fat in to muscle?

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  • jennaworksout
    jennaworksout Posts: 1,739 Member
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    Cardio and lights weights with more reps for sure. I found dips are the best for toning the waving arm :tongue:
  • ZoeLifts
    ZoeLifts Posts: 10,347 Member
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    Do both...you do need the cardio to burn off the fat laying over the muscle, but muscle burns more calories than fat (and keeps burning post-workout). Light to medium weight, but higher reps. You won't bulk up :)

    You don't necessarily NEED cardio to burn off the fat. It helps move it along faster, but not necessary, but a good calorie deficit and strength training will skim off the fat covering your muscles AND boost your metabolism so you can be more efficient at burning fat. And, no, you don't have to stick to light to medium weights with higher reps, go heavy weights with less reps. Some women think picking up a 5 lb barbie bell will make them get too muscley, yet their purses weight 12 lbs. Go figure!
  • LaurnWhit
    LaurnWhit Posts: 261 Member
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    bump
  • krisiepoo
    krisiepoo Posts: 710 Member
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    Hello all,

    I need some help, so I want my arms to get toned, not bulky....My husband says I need to do cardio to burn off the fat and then start doing light weight lifting to tone, but he say's if I start weight lifting now that the fat will turn into muscle and I could look bulky.

    People at work say to start weight lifting now, less weight/more repetitions...?

    My arms do jiggle, and I just want them to get toned, not bulky...so I'm not really sure what the proper way is.

    THANKS for your help! :)

    You won't get bulky... you'd have to train much more than a typically person on MFP to get 'bulky' -- it's an old wives tale

    If you combine cardio and weights you should see results.
  • Josie_lifting_cats
    Josie_lifting_cats Posts: 949 Member
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    Oy, the misconceptions around women lifting...it kills me!! First of all, women don't have enough testosterone to get "bulky". Second of all, fat doesn't turn into muscle. You gain "tone" by breaking down the muscle fibers, and rebuilding them. As you burn and shed fat, you can see your muscles better.

    Lift heavy, low reps. Check out the book New Rules of Lifting for Women...it has some great info for people just starting out.

    I think what her husband is trying to say is that if she builds muscle underneath the fat, she will look bulky. And yes, it might happen for a brief period, but you're still going to reduce body fat as long as you eat well and do some working out. Anything you experience with "bulking" will only be temporary.

    I wouldn't worry about it too much. When I do Jillian 30 Day Shred or Ripped in 30, I don't lose a pound. I'm sure some areas of me look bulky (in fact, per measurements my biceps did increase in size), but some areas trimmed up really nice (my waist... yowzas!). I am not interested in hardcore lifting at this point in my life, but I have seen some great results from it on others. :-)
  • JDMPWR
    JDMPWR Posts: 1,863 Member
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    Hello all,

    I need some help, so I want my arms to get toned, not bulky....My husband says I need to do cardio to burn off the fat and then start doing light weight lifting to tone, but he say's if I start weight lifting now that the fat will turn into muscle and I could look bulky.

    People at work say to start weight lifting now, less weight/more repetitions...?

    My arms do jiggle, and I just want them to get toned, not bulky...so I'm not really sure what the proper way is.

    THANKS for your help! :)

    This is so wrong. First and foremost fat doesn't turn into anything. Secondly. cardio will help lose some of the fat but then you may be left with a saggy arm so the best way to replace the underlying fat that once was is to build some muscle. Now before you freak out thinking you are going to look all buff and stuff you will see that women do not produce enough testosterone to get all HUGE and muscular like men can. Lastly lifting "light" will not help you tone. You wanna get muscle definition, you lift and you lift HEAVY and hard.
  • BeachBobbie
    BeachBobbie Posts: 46
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    You will not burn fat without muscle. You are not going to get bulky unless you eat a bunch of garbage foods and lift weights. Women do not BULK. We tone.
    Cardio a few days a week with strength training a few days a week. Use weights or bands or balls....pick a routine but mix it up often for faster results.
    Men are always afraid that we will "bulk" up like a man. We can't without steroids. No worries. Lift away! Don't worry about reps either. It should be hard to do ten, but you should lift for 30 seconds then move on to another muscle, lift for 30, then switch again. Work on your entire body. Two muscle groups a day....ie..legs and back, shoulders and arms, chest and back...ect.

    hope that helps :)
  • Sixalicious
    Sixalicious Posts: 283 Member
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    Light to medium weight, but higher reps. You won't bulk up :)
    You won't bulk up on heavy weights either and will be twice as strong. Cracks me up when females say "I have no upper body strength". It's because training with light weights with higher reps doesn't build strength.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

    This made me chuckle. I had no upper body strength because I was just lazy. :happy: Now, I lift heavy and feel myself getting stronger and guess what?!?! I'm not bulky!!!!:drinker:
  • gsager
    gsager Posts: 977 Member
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    Hello all,

    I need some help, so I want my arms to get toned, not bulky....My husband says I need to do cardio to burn off the fat and then start doing light weight lifting to tone, but he say's if I start weight lifting now that the fat will turn into muscle and I could look bulky.

