Weight Lifting...does it really help tone your body?

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MaggieFit622
MaggieFit622 Posts: 64
in Fitness and Exercise
I have noticed since I have begun my weight lifting/cardio program (4 week now, yay!) that there is some definition in my back...but will it help me with the one place everyone wants to lose: my belly! I have a BF percentage of, according to several different calculators on the internet, of 19. But, I want to decrease my waist a few inches. So, I was wondering what everyone recommends as far as a good weight lifting program. Right now, I use gym equipment and do alternating upper and lower body machines at my at home gym. I do 3 sets of 10 reps at about 15 lbs for all my upper body, and my lower body I do the same amount of reps and sets but with a 30lbs weight...

So, recs for good weight lifting books/sites for me to read. I like to know as much info as possible about what I am doing. Thanks :)
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Replies

  • lucylou9701
    lucylou9701 Posts: 194
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    bumping :)
  • cmoe25027
    cmoe25027 Posts: 26 Member
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    You should get tons of responses on this one, but here is my opinion. Focus on compound movements such as squat, deadlift, lunge, dumbbell rows, good mornings, bench press and military press- look them up on the Internet and make sure you use proper form! 3 sets of ten is fine but you want to use enough weight that you are really struggling and maybe unable to even finish the last reps of the last 2 sets. These exercises with heavy weights will crank up your metabolism and work all of your muscles, leading to lowering your body fat and smoothing out your belly. Hope this helps!

    Cheers,
    Collin

    Ps: new rules of lifting for women is a book that would really help you out if it's anything like the men's version
  • bprague
    bprague Posts: 564 Member
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    You should get tons of responses on this one, but here is my opinion. Focus on compound movements such as squat, deadlift, lunge, dumbbell rows, good mornings, bench press and military press- look them up on the Internet and make sure you use proper form! 3 sets of ten is fine but you want to use enough weight that you are really struggling and maybe unable to even finish the last reps of the last 2 sets. These exercises with heavy weights will crank up your metabolism and work all of your muscles, leading to lowering your body fat and smoothing out your belly. Hope this helps!

    Cheers,
    Collin

    This.
  • Rae6503
    Rae6503 Posts: 6,294 Member
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    Yes. And ditto the recommendation of using as high of weight as possible. You should also continuously increase your weights whenever possible.
  • trelm249
    trelm249 Posts: 777 Member
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    Most definitely.

    To be toned is to, by definition, have some significant muscle.

    A toned appearance is a somewhat muscular physique covered by a reasonable level of body fat. Think muscular person who isn't at a very low body fat percentage or otherwise known as "ripped".

    So eat smart, keep lifting heavy and keep doing cardio. You will get "tone" in time.
  • VinVenture
    VinVenture Posts: 290
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    My regular sources claim (of course, when you've lost most of your bf% to begin with) that HIIT (high intensety interval training) should do the trick. You'll want to google that if you haven't heard of it.
  • Lyadeia
    Lyadeia Posts: 4,603 Member
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    My regular sources claim (of course, when you've lost most of your bf% to begin with) that HIIT (high intensety interval training) should do the trick. You'll want to google that if you haven't heard of it.

    Just curious what your "regular sources" are? (I am not discussing the content of what you said, just curious about the sources, lol)
  • BeautyFromPain
    BeautyFromPain Posts: 4,952 Member
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    bump
  • VinVenture
    VinVenture Posts: 290
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    My regular sources claim (of course, when you've lost most of your bf% to begin with) that HIIT (high intensety interval training) should do the trick. You'll want to google that if you haven't heard of it.

    Just curious what your "regular sources" are? (I am not discussing the content of what you said, just curious about the sources, lol)

    fitocracy, reddit - (loseit, gainit, fitness), and bodybuilding.com "for women" section.
  • engineman312
    engineman312 Posts: 3,450 Member
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    have you heard about staci? staci is awesome.

    http://nerdfitness.com/blog/2011/07/21/meet-staci-your-new-powerlifting-super-hero/
  • laddyboy
    laddyboy Posts: 1,565 Member
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    You're diet is the most important factor here. The saying goes like this...you already have 6 pack abs, there is just a protective coating over them. So to see the toned muscle you have to have the diet to reduce the fat. Diet and Exercise work together in getting to your goal. 70-80% of your results is diet and the rest is the workout. A good mix of Weights and HIIT Cardio works best. Never more than and hour at a time on the weights and Never more than 30 Minutes on the Cardio.
  • Goal_Seeker_1988
    Goal_Seeker_1988 Posts: 1,619 Member
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    bump
  • MaggieFit622
    MaggieFit622 Posts: 64
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    So, another question is: will weight lifting help me lose BF? I know cardio has been helping--I have seen some visible results in my tummy area and my thighs.
  • Rae6503
    Rae6503 Posts: 6,294 Member
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    So, another question is: will weight lifting help me lose BF? I know cardio has been helping--I have seen some visible results in my tummy area and my thighs.

    It can. This depends more on your diet. I'd recommend the New Rules of Weight Lifting for Women book. It's a weight lifting program for fat loss.
  • Cathleenr
    Cathleenr Posts: 332
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    yup. NROLW is probably one of the best strength and nutrition programs for beginners. excellent foundation, you don;t need a gym necessarily and the author is well-respected in the bb community. i got to stage 3 before i fell in love with the sport and got my own trainers. and lost about 60 pounds :)
  • Lyadeia
    Lyadeia Posts: 4,603 Member
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    So, another question is: will weight lifting help me lose BF? I know cardio has been helping--I have seen some visible results in my tummy area and my thighs.

    I became skinny fat by doing nothing but cardio, itty bitty Barbie weights for a ton of reps, and calorie deficit. Since adding heavy lifting to my regimen 3-4 times per week, I am losing body fat consistently each week. I am now wearing a size jeans that I used to wear when I was lighter (skinny fat) because after adding lifting, I get smaller even though the scale hasn't moved as much.
  • MaggieFit622
    MaggieFit622 Posts: 64
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    So, another question is: will weight lifting help me lose BF? I know cardio has been helping--I have seen some visible results in my tummy area and my thighs.

    It can. This depends more on your diet. I'd recommend the New Rules of Weight Lifting for Women book. It's a weight lifting program for fat loss.

    I have bought to book and I am soo excited to give it a try! Has anyone every finished the program and seen good belly flab results?
  • rachmaree
    rachmaree Posts: 782 Member
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    some good advice in this thread :)
  • d2footballJRC
    d2footballJRC Posts: 2,684 Member
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    You can't spotlight certain areas, just keep lifting and working out and your BF will keep dropping.

    Couple big things..

    Lifting, Hydrating (H20), and Fueling (Protein)
  • MinnesotaManimal
    MinnesotaManimal Posts: 642 Member
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    So, another question is: will weight lifting help me lose BF? I know cardio has been helping--I have seen some visible results in my tummy area and my thighs.

    What did your Boy Friend do that you want to lose him? yeah I suppose cardio would help some, but if you do strength training you could just beat him up and then use your cardio skills to run away.....

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