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Toning up in the gym

Question for you: What exercises should I do to tone up a little, WITHOUT bulking up and becoming one of those muscleheads?

My goal is to get slim and trim (I'm already losing weight) with just enough muscle definition in the chest, shoulders, and arms. In other words, a volleyball player type of guy (NOT a weightlifting nut!).

I want to tone up while continuing to lose weight (don't want to gain weight due to working out).

I think you want to use moderate weight doing moderate reps. So like...3 sets of 12-15 reps per exercise.

Easy. Pushups, crunches and pull-ups.

quote:

Originally posted by HardTranceProd I want to tone up while continuing to lose weight (don't want to gain weight due to working out).

The muscle you gain will weigh more than the fat you lost (more than likely).

You should do a lot of cardio as well, treadmill or jogging or whatever. Not only will you (obviously) lose weight, but you will naturally gain better definition in the areas you want with that extra weight off.

quote:

Originally posted by CONNERMAN2000 You should do a lot of cardio as well, treadmill or jogging or whatever. Not only will you (obviously) lose weight, but you will naturally gain better definition in the areas you want with that extra weight off.

Careful. Thunderthighs have been known to grow on peoples who used cardio machines like the stepmaster.

Limit to treadmill and elliptical for toning.

Re: Toning up in the gym

quote:

Originally posted by HardTranceProd Question for you: What exercises should I do to tone up a little, WITHOUT bulking up and becoming one of those muscleheads?

Trust me, that's not as easy to achieve as you may think.
Takes a lot of time, dedication and power of will, so you're pretty much safe as long as you're not trying to achieve it.

Sprints / interval running. Pullups.

Also try mixing jogging with pushups, e.g. run a hundred yards, do fifteen pushups, repeat. Shouldn't take long to get tiring unless you're in very good shape.

Heavy weights with low reps can help as well.

Honestly, you're almost certainly not going to gain a huge amount of muscle unless you eat a bunch or have a strong genetic propensity to get "big." It's not like you'll work out for two weeks and suddenly find that you've transformed into some meathead.

quote:

Originally posted by Yan Careful. Thunderthighs have been known to grow on peoples who used cardio machines like the stepmaster. Limit to treadmill and elliptical for toning.

I absolutely hate the stepmaster. As monotonous as most work out routines are, constantly stepping on moving steps is the worst.

Nothing beats running if you ask me, but lately I've been getting some bad shin splints and other assorted ankle sores, so I've had to cut down to a lot of walking (I walk to and from class and pretty much everywhere, hardly drive except for groceries and what have you).

Another good one is riding a bike. Gets you places AND you get a work out. Win/win.

quote:

Originally posted by CONNERMAN2000 Nothing beats running if you ask me, but lately I've been getting some bad shin splints and other assorted ankle sores...

What kind of running do you do? And what surface do you run on?

swim. nohing i can think of is healthier for the body and itll give you great, natural definition.

quote:

Originally posted by RapidFire swim. nohing i can think of is healthier for the body and itll give you great, natural definition.

Agree'd, but im a runner.

What I do every-other day to stay fit and tone but not overly bulk is

-45 situps(15 repsx3 sets w/10 seconds break between sets)

-20 mins on the eliptical

-15 reps of 25 lbs standing bicep curls

-30 reps(15 repsx2 sets w/10 seconds break between sets) of 30 lbs standing bicep curls.

-15 reps of 35 lbs standing bicep curls

-5 lbs shoulder rotator work outs, this one is a bit tricky
--15 reps per arm with upper arm parallell to body and 90 degree swings of lower arm from forward position to side position
--15 reps per arm side swings
--15 reps per arm running arm motion
--15 reps forward lifts

-10 lbs shoulder rotator work outs, this one is a bit tricky
--15 reps per arm with upper arm parallell to body and 90 degree swings of lower arm from forward position to side position
--15 reps per arm side swings
--15 reps per arm running arm motion
--15 reps forward lifts

-15 lbs shoulder rotator work outs, this one is a bit tricky
--15 reps per arm with upper arm parallell to body and 90 degree swings of lower arm from forward position to side position
--15 reps per arm side swings
--15 reps per arm running arm motion
--15 reps forward lifts

-15 reps leg outs
--laying back to the ground and moving legs out and in

-20 reps upper ab work out
--laying back to the ground but mimicing a sitting position

-15 reps leg outs
--laying back to the ground and moving legs out and in

-20 reps upper ab work out
--laying back to the ground but mimicing a sitting position

-15 reps leg outs
--laying back to the ground and moving legs out and in

-20 reps upper ab work out
--laying back to the ground but mimicing a sitting position

It takes me about 40 minutes to get through this entire sequence and works my upper body, cardio system, and mid body. When I started this regime I was sitting around 200 lbs now im down to 180 or so. Folks say im skinny due to me being 6'2" though.

quote:

Originally posted by MrJiveBoJingles What kind of running do you do? And what surface do you run on?

