How do I get my muscles toned without getting "big"?

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  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
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    ^^^ Not saying this to dis dumbbells. My routine has a lot of dumbbell work, but mostly because I fenced for years, and I need dumbbells to even out my weaker side.

    It wasn't so much as you dissed them....it was more the incredibly wrong information about them that was the problem
  • GenF32
    GenF32 Posts: 184 Member
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    Oh God.... please, people are being very kind and helpful here and I encourage you to take your time, read, learn and self-educate to save everyone including yourself a whole lotta trouble...
  • cineshome
    cineshome Posts: 97 Member
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    Amusing yet educational.
  • MatrixGravity
    MatrixGravity Posts: 55
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    Oh God.... please, people are being very kind and helpful here and I encourage you to take your time, read, learn and self-educate to save everyone including yourself a whole lotta trouble...

    I'm sorry. I am trying. There is just a lot of information to read and understand.. I did learn the difference between compound and isolated exercises, so I suppose that's a step in the right direction. I also learned from this thread that dumbbells suck and that they won't help me reach my goals, lol. Guess I need to sign up for a gym membership now so I can have access to a barbell set..
  • shmerek
    shmerek Posts: 963 Member
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    Oh God.... please, people are being very kind and helpful here and I encourage you to take your time, read, learn and self-educate to save everyone including yourself a whole lotta trouble...

    I'm sorry. I am trying. There is just a lot of information to read and understand.. I did learn the difference between compound and isolated exercises, so I suppose that's a step in the right direction. I also learned that dumbbells suck and that they won't help me reach my goals, lol. Guess I need to sign up for a gym membership now so I can have access to a barbell set..
    ..... Sweet Jesus... Best you hit google dude and no dumbbells do not suck.
  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
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    Oh God.... please, people are being very kind and helpful here and I encourage you to take your time, read, learn and self-educate to save everyone including yourself a whole lotta trouble...

    I'm sorry. I am trying. There is just a lot of information to read and understand.. I did learn the difference between compound and isolated exercises, so I suppose that's a step in the right direction. I also learned from this thread that dumbbells suck and that they won't help me reach my goals, lol. Guess I need to sign up for a gym membership now so I can have access to a barbell set..

    Less learning and more doing. Get off the net and go lift something. ANYTHING. I don't care if it's a pushup or a barbell or you go do a circuit a Curves. Any actual experience is better than this quagmire of a thread. After you've actually something, then come back with questions about that something.
  • mereditheve
    mereditheve Posts: 142 Member
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    Simply put -- just work out and don't worry about getting "big"

    Dumbbells are great. Barbells are great. Cables are great. Kettlebells are great.

    Sometimes when I'm in hotel gyms, I don't have any of these, so I lift my suitcase instead. Weight is weight. Just get moving!
  • Fujiberry
    Fujiberry Posts: 400 Member
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    "You can attempt to do compound lifts with dumbbells, but what dumbbells can do with compounds are minuscule to what barbells can do. "

    Holy hot fuzz.
    Man.

    ^^^ What that meant: He cannot do everything that he needs with dumbbells. Never did I say he can't bench press with dumbbells.
    Well you have to admit that the statement is a bit ambiguous then, bench press, overhead press, rows etc are compound lifts as well and can be just as effective with dumbbells as with a barbell. Dude is confused as is and say he can barely squat with 20kg or something light like that how would something like a goblet squat be "less effective"? I am not trying to be a **** or anything but it is better to be as concise as possible.
    I do agree with this though.
    Getting frustrated because people seem to be getting the completely opposite meaning from my words.

    And no, OP, dumbbells do not suck. Like I said, you can do some of the compound lifts with them, but not all.
    I know TONS of guys who've had great success at building great bodies with dumbbells.

    But some apparently have never touched a squat rack ever, which results in a disproportionate figure.

    funny-thin-legs-big-arms-guy-walking.jpg
  • BinaryPulsar
    BinaryPulsar Posts: 8,927 Member
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    Oh God.... please, people are being very kind and helpful here and I encourage you to take your time, read, learn and self-educate to save everyone including yourself a whole lotta trouble...

    I'm sorry. I am trying. There is just a lot of information to read and understand.. I did learn the difference between compound and isolated exercises, so I suppose that's a step in the right direction. I also learned from this thread that dumbbells suck and that they won't help me reach my goals, lol. Guess I need to sign up for a gym membership now so I can have access to a barbell set..

    Less learning and more doing. Get off the net and go lift something. ANYTHING. I don't care if it's a pushup or a barbell or you go do a circuit a Curves. Any actual experience is better than this quagmire of a thread. After you've actually something, then come back with questions about that something.

    Yeah, just start with the beginner nerd fitness workout (using the 20 pound dumbbells). You will learn as you do stuff. When that gets too easy then you can learn more or ask then.

    You just can't go to curves (that is only for women).
  • MatrixGravity
    MatrixGravity Posts: 55
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    Oh God.... please, people are being very kind and helpful here and I encourage you to take your time, read, learn and self-educate to save everyone including yourself a whole lotta trouble...

    I'm sorry. I am trying. There is just a lot of information to read and understand.. I did learn the difference between compound and isolated exercises, so I suppose that's a step in the right direction. I also learned from this thread that dumbbells suck and that they won't help me reach my goals, lol. Guess I need to sign up for a gym membership now so I can have access to a barbell set..

