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how to tone without bulking up

littlelol
littlelol Posts: 539
edited September 2024 in Health and Weight Loss
hi guys, i would like to start trsining my arms, as i always do a lot on my legs but kind of leave my arms, However I dont want my arms to luk bulky or big. I would just like them to tone up a little. Can any1 recommend any kind of exercises for this and the reps. i have little dumbells and i am only 4ft 11 so dont want to add lots of muscle just tone xx

Replies

  • littlelol
    littlelol Posts: 539
    that word is meant to say training . lol x
  • JustBill
    JustBill Posts: 93 Member
    Low weight, high repetition, lots of sets.
  • beqy12
    beqy12 Posts: 569
    Yoga! I love love love my arms when I do it regularly.
  • MissAnjy
    MissAnjy Posts: 2,480 Member
    Im wanting the same thing and im currently trying jillian michaels no more trouble zones. It's strength training but i think it's geared more towards women. Maybe use 3lbs in each hand and follow the video. You won't really bulk up unless you're doing heavy weights & high reps.
  • ouryear002
    ouryear002 Posts: 325 Member
    It is usually really hard for women to get bulky arms. We're not made that way. I'd recommend a bicep curl: hold weight palms forward, hanging down by thighs. Bend at elbow til weights at waist high. Lower and repeat 15 times. Also a tricep extension. Hold weight in right hand over and behind your head so weight is near your left shoulder. Straighten arm so weight is above your head. Lower and repeat 15 times. Switch arms. This one helps with arm jiggles.:wink:
  • hpsnickers1
    hpsnickers1 Posts: 2,783 Member
    From what I understand you would have to do some serious weight lifting for a long time to 'bulk up'.

    But I could be wrong. Once again - too much conflicting info on the internet
  • littlelol
    littlelol Posts: 539
    thanku xxx
  • kimi233
    kimi233 Posts: 271 Member
    I'm going to do the Chaleane Extreme DVD set. Women really can't "bulk up" like men, you would have to train like a body builder if you wanted to really get big!
  • binary_jester
    binary_jester Posts: 3,311 Member
    Women don't produce enough testosterone to "bulk up".
  • Ambrogio1
    Ambrogio1 Posts: 518 Member
    stretching and yoga, just less sets in general. if you genically are built in one area and you want it to grow less then train it less

    weight vs high reps theory I believe is bogus
  • Thorneapple
    Thorneapple Posts: 154
    Don't fear the weights. Women can't bulk up the way men do. We don't have the testosterone for it.
  • rose1617
    rose1617 Posts: 469 Member
    Women don't produce enough testosterone to "bulk up".
    What he said.
    Lots of weight training. Triceps, Biceps, shoulder press, push press, etc.
  • hellsbell
    hellsbell Posts: 33 Member
    My brother always laughs when I talk about the fear of getting bulky as looking really muscular is very hard even for men to achieve. But I'm never talking about Arnie-type muscles, I just mean I don't want to look 'beefy'; I never look particularly feminine even at the best of times (my dinosaur bones don't help) and I don't want to exacerbate the situation.
    I must agree with what the OP said about yoga - I did it regularly some years ago and I found it fantastic for toning. Swimming is another great exercise which tones and tightens the arm muscles without adding bulk, especially if you hire a coach to improve your technique. It's what a friend of mine did and it made a huge difference. She was quite dainty before and still looked dainty after. But she was strong!
  • TateFTW
    TateFTW Posts: 658 Member
    Muscles won't sneak up on you. Don't do that high rep crap. . .waste of time. Keep it under 15 reps, and use a weight that you can't do more then 15 times. Don't worry, you won't wake up one morning with big muscles. Go heavy and go hard, then if you aren't happy with the direction you seem to be heading when you look in the mirror, adjust accordingly. My wife lifts HEAVY, and she's toned up really well without bulking out at all. She's only 5' by the way.

    edit; +1 on yoga for body shaping, great for long, lean muscle. Another great thing is circuit training, but focus on heavier lifting in your circuits as opposed to using resistance movements purely for cardio. Look into CrossFit, it's a great combo of circuit training and heavy lifting. I don't follow it exactly but use it as inspriation for my current regumine.
  • XLR8Fitness
    XLR8Fitness Posts: 3 Member
    It's ok to lift heavy....someone above said it correct. Females do not produce the testosterone to build huge bulky muscles like men. The female bodybuilders that you see that look like men are taking drugs to make them that way. You should be doing 3 sets of 12-15 reps of a weight that is challenging. On your third set your muscles should feel fatigued, it they are not then you need to increase the weight.

    Don't be afraid to be strong and lift heavy. I get this question all the time from my clients. I can lift heavier weights then some guys...I always aske them if they think I look big and bulky like a man and they tell me NO and then I say EXACTLY!
  • myofibril
    myofibril Posts: 4,500 Member
    Whilst I generally agree with most of what has been posted on this thread, can someone explain the 15 reps per set thing to me please? Why is this recommended as oppossed to say a lower rep range of say 4 -8 or 8 - 12 for the less experienced lifter?

    If you are lifting heavy through a full range of motion with an appropriately slow rep cadence then surely a lower rep range can work equally well if not better?

    You want to overload your muscles right and ensure they are exposed to sufficient stress to cause micro tears. With a higher rep range people are more likely to concentrate less on form and be tempted to use more momentum to complete their lifts as they feel they have lots of reps to complete.
  • binary_jester
    binary_jester Posts: 3,311 Member
    Whilst I generally agree with most of what has been posted on this thread, can someone explain the 15 reps per set thing to me please? Why is this recommended as oppossed to say a lower rep range of say 4 -8 or 8 - 12 for the less experienced lifter?

    If you are lifting heavy through a full range of motion with an appropriately slow rep cadence then surely a lower rep range can work equally well if not better?

    You want to overload your muscles right and ensure they are exposed to sufficient stress to cause micro tears. With a higher rep range people are more likely to concentrate less on form and be tempted to use more momentum to complete their lifts as they feel they have lots of reps to complete.
    High reps engage different types of muscle fibers in addition to increasing lean muscle mass but not focusing on strength.

    Also, in the high rep range, just as a previous person mentioned, you should go to fail on your last rep, just as you would in the 4 to 6 rep range. You should have no compulsion to "cheat" in either rep range until the last reps.

    Here is a great explanation...
    http://www.freedomfly.net/Articles/Training/training29.htm
  • TateFTW
    TateFTW Posts: 658 Member
    Whilst I generally agree with most of what has been posted on this thread, can someone explain the 15 reps per set thing to me please? Why is this recommended as oppossed to say a lower rep range of say 4 -8 or 8 - 12 for the less experienced lifter?

    If you are lifting heavy through a full range of motion with an appropriately slow rep cadence then surely a lower rep range can work equally well if not better?

    You want to overload your muscles right and ensure they are exposed to sufficient stress to cause micro tears. With a higher rep range people are more likely to concentrate less on form and be tempted to use more momentum to complete their lifts as they feel they have lots of reps to complete.

    People react differently to different rep ranges, but we can generalize certain rep ranges for specific goals. 1-5 reps for all out strength, 8-12 reps for hypertrophy (muscle growth), and 12-15 reps for muscle endurance, but each range will give you a bit of the other benefits as well. Even though bodybuilders are all looking for hypertrophy, some use low reps, some use high, because it takes experimentation to find out how your body responds to different types of training. The rep ranges above are just a starting point. As said, when you change rep range you actually change which muscle fibers are involved, which is why most vary rep ranges to try to hit the whole muscle.
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