? I've heard both sides.

I'm 5'7" , 155 lbs.

BMI: 24.3

Replies

  • meshashesha2012
    meshashesha2012 Posts: 8,329 Member
    lift weights and eat at a 10-20% calorie deficit. look up a program like strong lifts, starting strength or new rules of lifting for women
  • jaydangler
    jaydangler Posts: 28
    Gaining muscle will help burn the fat, and I'm not just saying that because I'm a guy
    Try doing hypertrophy training, which basically is weight lifting with 45-60 second rest intervals. It gets intense.
    But with this type of work out, your body has to recruit a ton of energy to perform the workload that you don't get form cardio. It's especially good for toning. Also, doing these workouts stimulates something called the afterburn effect which causes you to be burning calories for the following 24 hours after your workout. Thus, you'll be burning more calories from this type of weight lifting alone compared to the cardio and getting toned :)
  • _Josee_
    _Josee_ Posts: 625 Member
    First off all, you can't only "tone up". You need to build muscles, and drop body fat.

    Cardio will help to drop body fat if you eat at a deficit.
    Weight lifting would take care of the building muscles part. It also helps to burn more calories.

    Yoga and pilates aren't enough to build muscles. Don't be afraid to bulk up if you lift weight; it won't happen!

    Good luck! :)
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
    ^^^

    that- toning isn't really a thing- it's an appearance not an actual thing you're muscles do.

    Looking into one of the following will help
    Starting strength
    Strong lifts
    New rules of lifting (for women)
    Strong curves

    This should help- and go for the technique then attack the weight- it's fabulous. really- I promise you.
  • BusyRaeNOTBusty
    BusyRaeNOTBusty Posts: 7,166 Member
    lift weights and eat at a 10-20% calorie deficit. look up a program like strong lifts, starting strength or new rules of lifting for women

    This. But you won't gain muscle under your fat, you'll just keep what you have as you lose which makes the end result better.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/560459-stronglifts-5x5-summary
  • FrnkLft
    FrnkLft Posts: 1,821 Member
    I HIGHLY recommend you buy and read New Rules of Lifting for Women. It's a very accessible book with tons of information for women on lifting weight and dieting (does a lot of myth busting too, which is great). I would start here no matter what you endup doing. The exercise routine at the end of the book is good too (though kinda "fluffy", but still good), or you could just go with the ones I mentioned above which are much simpler. Your preference.

    If you do this, you will be off to a great start. Let us know how it goes!

    Also, here's how it all works:

    Diet = Lose/Maintain/Gain Fat and Muscle Weight

    Cardio = Most time efficient way to burn calories, great for cardiovascular health and endurance

    Heavy Lifting = Great way to burn calories too, necessary for muscle maintenance/gain & strength
  • PikaKnight
    PikaKnight Posts: 34,971 Member
    ^What the others above have said about strength training.

    If you don't have access to a gym or barbells, you might want to look into bodyweight training if funds are limited. Maybe check out You Are Own Gym, NerdFitness, or Convict Conditioning.

    Bodybuilding.com has a really great exercise database that you can search based on equipment (or lack thereof).

    Other options:

    TRX Suspension (home edition). I believe it is about $200.

    Using sandbags

    There is a Cap Barbell Dumbbell set (w/ plates) on Amazon for about $50. It is about 30-35lbs to start. You can purchase heavier plates as funds become available.
    http://www.amazon.com/Cap-Barbell-40-Pound-Dumbbell-Set/dp/B000VCDXNS/ref=sr_sp-atf_title_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1386018141&sr=8-1&keywords=cap+barbell+dumbbell+set

    Check out craigslist and Ebay for benches, plates, weights, etc.

    Get an Iron Gym Bar. It's about $30 on Amazon and can be used for chin-ups, pull-ups, hanging leg raises and such.
    http://www.amazon.com/Iron-Gym-Total-Upper-Workout/dp/B001EJMS6K/ref=sr_sp-atf_title_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1386018197&sr=8-1&keywords=iron+gym+pull+up+bar


    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/850719-strength-training-the-basics

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/902569-barbell-routines-when-you-only-have-dumbbells
  • fitandskinnygal
    fitandskinnygal Posts: 487
    Thanks for your help guys! You really cleared thing up for me.
    Correct me if I'm wrong….. losing weight (by counting calories and cardio) and building muscle (I'll look into all your recommendations) are two different things, but you can do them at the same time.

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