Toning muscle without weights - what is your favourite exercise? :)

Options
shesthetype
shesthetype Posts: 45 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hi guys and girls (and possibly aliens and dogs, you never know) :)

I'm curious to know about muscle toning/strengthening exercises that don't require lifting weights. I do a lot of exercise using dumbbells and barbells (FitnessBlender routines, as well as deadlifting, squats, curtsy lunges etc) but I'm getting bored and don't feel like I'm getting a wide enough range of muscle use, so I'm on the hunt for great effective exercises I can do that will still help me tone and maintain my muscles without the weights. I usually lift 6 times per week but I thought perhaps I'd try lifting every second day, and on the other days do exercises that don't require lifting but are still effective at toning, just to mix it up. I also like to run and go for hill walks, but I'm looking for ideas that I can do in the lounge each morning like I do with my weight routine. I love Tabata pulsing exercises, they kick my butt, and I'm guessing Pilates would be an option? I use strap on ankle weights and will still use these with whatever other exercises I do besides weight lifting.

Anyway, I'd love to hear your suggestions and ideas on what your favourite non-lifting muscle toning exercises are :) Thanks in advance!

Replies

  • cdfishe1
    cdfishe1 Posts: 4 Member
    Options
    You could give the Reddit bodyweightfitness recommended routine a try. It's a mix of the standard bodyweight exercises like pushups, pullups, dips, handstands, etc.

    https://reddit.com/r/bodyweightfitness/wiki/kb/recommended_routine
  • shesthetype
    shesthetype Posts: 45 Member
    Options
    cdfishe1 wrote: »
    You could give the Reddit bodyweightfitness recommended routine a try. It's a mix of the standard bodyweight exercises like pushups, pullups, dips, handstands, etc.

    https://reddit.com/r/bodyweightfitness/wiki/kb/recommended_routine

    Most excellent, thanks!! :)
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,573 Member
    Options
    You can't tone a muscle.

    Are you being sure to get a progressive overload with the program you are on now? If so, you should see results and it shouldn't be too boring as you are increasing volume and/or intensity from workout to workout.
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,573 Member
    Options
    But to answer your question you can maintain muscle in a deficit or maintenance or build it in a surplus with bodyweight routines. Still you will need a progressive overload. Popular programs are Convict Conditioning and You Are Your Own Gym.
  • shesthetype
    shesthetype Posts: 45 Member
    Options
    arditarose wrote: »
    But to answer your question you can maintain muscle in a deficit or maintenance or build it in a surplus with bodyweight routines. Still you will need a progressive overload. Popular programs are Convict Conditioning and You Are Your Own Gym.

    Thanks for sharing your knowledge :) I'm very new to lifting and I had to Google Progressive Overload lol. I started lifting 2 months ago after losing 70kgs through cardio. I started with tiny weights (1kg each hand and 5kg for squats and lifts LOL), now I'm onto 5 to 6kgs each hand and 25kgs deadlifts and squats. I admit though, I'm finding my knee joints are often sore and my form isn't always the best it could be. I am a wee bit concerned that if my knees are sore now, lifting heavier will make it worse. I truly am bored with the standard routine of squats, deadlifts, triceps, curls etc. My body is telling me I need more variety and flexibility, and my mind is telling me to learn new interesting routines :)
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,573 Member
    Options
    shesthetype wrote: »
    arditarose wrote: »
    But to answer your question you can maintain muscle in a deficit or maintenance or build it in a surplus with bodyweight routines. Still you will need a progressive overload. Popular programs are Convict Conditioning and You Are Your Own Gym.

    Thanks for sharing your knowledge :) I'm very new to lifting and I had to Google Progressive Overload lol. I started lifting 2 months ago after losing 70kgs through cardio. I started with tiny weights (1kg each hand and 5kg for squats and lifts LOL), now I'm onto 5 to 6kgs each hand and 25kgs deadlifts and squats. I admit though, I'm finding my knee joints are often sore and my form isn't always the best it could be. I am a wee bit concerned that if my knees are sore now, lifting heavier will make it worse. I truly am bored with the standard routine of squats, deadlifts, triceps, curls etc. My body is telling me I need more variety and flexibility, and my mind is telling me to learn new interesting routines :)

    Yeah I can't speak for the knee pain, and no one really can without seeing a form video. A true progressive overload program would have you adding weight every workout. So if you're squatting 95lbs on Monday, you should be trying 100 or 105 on Wednesday...