I used to do (about 5-6 months ago) about 3 or 4 miles on a track. Didn't bother me. Now, it always kills me to no end if I run even just a few laps.

This is what I do

50LBS Bicep Curl x50
90LBS ForeArm Curl x50
Squats/Lunges (I do lunges with the bar) - 45BPM x20, add 25LBSx10, remove 25LBS add 45LBSx10, then add 25LBSx10
Bench Press - One 45LB, Then Build Up to a 45LB and 25LB x50
Leg Extensions - 190LBS x20, Do the rest in sets of ten until you reach 255LBS
Dip Machine - 330LBS x50
Wide Chest - (x2) 45lbs and 25LBS One arm at a time x50
Decline Press 45lbs x3 50times
ten chin ups

this is a males workout but would work great for women developing the booty with the lunges, strong looking legs with the leg extensions, tones arms and firm chest. weight incriments can change.

quote:

Originally posted by CONNERMAN2000 I used to do (about 5-6 months ago) about 3 or 4 miles on a track. Didn't bother me. Now, it always kills me to no end if I run even just a few laps.

Yeah, my legs used to bother me a lot when running on tracks or roads. I started running on grass (soccer fields) a few years ago and never looked back.

quote:

Originally posted by MrJiveBoJingles Yeah, my legs used to bother me a lot when running on tracks or roads. I started running on grass (soccer fields) a few years ago and never looked back.

This is definitely the route I'm going to start taking. I was almost guaranteeing myself it's because of the constant hard surface that this shit keeps bothering me.

pushups and situps.

/thread

quote:

Originally posted by tubularbills pushups and situps. /thread

Don't make me laugh.

Actually, wait...

You already have.

pushups and hangups is what i do..

Yeah dude, running on a cement/asphault surface is not good on your joints and muscles at all. Track surfaces and CC running fields are softer and thus relieve some of the impact stress on your body.

When I ran CC and Track on cement/asphault surfaces I noticed that my 5k time was 4 mins more than it was on grass/track surfaces.

Re: Toning up in the gym

quote:

Originally posted by HardTranceProd Question for you: What exercises should I do to tone up a little, WITHOUT bulking up and becoming one of those muscleheads? My goal is to get slim and trim (I'm already losing weight) with just enough muscle definition in the chest, shoulders, and arms. In other words, a volleyball player type of guy (NOT a weightlifting nut!). I want to tone up while continuing to lose weight (don't want to gain weight due to working out).

there is a lot of misinformation and silly ideas in this post.

first, there is no such thing as toning. when you are training, you are either bulking or cutting. bulking is making your muscles grow. to do so, you need to be eating above your maintenance calories. thus you will gain a bit of fat in the process, depending on how high your calorie surplus is. cutting is the opposite of bulking. you put your calories in a defecit and lose fat, but at the same time you will lose a bit of muscle in the process.

YOU CAN'T DO BOTH AT THE SAME TIME.

secondly, you assume that if you lift heavy weights you will become a bulked up meat head. guess what? IT DOESN'T WORK THAT FAST. even if you train as hard as a competing bodybuilder, you will see barely any size gains within 6 months. most people are lucky to gain about half an inch of LEAN mass around the circumference their bicep per year (which is fk all).

so, choose bulking or cutting and train like a bodybuilder. in 6 months you should start to look ok (depending on how bad you are atm). i recommend the routine below for you...

