Is it really necessary to lift weights in order to tone up?

Jogging and Running will definitely benefit your cardiovascular areas and aid in burning fat, but you will want to do some "weight training" type exercises. Toss in push ups, jumping jacks, etc and you will certainly see your muscles "tone." This will also help increase your metabolism as larger muscles burn more calories.

If you want something simple but effective (and also a favorite of this forum) Pick up Julian's (from biggest loser) 30 day shred. I am currently 12 days into it and it is difficult but effective. All you really have to buy weight wise are hand weights. I use 5 lb weights but had to start with 3lb. I already purchased 7 lb for the next bump up.

In my own experience, cardio was certainly helpful, but it only got me so far. I had been running for about a year, and was finishing up my marathon training at the end of last summer. I had been stuck at the picture on the left (see profile photo) for MONTHS - about 6 months to be exact. I was so frustrated.

Then I started lifting weights. Heavy weights at low reps. Look at my photo - they show me the day I started lifting in August, then in September, November and December. It made a major difference when it came to the end of my weight loss/fitness journey

You just have to decide what your goals are/what you want, and balance it with a lifestyle you can life with Best!

By reducing your percentage of body fat you will look more tone. Beyond that, yes you will need to add strength training to enhance it even more.
To all those women who think they will "bulk up" should go to the gym and find the women just KICKING BUTT in classes and lifting weights to boot! They are not bulky. Such a myth.

I used to hate weight training as well. Add a little here and there and next thing you know, you crave it! I kid you not, its like an addiction!!!! (But a healhty one). Start off slow, no need to run to the gym. I like Jillian Michaels 30 day shred.......it combines cardio with light weights, but man will you get a good workout, all that and you dont even have to leave your house. put in 25 minutes and you're done!!!!!

Good luck!
Wendy

Someone touched upon it in their post, but it is important to remember that women start to lose muscle mass as we age, which effects our metabolism and our weight. If you don't really work to add the muscle, we lose it and pack on the pounds. Also, weight-bearing exercise helps us keep up our bone density, so we don't end up hunched over with osteoporosis.

I had been focusing really just on cardio, and I do love a good sweat! But I realized that I was stalling out with just that. I started "New Rules of Lifting for Women" a few months ago and have been seeing great results thus far. I can't wait to go from stage to stage to see how much stronger (and leaner) I'll get. I'll never give up Zumba, but I'm really loving the free weights now!

"This can also happens as we age, as the muscle we built by running, jumping, and playing in our childhood and teens atrophies due to under-use with a more sedentary life, so people in their early twenties are seen as having “high metabolisms”, supposedly not having to work to maintain lean body shapes. This “high metabolism” is because the muscle they built in their teen years is burning excess calories and fat, and with the low body fat levels, you can see their “toned” muscle underneath. However, as they take day jobs and do not stimulate their bodies, their muscles atrophy, burning less calories and thereby lowering their “high metabolism” and leading to increased body fat as they age. Usually, people try to do “more cardio” to regain their lean, toned bodies that they had when they were younger. However, since they do nothing to build new muscle or maintain their current muscle, they slowly transition to a thin, but “skinny fat”, look as they age."

and

"Some people keep saying to be leaner they just need more cardio and less strength. Well, yes, if you just do “more cardio”, you will lose more fat, but you would also lose muscle because without anaerobic and strength training, your body burns muscle as well as fat. So, instead of looking more like a Victoria Secret model, you start to look more like a runway model. Then, once you stop doing “more cardio” you will gain fat even faster now that you don’t have the muscle to burn the extra calories, resulting in the “skinny fat” look. You can see this in ex-athletes that have tried to “get leaner” by doing “more cardio” only to result in having more fat with less muscle."

http://www.crossfitsouthbay.com/2011/05/skinny-fat/

In my own experience, cardio was certainly helpful, but it only got me so far. I had been running for about a year, and was finishing up my marathon training at the end of last summer. I had been stuck at the picture on the left (see profile photo) for MONTHS - about 6 months to be exact. I was so frustrated.

Then I started lifting weights. Heavy weights at low reps. Look at my photo - they show me the day I started lifting in August, then in September, November and December. It made a major difference when it came to the end of my weight loss/fitness journey

You just have to decide what your goals are/what you want, and balance it with a lifestyle you can life with Best!

This is a great example! I actually think the second pic from the left looks the best. Not knocking your progress, definite kudos to you for reaching your goal. Just saying that different people like different looks.

I've always hated exercise, but have always hated my body so my answer to this was losing weight by calorie restriction only. I realised this would never give me a body I'd be happy with so I recently started jogging (thirty-forty five minutes per day) and I actually love it. I don't dread doing it anymore, like I used to when I set myself an exercise goal. But, hearing that my efforts are wasted unless I'm doing weight training everywhere is a bit depressing. I haven't been doing it long enough to see for myself any results, or non-results so I'd like to know about people's experiences with jogging/running, and if it helped you any.

Thanks!

I don't think your efforts are wasted, but I am definitely someone who has come around when it comes to weights. I used to do a lot of cardio, between cycling (or spin class), boxerfit, jogging (treadmill) and whatever other classes struck my fancy. I paid little attention to weight training. Then I got a trainer and he has done a lot with me. Other then the physical changes in how I look, my endurance and strength have improved a lot. So now I can work out even harder and better in all of those classes that I enjoy going to.

I just feel fit and strong. I love it.

not only to tone, but women especially need weight-bearing exercise to prevent bone loss, osteoporosis and other health complications.

not only to tone, but women especially need weight-bearing exercise to prevent bone loss, osteoporosis and other health complications.

Running is a weight bearing exercise. Most cardio is.

yes it is, to an extent, but you reach a point where you start to get diminishing returns. So depending on your goals, you may find no matter how much you run, you cannot "get there"

Eventually your muscles are able to handle the running "weight bearing" stress you give them. At that point "they" will no longer improve. And if you are at a level you are happy at - thats terrific.

In the case of bones, they actually start to remineralize, when women do heavier load (lower rep) weight lifting for long periods of time. So they get denser, stronger, healthier. Broken hips, and fractures are a big risk as we age, and often can be deadly, because of complications, and inability to heal, related to age.

I read about one lady, who improved her bone health to the level of a 20 year old, even though she was in her 40's. Not sure how running correlates to lifting in that aspect, since you may be talking about bone health only.
But strength/resistance training, with weights, or bands, has many other benefits vs cardio only.

Generally people find, they want to keep improving in some viable aspect, tighten other areas, lessen jiggle, shave off an inch here or there etc. - and that's where the amount of effort you put into cardio only - for the results you get, are less and less of a payoff.

This is the same reason lifting light weight with many reps only works for a short while, in the short term. Yes you will feel some "toning" and tightening, at first. You will see a benefit. At first.

But, eventually your muscles are no longer challenged, and you will tighten no more past that point. You have reached a place where you are getting stagnant.

That in it self would be okay, if you liked where you are, and if the body 'stayed" there. But it does not. Muscle ether grow or shrink. The body does not keep tissues is deems unneeded. Muscle takes extra nutrients and calories to keep. Fat takes very little to keep.

As you age, muscle loss does increase for all sexes, and if you are not actively doing something to prevent that ( stressing muscles beyond where they are now, adding new challenges, using what you have, in a way that makes it needed, to force the body to maintain, and improve them) then even with running, you will start to look less fit.

Running also only works some body areas, there are many muscles that are worked very little, they will get flabbier as time progresses.