    Anyway, it's the same with body weight routines though. You need the exercises to get more and more difficult.

  • a45cal
    a45cal Posts: 85 Member
    Options
    arditarose wrote: »
    A true progressive overload program would have you adding weight every workout. So if you're squatting 95lbs on Monday, you should be trying 100 or 105 on Wednesday...

    Really? My understanding of progressive overload is that you should be trying to either increase weight or increase number of repetitions per set the next day you do a particular exercise. Trying to increase weight every workout sounds like it would pretty quickly get you to a weight you couldn't safely handle.

    But regarding knee pain, OP, how often are you doing a particular exercise per week? Your original post makes it sound like you already have limited variety in the lifts you're doing, and that makes me wonder if you aren't just repeating the same things multiple times a week and not giving yourself enough time to recover fully.
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,573 Member
    Options
    a45cal wrote: »
    arditarose wrote: »
    A true progressive overload program would have you adding weight every workout. So if you're squatting 95lbs on Monday, you should be trying 100 or 105 on Wednesday...

    Really? My understanding of progressive overload is that you should be trying to either increase weight or increase number of repetitions per set the next day you do a particular exercise. Trying to increase weight every workout sounds like it would pretty quickly get you to a weight you couldn't safely handle.

    But regarding knee pain, OP, how often are you doing a particular exercise per week? Your original post makes it sound like you already have limited variety in the lifts you're doing, and that makes me wonder if you aren't just repeating the same things multiple times a week and not giving yourself enough time to recover fully.

    You can increase weight every workout to a certain point, yes. And yes a progressive overload can be done by adding weight or volume. A program like Strong Lifts 5x5 is a linear approach to training, adding weight every workout. A beginner can do this. Eventually you will stall and need to change programming.
  • a45cal
    a45cal Posts: 85 Member
    edited September 2016
    Options
    arditarose wrote: »

    You can increase weight every workout to a certain point, yes. And yes a progressive overload can be done by adding weight or volume. A program like Strong Lifts 5x5 is a linear approach to training, adding weight every workout. A beginner can do this. Eventually you will stall and need to change programming.

    It's fair enough if that's the way that Strong Lifts approaches progressive overload; I'm not particularly familiar with the details of that program. I was just pointing out that weight doesn't have to be increased every workout for it to be a "true" progressive overload (since I know other programs like New Rules of Lifting or Strong Curves don't instruct people that that's necessary). Since OP is new to lifting, I didn't want her to have the impression that it was "required" that she put the weight up every workout, when increasing repetitions is also a valid option.

  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,573 Member
    Options
    a45cal wrote: »
    arditarose wrote: »

    You can increase weight every workout to a certain point, yes. And yes a progressive overload can be done by adding weight or volume. A program like Strong Lifts 5x5 is a linear approach to training, adding weight every workout. A beginner can do this. Eventually you will stall and need to change programming.

    It's fair enough if that's the way that Strong Lifts approaches progressive overload; I'm not particularly familiar with the details of that program. I was just pointing out that weight doesn't have to be increased every workout for it to be a "true" progressive overload (since I know other programs like New Rules of Lifting or Strong Curves don't instruct people that that's necessary). Since OP is new to lifting, I didn't want her to have the impression that it was "required" that she put the weight up every workout, when increasing repetitions is also a valid option.

    Which is why in my first point I mentioned to get a progressive overload by increasing volume and/or intensity.
  • shesthetype
    shesthetype Posts: 45 Member
    Options
    a45cal wrote: »
    arditarose wrote: »
    A true progressive overload program would have you adding weight every workout. So if you're squatting 95lbs on Monday, you should be trying 100 or 105 on Wednesday...

