Tips for getting toned (beginner) photo attached

What people usually mean by getting toned is losing body fat. So are you referring to lowering your body fat percentage so things like abs and muscles show better or are you looking to gain muscle?

gypsyrose12 wrote: »

Hi there, as I mentioned in a previous post, I have a broken shoulder at the moment but recovery is going well and it should be 3 more weeks before I can use this arm again (it’s a dead fish lol)




My question is, I have never had a ‘toned’ body and I’m really determined once I get better to work on this plan.

Can anyone please give me tips to tone my arms, legs and stomach? I am good with small hand weights but I’d love to know what exercises and changes I can make to begin this journey.

Thank you so much

There's 2 components.

1. Weight(Fat) loss-Diet
2. Exercise-If you want to have visible "toning" you've got to have something to see. That's not going to happen with weights that are smaller than a can of soup or jug of milk or bottle of soda. You'll need to use appropriately heavy weights. That doesn't mean lifting "heavy" but it does mean using weights that are heavy enough to induce adaptive change.

gypsyrose12 wrote: »

I’m currently 53kgs, how much weight loss is required?

I’m already on a diet but I like to say it’s a healthier lifestyle and I’m feeling great, I also cut out alcohol and it’s doing wonders for my health.

Based on your picture, the problem is primarily lack of muscle, not overfat(although that's definitely visible fat-the issue is you just don't yet have any muscle to display so losing more weight will mean you weigh less and look the same-Until you get to looking anorexic)

So, look into a good strength program with appropriate weights to build muscle and strength and listen to sardelsa. She knows. so does quiksylver.

10-15 Kilos might be "heavy" weight for you right now. but it won't be for long. Once you start working regularly with weights in the 1/2-3/4 BW range for the basic lifts, That's when you're really beginning.

gypsyrose12 wrote: »

I’m 5’4 and 53 kgs. I’m more comfortable at 50kgs so I’m working on that but unfortunately the weightlifting is off limits at the moment while I recover.

I hope I don’t look too flabby, I probably have a bit of saggy skin from previous weight loss too.

Nope, you just look like an average female.

The thing is, and I'm stepping lightly as I'm not female.

Many women want a body like Cindy Crawford or Jane Fonda. Getting that look requires a certain degree of genetic luck, and a photographer with a airbrush suite.

OTOH, developing a look like our two illustrious posters above just takes hard work. Genetics will determine minor details, but the overall impression is just the result of hard work(years of hard work with heavy weight-and diet). It's achievable and attainable.

deputy_randolph wrote: »

I think in your case, "tone" means that you need to build muscle. You appear very small and not "saggy" in your picture. You are under-developed. Even if you lost more weight, you aren't going to get "toned" muscles if there is little muscle mass under the (limited amount of) fat.

You build muscle through lifting. If your shoulder is a limiting factor right now, you could do bodyweight lower body exercises.

This is spot-on. Losing much more weight isn't going to help if you don't have the underlying muscle mass; you'll end up looking frail.

If you haven't really lifted before, you have a fantastic opportunity to recomp. If it were me, I'd focus on lifting and eating enough to maintain my weight for 4-6 months, and then see how things looked. Later on, you may need to lose a little more fat, but I wouldn't worry about that now. As soon as you have the go-ahead from your doctor, I'd focus on eating at maintenance and lifting. You'll probably really enjoy it, and I'd bet money you'll see some phenomenal changes in your body composition.