    Less learning and more doing. Get off the net and go lift something. ANYTHING. I don't care if it's a pushup or a barbell or you go do a circuit a Curves. Any actual experience is better than this quagmire of a thread. After you've actually something, then come back with questions about that something.

    Well I just did finish exercising.. I did goblet squats as well as alternating bicep curls.. Idk if doing these basic exercises is even going to help me at all honestly. I definitely feel soreness in my legs pretty bad. My arms are a bit sore too, but yeah. I'm not complaining. I'm just saying I don't know how effective these exercises are that I'm even doing. A lot of the posts in this thread basically told me to switch to Barbells if I want better results so I guess in the mean time I'll stick to these Dumbbell exercises till I have access to Barbells.. Because honestly I don't know what the hell I'm even doing.
  • BinaryPulsar
    BinaryPulsar Posts: 8,927 Member
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    It's best to just start with what you have. Keep exercising. Learn as you go. Find what you like and what works for you (and that will change as you get stronger). You could go check out the gyms as well. You can meet with a trainer and use the gym for a day (or sometimes they offer a 2 week trial).
  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
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    Oh God.... please, people are being very kind and helpful here and I encourage you to take your time, read, learn and self-educate to save everyone including yourself a whole lotta trouble...

    I'm sorry. I am trying. There is just a lot of information to read and understand.. I did learn the difference between compound and isolated exercises, so I suppose that's a step in the right direction. I also learned from this thread that dumbbells suck and that they won't help me reach my goals, lol. Guess I need to sign up for a gym membership now so I can have access to a barbell set..

    Less learning and more doing. Get off the net and go lift something. ANYTHING. I don't care if it's a pushup or a barbell or you go do a circuit a Curves. Any actual experience is better than this quagmire of a thread. After you've actually something, then come back with questions about that something.

    Yeah, just start with the beginner nerd fitness workout (using the 20 pound dumbbells). You will learn as you do stuff. When that gets too easy then you can learn more or ask then.

    You just can't go to curves (that is only for women).


    THAT'S SEXIST!

    *shakes first while looking morally outraged*
  • MatrixGravity
    MatrixGravity Posts: 55
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    Oh God.... please, people are being very kind and helpful here and I encourage you to take your time, read, learn and self-educate to save everyone including yourself a whole lotta trouble...

    I'm sorry. I am trying. There is just a lot of information to read and understand.. I did learn the difference between compound and isolated exercises, so I suppose that's a step in the right direction. I also learned from this thread that dumbbells suck and that they won't help me reach my goals, lol. Guess I need to sign up for a gym membership now so I can have access to a barbell set..

    Less learning and more doing. Get off the net and go lift something. ANYTHING. I don't care if it's a pushup or a barbell or you go do a circuit a Curves. Any actual experience is better than this quagmire of a thread. After you've actually something, then come back with questions about that something.

    Yeah, just start with the beginner nerd fitness workout (using the 20 pound dumbbells). You will learn as you do stuff. When that gets too easy then you can learn more or ask then.

    You just can't go to curves (that is only for women).

    Yeah, the fitness workouts I have no problem doing. My problem is that on top of the exercises, I also have to worry about things like diet, etc. Like if I do these exercises consistently, do I have to change my diet in order to see the results? If so, do I need to eat less, eat more, etc? There is just so much to learn. That's why I'm trying to ask the right questions so I can make sure I don't make too many mistakes and end up wasting my time and getting nowhere, if that makes sense..
  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
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    Sooooo.....after all that rigamarole about lifting.....we're supposed to spend another few hours walking you thru the basics of diet and nutrition?

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  • shmerek
    shmerek Posts: 963 Member
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    Dude you are already on the freaking internet use it!
  • SoLongAndThanksForAllTheFish
    SoLongAndThanksForAllTheFish Posts: 831 Member
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    Dumbbells are fine, especially for you, but with the amount of questions and confusion you have, and the amount of "cooks stirring the pot", you should really find someone to show you what to do in real life, or write one person, or pick one of the programs mentioned and do it. Just start somewhere, don't worry about "getting big", it wont happen without dedication and lots of time, and then you can just quit exercising whatever muscles are "too big" so they stop being "too big"...its not hard to lose at all, its gaining that is hard.
  • KetoCarnivore
    KetoCarnivore Posts: 4
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    I like how people just assume it's easy to just put on 30lbs of muscle. The guys and women you're looking at who look that way take heavy amounts of drugs.
  • shmerek
    shmerek Posts: 963 Member
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    I like how people just assume it's easy to just put on 30lbs of muscle. The guys and women you're looking at who look that way take heavy amounts of drugs.
    and lift a truckload of weight
  • fushigi1988
    fushigi1988 Posts: 519 Member
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    http://itrainthereforeieat.com/2014/01/15/on-weight-lifting-getting-bulky-and-body-changes/
  • earthmen12
    earthmen12 Posts: 8 Member
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    I can't believe I just read this whole thread. I thought at the end someone was going to pop up and say 'gotcha' or 'I have punked you with this thread" or something like that. But I guess all those questions and miscommunication were real. smh

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