Next Steps to tone up...?

FitWithVic
FitWithVic Posts: 65 Member
in Motivation and Support
Hi all, so all my adult life I was overweight I comfort ate and cleared my plate. I've come so far losing over 6 stone - had some counselling along the way and in such a healthier and happier place now. I'm a healthy weight for my height 145lb and 5ft 6 but want to tone up. I'm not a member of a gym but workout with Jillian Michaels (currently on Body Revolution) and I run (I really enjoy it and it's something that helps me mentally as well as physically so I don't want to give it up and I'm about to run my 10th half marathon!)

What I want is positive criticism and suggestions to tweak what i'm doing so I'm making progress. I'm trying to follow macros of 40/30/30 and weekdays I do well but can go off track at the weekend. After my birthday next week and my trip away I shall be back on track.

I've heard about body recomp but I don't know if a) I lift heavy enough with Jillian for this to be feasible? b) Should my focus to be to lose more body fat first (I've a still a way to go!)

I feel at the point I've learnt so much from where I was but unsure of what path I need to take moving forward... advice and support please :)

Replies

  • JDixon852019
    JDixon852019 Posts: 312 Member
    I think you are on the right track. There is no one size fits all. The best method is the one you actually stick with.

    I personally strength train 2X and run 3X a week and calorie restrict. I started at 1290cal (5'7 148lbs) and then dropped to 1200cal when I hit 130lbs. My "cut" will end Sept 15 or when I reach 118lbs whichever come first. That is what worked for me.
  • Jeremyinstl
    Jeremyinstl Posts: 5 Member
    Congrats on your 10th run! I see no reason why you can not strength train like jrulo16 is doing. You have got to stay on track on the weekends. You can blow a whole weeks fat loss very easily from Friday night to Sunday! Good Luck!
  • vespiquenn
    vespiquenn Posts: 1,455 Member
    edited July 2016
    "Toning" is often a loose term that means a low enough body fat percentage for muscles to show. I do think that a recomposition would be more beneficial because you do not want to drop your calories drastically for your runs.

    With that being said, a progressive lifting program is ideal. If you can get a hold of a gym membership for the weights, that would be one of the better options. Especially with the importance of gaining strength in core areas for running. If this is not feasible, there are programs such as You Are Your Own Gym which helps with resistance in body weight. The key is the progression. You can do Jillian workouts all you want, but if you are not finding ways to make it more difficult, it will eventually just become cardio with little muscle building effects. A simple example of up resistance using body weight would be going from a normal push up to lifting one leg off the ground. It becomes more difficult; thus, your body needs to build more strength to achieve this successfully. So combined with a low body fat percentage and progressive training, you work towards a "toned" look.

    Edit; good lord, I'm sorry if anything doesn't make sense. I edited two typos already. It's 4am here and I can't sleep, so I'm sorry for anything that sounds incoherent. :lol:

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