How to get Toned? Real Advice Please
moranlarap
Posts: 6
Hi Everyone,
I want some advice and suggestions about how to get toned.
A little background: I am turning 30 this year. I am 5'4 and 134 pounds. I started exercising and watching what I eat in late January of this year. Since then, I have lost 20-25 pounds.
My workouts are below.
>>Cardio:
Running 3-4 times per week: 2 days a week I do distance, between 6-8 miles in less than 10 minute/mile pace (I try to go as fast as I can depending on how I feel. Sometimes I'll do 6 miles in 50 minutes, and other times I will do 6 miles in 1 hour. My aim is to always stay under 10 min/mile). Once a week I work on speed, doing 3 miles in about 24 minutes or less).
Insanity 2 times per week.
>>Strength Training 2-3 times per week for 40 minutes: I'll do calisthenics and weightlifting. I have an Iron GYM (recently I was able to do my first chin-up. Yeay!) and 8 pound dumbbells (I know I can go up to 12-15 but can't buy new dumbbells right now). I try to compensate with the calisthenics).
>>Yoga for 45 minutes once a week.
**My routine changes every week depending on how family schedule. These are estimates. Also, many times I will do two types of workouts in one day. For example, I might do yoga on the same day I run, or I might do a 30 minute strength training after 40 minutes of Insanity.
I eat based on the Mediterranean diet: lots of vegetables (4-7 servings per day), fruits (3-5), and whole wheat grains (3-5), seafood and chicken (3-4 ounces per serving), olive oil (about 2tbps), nuts (2tbps) and seeds daily (1tbps). I rarely eat red meats and occasionally eat sweets. I eat healthy and balance. I am strict with what I eat.
I want to get toned. This is something new to me. Google is no help- all I find is "miracle" helpers that get you abs in two weeks. No, thank you. I know this is something you have to work hard for and I am willing to commit. But I don't know if I am doing the right thing. Questions:
1. Realistically, how soon could I get toned with these workouts and diet? Can I get tones with what I am doing? But is it the case that it will take a long time?
2. Would it be better for me to do more strength training? Although I am a healthy weight, I know I have to lose a more weight to look toned and show abs. So this concerns me.
Please give me your suggestions, especially if you have accomplished what I am seeking.
I want some advice and suggestions about how to get toned.
A little background: I am turning 30 this year. I am 5'4 and 134 pounds. I started exercising and watching what I eat in late January of this year. Since then, I have lost 20-25 pounds.
My workouts are below.
>>Cardio:
Running 3-4 times per week: 2 days a week I do distance, between 6-8 miles in less than 10 minute/mile pace (I try to go as fast as I can depending on how I feel. Sometimes I'll do 6 miles in 50 minutes, and other times I will do 6 miles in 1 hour. My aim is to always stay under 10 min/mile). Once a week I work on speed, doing 3 miles in about 24 minutes or less).
Insanity 2 times per week.
>>Strength Training 2-3 times per week for 40 minutes: I'll do calisthenics and weightlifting. I have an Iron GYM (recently I was able to do my first chin-up. Yeay!) and 8 pound dumbbells (I know I can go up to 12-15 but can't buy new dumbbells right now). I try to compensate with the calisthenics).
>>Yoga for 45 minutes once a week.
**My routine changes every week depending on how family schedule. These are estimates. Also, many times I will do two types of workouts in one day. For example, I might do yoga on the same day I run, or I might do a 30 minute strength training after 40 minutes of Insanity.
I eat based on the Mediterranean diet: lots of vegetables (4-7 servings per day), fruits (3-5), and whole wheat grains (3-5), seafood and chicken (3-4 ounces per serving), olive oil (about 2tbps), nuts (2tbps) and seeds daily (1tbps). I rarely eat red meats and occasionally eat sweets. I eat healthy and balance. I am strict with what I eat.
I want to get toned. This is something new to me. Google is no help- all I find is "miracle" helpers that get you abs in two weeks. No, thank you. I know this is something you have to work hard for and I am willing to commit. But I don't know if I am doing the right thing. Questions:
1. Realistically, how soon could I get toned with these workouts and diet? Can I get tones with what I am doing? But is it the case that it will take a long time?
2. Would it be better for me to do more strength training? Although I am a healthy weight, I know I have to lose a more weight to look toned and show abs. So this concerns me.
Please give me your suggestions, especially if you have accomplished what I am seeking.
0
Replies
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Toning doesn't exist. You cannot tone a muscle. Muscles can do 2 things, get bigger or get smaller. The toned look is achieved by having a moderate muscular base with low body fat.
Check out this guy's youtube channel. I'm a big fan of this guy, he really knows what he's talking about.
Do you need to eat big to get big?
http://youtu.be/iwZEoEAp8dk
Is it possible to lose fat and gain muscle at the same time? If so how?
http://youtu.be/CL4SdkK_K1A
\Transition from cutting to bulking and other random bulking facts.
http://youtu.be/l7xf-wx3un0
How to get from 15% to 10% body fat. Diet, workout, and cardio.
http://youtu.be/8d1W3wWfpt40 -
Okay. Let me change that to "how to look toned". As I said, this is new to me, so I don't know the terminology. I want to see the muscles in my arms, legs, back, and abdomen.0
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Weight lifting will give you visible muscles. Running can consume muscle mass if you aren't getting sufficient calories.0
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1. Build muscle, I highly recommend heavy lifting
2. Reduce body fat, check out the link I posted before.
Like I said before, check out Vismal's youtube channel. All of the questions you have and more can be answered there and he knows a heck of a lot more than I do.
You can get the results you seek, good luck++++0 -
Okay. Let me change that to "how to look toned". As I said, this is new to me, so I don't know the terminology. I want to see the muscles in my arms, legs, back, and abdomen.
You decrease your Body Fat % to reveal the muscle that is beneath the fat. A proper lifting routine will preserve the muscle you have while you are dieting so that when you shed the fat, you look toned. A proper lifting routine in conjunction with a modest surplus of calories will build muscle if you are lacking.
I would highly recommend an actual lifting program for optimal results. As a matter of general fitness, I would recommend a program like New Rules of Lifting for Women (or any of the New Rules books)...good routines and also a wealth of information on what you are doing and why you should be doing it. Strong Curves is another good option.
If you want to go the pure strength route (which will also dramatically change your body composition...and no, you won't bulk) do a heavy lifting routine like StrongLifts 5x5 or Starting Strength as two great examples. These are both beginner routines and will get you very strong, very fast.
If you want to optimize muscle building, you can work the same routines, just adjust your reps to be 8-12 and turn them into hypertrophy routines.
If you don't have access to a gym, I would recommend something like, "You are Your Own Gym" in conjunction with a progression that you would find in one of the lifting programs above.
Just willy nilly doing your own thing isn't going to garner much in the way of results...at least not very efficiently. As I'm sure you're beginning to realize, there is a lot more to this than just picking up some dumbbells...which is why I highly recommend New Rules...even if you don't do the program, it is very informational and it will help you better understand what you're doing and why you're doing it. As I mentioned, Strong Curves is also a good option...My wife is doing that program now after having completed NRoL4W.0 -
Here's a starting point:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants0
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