workout routine?

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Samantha402
Samantha402 Posts: 16
in Fitness and Exercise
I work out 5-7 days per week. I'm trying to find a good routine that will not bulk me up but tone me. I usually do my own routine of leg press, ab bike crunches, leg lifts, triceps and biceps then do 1 mile of running before and after my lifting. I want something that is gona be a little more of a challenge for me, but I'm afraid I do not know a whole lot about exercising or weight lifting! A friend of mine uses Jefit.com for his routine but it's hard to tell which routines are good or not! Any site suggestions for me?! Thanks!

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  • Egger29
    Egger29 Posts: 14,741 Member
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    Unless you're taking male hormone replacements you won't "bulk up" no matter what you do.

    The best answer I can think of is to go to your local bookstore and pick up a copy of "the New Rules of Lifting for Women". It'll answer almost any question you might have and includes a detailed plan thaty covers an entire year's worth of training.

    If you're looking for a more specific answer (since each individual is different), that's something best answered one on one with a local trainer rather than in a forum since almost everyone will give you different responses.
  • mrivera713
    mrivera713 Posts: 232 Member
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    I'm with you! I'd like to know the answer to this too. I'm walking 3 miles a day/12000 steps for the most part, lifting some weights, doing the stationary bike and just started doing push-ups yesterday. I plan to add running to my routine today. I only want to be toned, when I lose all this weight, and not flabby. I just started and have a long way to go. Sorry, I didn't answer your question... I am interested in your topic though... :happy:
  • joejccva71
    joejccva71 Posts: 2,985 Member
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    I work out 5-7 days per week. I'm trying to find a good routine that will not bulk me up but tone me. I usually do my own routine of leg press, ab bike crunches, leg lifts, triceps and biceps then do 1 mile of running before and after my lifting. I want something that is gona be a little more of a challenge for me, but I'm afraid I do not know a whole lot about exercising or weight lifting! A friend of mine uses Jefit.com for his routine but it's hard to tell which routines are good or not! Any site suggestions for me?! Thanks!

    Sam as long as you aren't eating a calorie surplus in your diet you won't bulk up, and even then you won't bulk like a man will. You can do a number of different routines for gaining strength and toning. There is a great 5x5 training regime that is good for starters and even intermediate users. You can also do a upper body/lower body split routine which is something like this:

    Monday - Upper Body (chest, back, shoulders, bi's tri's) - 7 to 10 min cardio warmp.
    Tuesday - Lower Body (legs, lower back, abs) - 7 to 10 min cardio warmup.
    Wednesday - 30 min cardio HIIT (eliptical, treadmill running, etc)
    Thursday - Upper Body again
    Friday - Lower Body again
    Saturday - 30 min cardio HIIT
    Sunday - Off
  • stephintolife
    stephintolife Posts: 5
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    It's very hard to bulk up as a woman. It would take eating a lot more calories (protein) and intense lifting sessions of many hours.

    Check with your gym and maybe they have a special with personal training so a trainer can set you up some workouts.

    30 Day Shred is also a good way to tone.
  • tlrunyon
    tlrunyon Posts: 127
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    There is a post about women and bulking up maybe that will give you some advice.

    I'd say...if you keep your weights light and not go heavy you will tone and not bulk. Depending on your body type, it may be hard to actually bulk up. I'm short and staulky and see definition, no bulk, and I lift fairly heavy, however everybody is so different.

    I did P90X and Tony Horton always said, if you want definition and lean go light and add reps. If you're looking for "guns" go heavier. (or something close to that :)
  • pennylove76
    pennylove76 Posts: 14 Member
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    I hope you find a good answer because I need info on that subject also. Although, I will say I have also been told that unless you are taking something it is highly unlikely that you will bulk up. Especially is you combine a good diet with cardio & weights.
  • joejccva71
    joejccva71 Posts: 2,985 Member
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    There is a post about women and bulking up maybe that will give you some advice.

    I'd say...if you keep your weights light and not go heavy you will tone and not bulk. Depending on your body type, it may be hard to actually bulk up. I'm short and staulky and see definition, no bulk, and I lift fairly heavy, however everybody is so different.

    I did P90X and Tony Horton always said, if you want definition and lean go light and add reps. If you're looking for "guns" go heavier. (or something close to that :)

    Sorry but this is not true. It doesn't matter if she lifts heavy. If she isn't eating at a surplus then she won't bulk/gain weight.
  • tlrunyon
    tlrunyon Posts: 127
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    I work out 5-7 days per week. I'm trying to find a good routine that will not bulk me up but tone me. I usually do my own routine of leg press, ab bike crunches, leg lifts, triceps and biceps then do 1 mile of running before and after my lifting. I want something that is gona be a little more of a challenge for me, but I'm afraid I do not know a whole lot about exercising or weight lifting! A friend of mine uses Jefit.com for his routine but it's hard to tell which routines are good or not! Any site suggestions for me?! Thanks!