    People at work say to start weight lifting now, less weight/more repetitions...?

    My arms do jiggle, and I just want them to get toned, not bulky...so I'm not really sure what the proper way is.

    THANKS for your help! :)
    You can't turn fat to muscle, you can build muscle to burn more fat. Do cardio and lift heavy.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,695 Member
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    Cardio and lights weights with more reps for sure. I found dips are the best for toning the waving arm :tongue:
    Heavier weights/low reps for strength and condition. And actually lying tricep extensions would do a better job of "firming" up the waving arm since it targets the long head of triceps brachaii more than dips which hit the lateral head more.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • 12by311
    12by311 Posts: 1,716 Member
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    I do Tricep Extensions EVERY day regardless of whether I exercise or not and I only use a 5 pound weight, 3 sets of 10!

    Easy stuff and it seems to be working!
    A toddler weighs more than 5lbs. If this really worked, then mothers you consistently lift up that child should have great looking arms. Unfortunately that's not the case with many mothers here.

    Great point. I didn't get any benefit from lifting my son. I WISH, but that just wasn't the case.
  • 12by311
    12by311 Posts: 1,716 Member
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    Let's also just talk about the high rep time factor. Someone in another thread suggested doing 200 body weight squats. I would much rather do high weigh/low rep and be done. My son can only play on the plyo boxes so long before he gets bored.
  • Stace5
    Stace5 Posts: 70 Member
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    I've recently started lifting heavy and wish i did it sooner!

    I weight train every other day, with weights as heavy as i can manage for 3 sets of 8-10 reps on each exercise. On days that i don't weight train i do an hour of cardio, and take a rest day whenever i feel the need.

    Previous to MFP i spent years doing various routines with high reps/ low weights given to me by a gym ''instructor'' and never saw any real results, it's been less than a month since i started with this and already i am loving the results! I have gained a few lbs back since starting this new routine but I look longer and leaner than i ever have before, most definitely not bulky at all!!
  • secretlobster
    secretlobster Posts: 3,566 Member
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    Fat doesn't become muscle. It doesn't work that way. When you lose fat, it is converted into energy. When you gain muscle, you are turning energy (calories) into mass. You can do both at the same time - it's a delicate balance - But to use the phrase "turn fat into muscle" is to completely misunderstand how anything works
  • thelovelyLIZ
    thelovelyLIZ Posts: 1,227 Member
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    First of all, women generally will not get bulky, as we lack the proper amounts of testosterone to do so. So unless you start taking steroids and become a professional body builder, you will not bulk up.

    Lift heavy, low reps. High reps with low weight don't really do much in my experience. Plus you'll get a much more time efficient doing 3 steps of 10 reps than 3 sets of 50 reps.

    It's also worth mentioning that you might need to experiment with where your caloric intake is. I noticed much more progress in my lifting and muscle tone when I started eating more. I was able to put on some muscle at a deficit, but it's harder, so that's something to consider.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,695 Member
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    Let's also just talk about the high rep time factor. Someone in another thread suggested doing 200 body weight squats. I would much rather do high weigh/low rep and be done. My son can only play on the plyo boxes so long before he gets bored.
    Not to mention that if high reps actually worked so well then people who work in factories doing the same lifting repetition, with the same weight for 8 hours a day, should NEVER be out of shape and be super "toned". Again, unfortunately that's not the case.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • kirstyg1980
    kirstyg1980 Posts: 302
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    i would do cardio and weight train, light weight a lot of reps

    Absolutely! Light weights with multiple reps will tone, heavy weights will build muscle.

    not true you can't build muscle in a calorie deficit and also WOMAN CAN'T GET BULKY!!!!!
  • Angie_1MR
    Angie_1MR Posts: 247
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    he say's if I start weight lifting now that the fat will turn into muscle and I could look bulky.

    hmmm...perhaps I could get a little more information about how this would work? Turning fat into muscle is an entirely new concept to me!
  • _Wits_
    _Wits_ Posts: 1,286 Member
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    I didn't read the threads.

    No. Fat does not turn into muscle. I can not turn a cat into a horse, can I?

    Do cardio AND lift...that way while you burn off some fat, you will be building lean muscle tissue and look "leaner". You will not "get bulky". Genetics also plays some role here...you can't change those either.

    Good luck!
  • kirstyg1980
    kirstyg1980 Posts: 302
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    he say's if I start weight lifting now that the fat will turn into muscle and I could look bulky.

    hmmm...perhaps I could get a little more information about how this would work? Turning fat into muscle is an entirely new concept to me!

    Also this^^^^

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