DAY1
Triceps, Chest, shoulders, Quads, Calves
3x12 Close grip bench
4x12 Incline db bench
4x12 Military press
3x12 Squats
4x12 Calf raise

DAY2
Biceps, Back, Hamstrings, Abs
3x12 Pullups (palms facing you)
4x12 Cable row
4x12 Lat pulldown
4x12 Stiff leg deadlifts
3x* Crunches

loop those two days monday, wednesday, friday. Eg:
MON: 1 (week 1)
WED: 2
FRI: 1
MON: 2 (week 2)
WED: 1
...

use the same weight for every set, per exercise. chose a weight where, on the last set, you cannot reach the 12 reps. once you can reach 12 reps, increase the weight.

the movements are almost ALL compounds and you are using lower/upper body parts on the same day. i find this is good for weight loss, as it is more thermogenic than isolating exercises. furthermore, as your body is experiencing more total strain (as opposed to maximum strain on just a few muscle groups), you get a much higher growth hormone release.

i advocate high intensity interval cardio. going for long runs etc. has a tendency to be a lot more catabolic, in my oppinion. hence you get that shit skinny-fat look, rather than looking thin and lean. on your off days, go for a high intensity 15 minute run. however, when i say high intensity, i mean fucking high. you should feel like youre going to die by the end of it.

exercise is about 20% of the work. the rest is diet. if this routine isn't getting you where you want, it's because your diet sucks. eat 5-6 meals a day, rather than 3 large ones. eat most of your carbs at breakast, before gym and after gym. eat only low-gi carbs, such as oats, bran, brocolli, apples, dried apricots, etc. avoid bread, rice and pasta like the plague. google a gi chart for more info. also, dont be afraid of eating fat. eating fat doesn't make you fat, excess calories do. carbs are very quickly converted to energy in your body and are hence quickly converted to fat. eating lowgi carbs helps, but not enough in some cases. fat, like protein, is very slowly digested. when you combine fat and carbs, often you get a slowing effect, where the fat causes the carbs to be digested less quickly. saturated fats are all bad, but unsaturated are good. almonds, peanut butter, fish/flax oil and avocado are the best sources imo.

NOTE: 1g of fat has 9 calories vs. 4 cals for 1g of carbs or protein. You need to remember that fat is more energy dense, so you can only eat half as much for the same calories.

GODSPEED!

as mentioned already, weightlifting, but with 12-20 reps x 3. Cardio at least 5 days a week@ 30-45mins, and most importantly a diet low in calories, high in protein, and no sugars! get your needed carbs from veggies like broccoli. The weight will drop off quick, then u can change the diet up to a normal type once u reach your goal, but limit sugars still to maintain your progress.

quote:

Originally posted by KiNeTiC ENeRgY Cardio at least 5 days a week@ 30-45mins

back when i was still into lifting, i got down to 10% bodyfat doing cardio twice a week for 15 minutes... i don't even have good genes; everyone in my family has underactive thyroids heh...

doing that much cardio is only going to waste your muscles away. infact, it will probably make your body try to hold onto fat. hence, you get that skinny arms, bloated stomach (skinny fat) look. you want to keep your body as anabolic as possible and what you're suggesting is 100% catabolic every day.

Here is an example... marathon runners vs. sprinters:


yeah, im in the HIIT camp... but even medium intensity cardio fans would say that much is just silly and counter productive!

quote:

Originally posted by echosystm back when i was still into lifting, i got down to 10% bodyfat doing cardio twice a week for 15 minutes... i don't even have good genes; everyone in my family has underactive thyroids heh... doing that much cardio is only going to waste your muscles away. infact, it will probably make your body try to hold onto fat. hence, you get that skinny arms, bloated stomach (skinny fat) look. you want to keep your body as anabolic as possible and what you're suggesting is 100% catabolic every day. Here is an example... marathon runners vs. sprinters: yeah, im in the HIIT camp... but even medium intensity cardio fans would say that much is just silly and counter productive!

no way bro, u do this to lose the weight, then u can lighten the cardio up. No one way works for everyone, but this way will drop the weight quick for most peeps. This worked great for me for 2 months to lose the fat, then I bulked up.

quote:

Originally posted by KiNeTiC ENeRgY no way bro, u do this to lose the weight, then u can lighten the cardio up. No one way works for everyone, but this way will drop the weight quick for most peeps. This worked great for me for 2 months to lose the fat, then I bulked up.

you don't even need cardio to lose weight. you do realise that, right? as long as you are eating less calories than you are using, you will lose weight. the type of activity you do, however, determines how much muscle you will lose in doing so.

doing too much cardio, your body will begin to catabolise your muscles. this is a fact, don't argue with it. conversely, doing short bursts of HIIT gives your cardiovascular system a much harder work out. as a result, your metabolism remains elevated for many hours to follow. this does not occur with low-medium intensity cardio.

FYI, when i started 4 years ago, i was 96kg. 3 months later, i was 69kg.

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