    Really? My understanding of progressive overload is that you should be trying to either increase weight or increase number of repetitions per set the next day you do a particular exercise. Trying to increase weight every workout sounds like it would pretty quickly get you to a weight you couldn't safely handle.

    But regarding knee pain, OP, how often are you doing a particular exercise per week? Your original post makes it sound like you already have limited variety in the lifts you're doing, and that makes me wonder if you aren't just repeating the same things multiple times a week and not giving yourself enough time to recover fully.

    You hit the nail on the head. I'm basically doing the same few movements again and again every day, 6 days per week. I use Fitness Blender videos from YouTube. I do lots of different videos but they all seem to be the same movements, just shuffled into different order lol. I think this is why my body and brain (and knees) are all going, "Something different please!". I admit I do lower body and abs 4 or more times per week and upper body only once or twice. Mainly because I have this idea in my head that I need to concentrate on my lower body because that's the area I want to perfect in terms of muscle tone. Probably a very ignorant and unsafe thing to do now that I think about it.

  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,573 Member
    Options
    shesthetype wrote: »
    a45cal wrote: »
    arditarose wrote: »
    A true progressive overload program would have you adding weight every workout. So if you're squatting 95lbs on Monday, you should be trying 100 or 105 on Wednesday...

    Really? My understanding of progressive overload is that you should be trying to either increase weight or increase number of repetitions per set the next day you do a particular exercise. Trying to increase weight every workout sounds like it would pretty quickly get you to a weight you couldn't safely handle.

    But regarding knee pain, OP, how often are you doing a particular exercise per week? Your original post makes it sound like you already have limited variety in the lifts you're doing, and that makes me wonder if you aren't just repeating the same things multiple times a week and not giving yourself enough time to recover fully.

    You hit the nail on the head. I'm basically doing the same few movements again and again every day, 6 days per week. I use Fitness Blender videos from YouTube. I do lots of different videos but they all seem to be the same movements, just shuffled into different order lol. I think this is why my body and brain (and knees) are all going, "Something different please!". I admit I do lower body and abs 4 or more times per week and upper body only once or twice. Mainly because I have this idea in my head that I need to concentrate on my lower body because that's the area I want to perfect in terms of muscle tone. Probably a very ignorant and unsafe thing to do now that I think about it.

    Ooh, if you're into working lower body the program Strong Curves has a bodyweight only program. It was created by Bret Contreras who is literally the "Glute Guy"...seriously, his programming is amazing. You should check it out!
  • a45cal
    a45cal Posts: 85 Member
    Options
    shesthetype wrote: »

    You hit the nail on the head. I'm basically doing the same few movements again and again every day, 6 days per week. I use Fitness Blender videos from YouTube. I do lots of different videos but they all seem to be the same movements, just shuffled into different order lol. I think this is why my body and brain (and knees) are all going, "Something different please!". I admit I do lower body and abs 4 or more times per week and upper body only once or twice. Mainly because I have this idea in my head that I need to concentrate on my lower body because that's the area I want to perfect in terms of muscle tone. Probably a very ignorant and unsafe thing to do now that I think about it.

    Yeah, it sounds to me like you're over-training. Being new and doing six days a week of the same exercises over and over is going to wear you out. You might want to cut down to 3-4 days a week, taking a rest every other day or so and let the soreness go out of a muscle group before you work it again.

    Also, I think you probably would benefit from a more structured lifting program where you're getting a variety of exercises and not hitting the same things repeatedly. I agree that picking up a copy of the book Strong Curves would probably be a good fit for you, if your lower body is what you'd like to focus on the look of. And it'll give you a pretty good introduction to weight lifting terms and such in the process.
  • katetots
    katetots Posts: 35 Member
    Options
    Morning.
    I suffer with my back so do low impact workouts yoga, Pilates, swimming. I do use a 3lb Hulahoop though as Iv read it's more beneficial than sit ups that strain my back.

Categories