    Sam as long as you aren't eating a calorie surplus in your diet you won't bulk up, and even then you won't bulk like a man will. You can do a number of different routines for gaining strength and toning. There is a great 5x5 training regime that is good for starters and even intermediate users. You can also do a upper body/lower body split routine which is something like this:

    Monday - Upper Body (chest, back, shoulders, bi's tri's) - 7 to 10 min cardio warmp.
    Tuesday - Lower Body (legs, lower back, abs) - 7 to 10 min cardio warmup.
    Wednesday - 30 min cardio HIIT (eliptical, treadmill running, etc)
    Thursday - Upper Body again
    Friday - Lower Body again
    Saturday - 30 min cardio HIIT
    Sunday - Off
    My workouts are very, very close to this and I don't bulk. For upper body I will sometimes go as heavy as 20lbs free weights for back, chest and bi's. Tri's and shoulders as heavy as 12's. The barbell is a different story for chest presses and over the head presses but I never see "bulk" just definition.
  • meggers123
    meggers123 Posts: 711 Member
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    Unless you're taking male hormone replacements you won't "bulk up" no matter what you do.

    Pretty much this. You would have to try reeeeeaaalllllly hard to bulk up. It's not going to happen accidentally. I love www.bodyrock.tv. The chick has a great body, so whatever she's doing must work (don't mind the cleavage shots... and skimpy as heck outfits... granted, if I looked like that I'd want to show it off 27-7)
  • nob86
    nob86 Posts: 8 Member
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    I would recommend doing a full body routine each workout rather than splitting into body parts.

    Working the entire body will give you the greatest calorie expenditure and 'afterburn', as well as favourable hormonal response.

    Do a full body weight lifting routine 3-4 times a week, on non-consecutive days, and do your cardio on separate days. Scale to suit how many days you intend to exercise.

    Lastly, if you are not doing squats currently I highly recommend you do. As others have said, a local personal trainer can give you a more detailed program, as well as ensure correct form (particularly on the squats).
  • Samantha402
    Samantha402 Posts: 16
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    I would recommend doing a full body routine each workout rather than splitting into body parts.

    Working the entire body will give you the greatest calorie expenditure and 'afterburn', as well as favourable hormonal response.

    Do a full body weight lifting routine 3-4 times a week, on non-consecutive days, and do your cardio on separate days. Scale to suit how many days you intend to exercise.

    Lastly, if you are not doing squats currently I highly recommend you do. As others have said, a local personal trainer can give you a more detailed program, as well as ensure correct form (particularly on the squats).

    everytime i work out I do all my exercises so i feel like i am working my entire body, which is what i like to do. although i don't know if that is the best thing for lifting. I am a really petite person and so that is why i said i dont want to bulk up. I am also very new to all this so I didn't know that it may be really hard for me to be bulky lol
  • Bulletproof_Helen
    Bulletproof_Helen Posts: 209 Member
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    I always start with a 15 min cross trainer warm up followed by:

    Day 1 20 min. top half weight machines, 20 min. core exercises then 45 min. interval on the bike (3 min. reg. 1 min. speed)

    Day 2: 20 min. bottom half on weight machines and squats, lunges, 20 min. core exercises then 45 min. 45 min. interval on bike.

    swap back to 1 then 2 but I always have 1 rest day but always manage to do something less strenuous like walking or swimming.
  • Scott613
    Scott613 Posts: 2,317 Member
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    Try circuit training, interval training, plyometrics, tabata training, and yoga. You won't bulk up and will get a nice lean look.
  • joejccva71
    joejccva71 Posts: 2,985 Member
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    Full body routine 3 days a week is good too. You can really get a great burn when you do this at a decent pace. Try not to spend more than 1 hour 15 minutes training.

    Here are some exercises that I recommend:

    Chest: Flat and Incline bench press (barbell or dumbell)
    Back: Bent over Rows or T-Bar Rows (Middle back) and Chin ups or Lat Pulldowns (Lats)
    Shoulders: Military Press (Outer and Inner Delts), Reverse Delt Machine (rear delts)
    Bi's: Barbell Curl, Dumbell Curl, Hammer Curl
    Tri's: Dumbell Overhead Extensions, Tricep Pushdowns, and Dips.

    Legs: Leg Press, Squats, Lunges, Leg Curls (hamstrings), Leg Extensions (quads), Calf Raises

    Lower Back: Hyperextensions
    Abs: Machine crunches, leg raises, Decline crunches
  • ShannonMpls
    ShannonMpls Posts: 1,936 Member
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    I would recommend doing a full body routine each workout rather than splitting into body parts.

    Working the entire body will give you the greatest calorie expenditure and 'afterburn', as well as favourable hormonal response.

    Do a full body weight lifting routine 3-4 times a week, on non-consecutive days, and do your cardio on separate days. Scale to suit how many days you intend to exercise.

    Lastly, if you are not doing squats currently I highly recommend you do. As others have said, a local personal trainer can give you a more detailed program, as well as ensure correct form (particularly on the squats).

    Exactly what I do. I get a new full body 55-60 minute routine from my trainer every two weeks. I do that three times a week. Cardio three times a week for 45-60 minutes. One day off.

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