Is weight lifting / free weights the only way?

Options
2»

Replies

  • meritage4
    meritage4 Posts: 1,441 Member
    Options
    Biking will tone legs and butt.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 32,506 Member
    Options
    Rowing will build muscle, if you do enough of it, but it's a much slower route to the goal, plus progressivity quickly becomes very technical, and eventually probably impossible except via increased volume.

    Rowing is also not balanced - lower body push, upper body pull. (Decent core work bidirectionally in one plane of motion, though, for machine or sculling, with a second plane if you sweep . . . but most people who sweep only sweep on one side, which is also unbalanced). That lack of balance can be an injury risk. In practice, shoulder injuries seem to be the most common rower injury potentially related to unbalanced development. (Other injuries happen, like ribs, but probably for other reasons.)

    While obese, I started rowing a lot, and developed enough muscle to lose perhaps a couple of pants sizes via recomposition (lose fat, gain muscle) . . . took around a decade for the whole process, though, and - since I was still obese (fat!) - none of it showed until I lost weight. "Toned" - if I'm correctly interpreting what y'all mean by it - hides under a fat layer.
  • AllOutof_Bubblegum
    AllOutof_Bubblegum Posts: 3,646 Member
    Options
    RunRun72 wrote: »
    Hi
    So I have no problem with cardio. In fact , I do 1 hours in the morning and another hour in the evening. However , I cant stand lifting weights or even free weights. I cant even do it for 3 mins. However , I would really like to tone my legs , stomach and butt. Now , I know that cardio wont do that , but is there any other ways besides lifting?
    Thanks guys !

    Can't or won't? There are a lot of things in life I'd rather not do, but I do them anyway because it's the best (sometimes only) way to get where I want to be.

    You can build up from two minutes to fifteen or twenty in a few months. You don't HAVE to lift weights, but cardio will not result in the "toned" (not a thing, btw) look you're talking about.

  • angmarie28
    angmarie28 Posts: 2,801 Member
    Options
    when I started strength training, I started with P90X, its a good mix of strength/cardio, and thats where I learned to enjoy strength training and lifting
  • carrieonline
    carrieonline Posts: 8 Member
    Options
    Why not try Pilates, yoga or barre?
  • RunRun72
    RunRun72 Posts: 19 Member
    Options
    stanmann571 wrote: »
    What aspect of strength training don't you like, and what lifts/programs/progressions have you tried?

    I guess I find it kinda boring. I ve downloaded several apps and tried several home workouts like You are your own gym
  • RunRun72
    RunRun72 Posts: 19 Member
    Options
    meritage4 wrote: »
    Biking will tone legs and butt.

    Ah , I was thinking of gettin a stationary bike
  • RunRun72
    RunRun72 Posts: 19 Member
    Options
    candylilacs wrote: »
    Treadmill will tone legs and butt. You need to elevate at 4.0-6.0 and 4 mph.

    Seriously ? Thats awesome !
  • RunRun72
    RunRun72 Posts: 19 Member
    Options
    sijomial wrote: »
    RunRun72 wrote: »
    Thanks for your help guys ! I have some friends who just Run or Dance and they have amazing bodies ! They dont strength train or anything

    That's quite a contradiction to your OP when you said "cardio won't do that".

    The word "toned" is open to quite a lot of interpretation but have you never seen a "toned" swimmer, rower, cyclist, gymnast, even tennis player?

    Don't confuse not the fastest or not optimal with impossible.

    To me a lot of the toned look comes down to low body fat to reveal your muscles rather than hooooge muscles.

    I guess I just thought that they were lucky and just have good genetics
  • RunRun72
    RunRun72 Posts: 19 Member
    Options
    carrieonline wrote: »
    Why not try Pilates, yoga or barre?

    Those I like ! Not sure if they work tho as I find them way easier than lifting
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
    Options
    RunRun72 wrote: »
    sijomial wrote: »
    RunRun72 wrote: »
    Thanks for your help guys ! I have some friends who just Run or Dance and they have amazing bodies ! They dont strength train or anything

    That's quite a contradiction to your OP when you said "cardio won't do that".

    The word "toned" is open to quite a lot of interpretation but have you never seen a "toned" swimmer, rower, cyclist, gymnast, even tennis player?

    Don't confuse not the fastest or not optimal with impossible.

    To me a lot of the toned look comes down to low body fat to reveal your muscles rather than hooooge muscles.

    I guess I just thought that they were lucky and just have good genetics

    You don't think it's because they exercise a lot and are lean?
  • Biggster69
    Biggster69 Posts: 84 Member
    edited March 2018
    Options
    For me only heavy weightlifting (machines, dumbbells etc.) shaped and toned my body.
  • Lean59man
    Lean59man Posts: 714 Member
    Options
    Resistance training is the best way to effect changes in your body from a visual standpoint.

    What you use as resistance can vary.

  • Silentpadna
    Silentpadna Posts: 1,306 Member
    edited March 2018
    Options
    Lean59man wrote: »
    Resistance training is the best way to effect changes in your body from a visual standpoint.

    What you use as resistance can vary.

    This. But I would add that it really truly depends what you actually want to accomplish.

    If you are looking to tone what you have, then fat loss and muscle retention (resistance training, but not necessarily heavy or intense) would take precedence.

    If you are looking to change your shape, then muscle building is more important.

    If you want the muscle building, it's pretty much impossible without something that is progressive overload based.

    So the answer to the OP's question is really: "it depends".

Categories