Toning Help

Mitten

Hi,

I was on here some weeks back and got great advice, I have been reading every day since and am now back for more help!

My story – looking to loose weight and fast for my wedding in September! I have sorted the diet side of things, pretty healthy and very low fat, probably not enough calories but am a desperate woman so bear with me. It’s the exercise and toning that I am worried about.

I am a gym member and have launched myself back 3 times a week –

I do –
Bike for 10 mins, level 5,
Cross Trainer for 10 mins, interval training
Tread Mill for 30 mins – 4 miles an hour, with occasional jogs of 6 miles per hour.

But I am a bit lost for toning – I have a few arm exercises that I do with 1kg weights – how many should I be doing and how often? If I did these every day at home as well would it help?

Sit ups – I hate them – usually do 30 middle and then 30 on each side, with the help of the ab roller – any other ones I should be doing?

After that I am kinda lost. I know fat can’t be spot reduced but surely getting a bit of toning going can’t be all bad?

All thoughts greatly appreciated!

wasabi

Mitten,

What people refer to as toning basically involves a combination of reducing bodyfat levels and building muscle. What will serve you best is good heavy weight training, with exercises that work your whole body, not just your arms.

Don't worry about getting bulky - it just will not happen, as you are dieting. It'll just mean you get firmer and have better shape. Keeping your muscle will mean a higher metabolism, which in turn means weight loss will be easier.

One of the best places to start is probably to have a good read of http://www.stumptuous.com/cms/index.php

Then once you've digested all that maybe come back here with any questions, and get some help figuring out a programme?

ali.c

In complete agreement with wasabi 1kg weights will do nothing for you i am afraid. One advantage of lifting heavy weights anyway is that you get results quicker!

just when you say your diet is low on cals (how low? if you dont mind me asking). Weight training in conjunction with a low cal diet (not too low though) will help you hang on too your muscle and keep your metabolism high.

Mitten

Thanks for the replies guys.

I am probably on the place asking about this here as when i say tone etc i think you guys are imagining i want to get into body building etc.

I am just looking to get into shape - burn of the excess fat to start with. After that my legs are naturally into shape as they are quite slim and running/walking helps them a lot. My stomach, in particular the sides of it (love handles) are very wobbly, i am looking to get that flat and "toned", just not have bulges all over it. My arms are shocking as well - bingo wing syndrome so am looking to get rid or "tone" them up. Again no muscles just a bit of shape.

I have started to read the info on the link above and it's very interesting.

In a sense i need to loose weight and tone up fast so am just looking for some ideas or comments on what i currently do.

My diet is based on 1,000 cals per day - porridge, apple, salad and protein, low fat yogurt, protein and stemaed veg.

Thanks guys!

wasabi

No, we're not imagining you want to get into body building at all. I know it goes against the grain of all you've been told about training as a woman, but seriously, proper weights is the way to go. You will get more exercise doing your shopping in Tesco than you will using your 1kg dumbbells, if you think about it.

Heavy pressing exercises, on the other hand, will definitely cure your bingo wings Squats and deadlifts will work your ab muscles and tighten your stomach better than any amount of crunches, as well.

1000 cals a day is awfully awfully low by the way, how long have you been eating like that and what is your current weight do you mind us asking?

Mitten

Heavy presses – like push up kinda things?

I am a gym member and following the programme they gave me – it’s mainly cardio then with 5 different kinds of sit ups and the Plank exercise. I mentioned using weight and was told to leave it until I had dropped fat.

I am eating 1,000 cals for the past week and a half. I am very over weight at 13 stone and am panicking to get into a wedding dress for September. I know this is not the way it should be done but I figure drop the weight and re-educate myself as I am going along for life time maintenance is the way to go.

Where would I find some examples or pictures of the mahines and kind of weights and reps I should be doing?

Thanks a mill for the help! There was me thinking I was great with my 1kg arm swinging!!

daveirl

This post has been deleted.

wasabi

Pushups would be one thing, also bench press, shoulder press, dips and so on. There's a lot of info on the different exercises in the link I sent you there above, in the section on training, go through those and come back with any specific questions.

You want to be doing mostly free weights though, not machine, as free weights force you to work more muscles, basically. And you want a balanced programme, that will work your full body so you don't develop any imbalances.

Edit: daveirl's suggestion above is a great starting point.

Now, in a gym they will tell you to do lots of cardio and lose fat before doing weights, unfortunately this is a silly way to go about it. Basically, on a diet you are prone to lose muscle. This is very bad, because having muscle helps you have a higher metabolism and burn more calories, also it gives you 'tone' and makes you look better. As you lose muscle, your metabolism drops and your weight loss will eventually slow or stop. You will end up small and flabby with a slow metabolism, and be prone to gain weight back. This is the yo-yo diet trap.

It's much smarter to lift weights from the start to maintain your muscle mass. Lifting also burns a lot of calories - it elevates your metabolism for at least a day after lifting, unlike cardio. Also, if you do weights first, then a shorter session of cardio (20 mins or so), your cardio will be more effective at burning fat for the time you put in.

Now as to the 1000 calories, way too low. If you can stick to 2000 or so healthy calories, maybe even higher, you would get much better results. The key is consistency, not going to extremes for short periods. You can lose 2lbs a week healthily, so between now and September that's a good amount and you'll see a huge difference.

daveirl

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Mitten

Thanks a million guys – what you are saying is making loads of sense – just need to figure out what bench presses etc are!! Will investigate the link further tonight as it doesn’t open on my pc at work. I had to laugh when I read small and flabby. Any time I have lost weight before that could describe me perfectly.

For cardio I am doing – 10 mins bike at level 5, 10 mins cross trainer at interval speeds, 30 mins treadmill – going from 4-6 miles per hour so fast walk or jog. Does that sound adequate? I also walk 20 mins briskly to work every morning.

What weigh should I be using with the freee weights so, since 1kg is laughable?

wasabi

exrx.net will sort you out once you can access it for the exercise descriptions.

For weight - the right weight different for everyone. For each exercise you do try and find a weight that you can do roughly 12 repetitions with. It should be difficult to do that number of reps. You'll find as time goes on the weight you lift will become easier, so you'll need to move to a heavier one. Just be honest with yourself and make sure you are really working.

Cardio wise, I'd advise you do your 10 mins bike as a warmup, then your weights, then finish off with your ten minutes intervals and ten minutes on the treadmill, that should be plenty.

Money Shot

Mitten wrote:

Thanks a million guys – what you are saying is making loads of sense – just need to figure out what bench presses etc are!! Will investigate the link further tonight as it doesn’t open on my pc at work. I had to laugh when I read small and flabby. Any time I have lost weight before that could describe me perfectly.

For cardio I am doing – 10 mins bike at level 5, 10 mins cross trainer at interval speeds, 30 mins treadmill – going from 4-6 miles per hour so fast walk or jog. Does that sound adequate? I also walk 20 mins briskly to work every morning.

What weigh should I be using with the freee weights so, since 1kg is laughable?

No one can suggest a weight for you. Basically, whatever weight you can manage 12 reps with, using strict good form (no jerking etc) When this gets too easy and you can do 15, it's time to increase the weight slightly. If you find you can only manage 6,7 reps you need to reduce the weight until you find a weight where you can get 12. Ideally, you should be seeing your weights increase slightly over the months. This may not be happening quickly though if you are loosing weight at the same time. Always do the exercises slowly and feel the weight and what effect it is having on your muscle rather than just throwing them around.
Ask an instructor if your unsure what 'good form' is.

daveirl

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Mitten

Thanks again guys – there really is a lot more to this than meets the eye!

I am raging with the gym as they told me none of this – showed me how to use the few cardio machines and off with me. I would be pretty fit anyway in the cardio sense – well can do jogging and walking to my hearts content. So with no weights, no wonder I wasn’t seeing results!!!

I am guessing I will be starting pretty low – my 1kg after 60 reps was starting to hurt, so would 5kg be ok or just still too little to use?

Money Shot

Mitten wrote:

Thanks again guys – there really is a lot more to this than meets the eye!

I am raging with the gym as they told me none of this – showed me how to use the few cardio machines and off with me. I would be pretty fit anyway in the cardio sense – well can do jogging and walking to my hearts content. So with no weights, no wonder I wasn’t seeing results!!!

I am guessing I will be starting pretty low – my 1kg after 60 reps was starting to hurt, so would 5kg be ok or just still too little to use?

I think you'll find 5kg dumb bells a bit more of a challange. Again, the weight you use will be different for each exercise. When they say heavy, they don't really mean heavy weights, but mean a weight that you can do 12-15 reps with and no more. You might get 15 with your first set, but after a 30 second rest, you're next set will be nearer 12. Just experiment with the weights - you'll find the right weight for each exercise.
For example, try the 5kg for bench press - if you find your first set tough and fail before 10, it's to heavy. If you're doing 15 and could do more, it's too light. It's all about trial and error - jot it down in a notebook for the next time if you don't think you'll remember.