Need Some "Toning" Advice

[Christine]

Hi All--
I want to first say that this board is REALLY an inspiration. TigH (if you're reading) your post with photos was really inspiring! I have that same "puckering" thing going on with my gut.

Anywhere here's my story/question. I'll try to be brief.

I am 5'7" and have never been truly overweight. After this last winter and all the snow (and my renewed interest in cooking), I managed to pack on 8 lbs. So in May/June, I decided I needed to do something. I weighed about 152 lbs, my legs looked lumpy, my gut was starting to pouch out and I had more fat around my ribs than ever. I started walking, and cut out sodas and a lot of junk. Not much happened, but I felt a lot better. I then started walking more and cut back on my food more (but not a real diet). It is now late August and I'm down to about 144-145 lbs and fitting nicely into a size 8, which is where I'm most comfortable. I don't really want to lose more weight, however, I feel really "mushy." I guess this has to do with my age. I quickly approaching 40 (egads) and I guess I just don't have the muscle tone that I had even 3 years ago, because I swear I looked a lot firmer then. Girls, it's really true, once you hit your mid-30s you really do lose the muscle mass.

So, I know what I've got to do. I've started doing some squats and "step ups" on my Firm "Fanny Lifter" but I guess I need to know just how much I should be doing and how often. Every day, every other day, two times a week, etc.? I can tell you that the walking alone is doing NOTHING for my leg muscle tone. You'd think it would. I guess I'm just not a very muscular person by nature, so it takes more for me to build. I have that "lithe" wispy kind of build.

So, if you can offer me any tips or know of a successful routine you use, I'd love to hear it. I do not have access to a gym or any heavy weights.

 

[TigH]

Hi, Christine!

Hey, you have the right attitude, you just need the tools! And a great attitude is the BEST tool! You've done a wonderful job with your weight loss, and WOO-HOO for wearing those size 8s!!!

I think that Muscle and Fitness Hers is a great resource. Check out this link to their "at home" work out! All you would need to buy is a set of adjustable hand weights. That's ALL I use!

http://www.muscleandfitnesshers.com/hers/062502/strength_train.html
Click on each body part to see an example of the exercises.

This is my routine:

Day 1 - chest, triceps, shoulders
Day 2 - biceps, back
Day 3 - legs
Day 4 - rest from weight training
Day 5 - chest, triceps, shoulders
Day 6 - biceps, back
Day 7 - legs

Then I start over where I left off, so the next "day" would be a rest. I hope that makes sense. I also try to do cardio 4 days a week for at least 45 minutes. And I only do abs M, W, F, and just 3 sets of 15 of crunches, reverse crunches and a criss cross elbow to knee move.

I don't have a bench, so my chest workout is just push ups. At first I could only do the bent knee push ups. I started off doing 3 sets of as many as I could muster, and have worked my way up to 3 sets of 15. About 2 months ago, I think, I started to do the full "manly man" push ups and could hardly do one full one! I kept pushing myself every time it was my day to work out my chest though, so each time I had to do push ups I'd try to do one more "manly man" one than I had previously. Now I can do 2 sets of 10 and one set of 15!!! It has helped my chest tremendously! DH told me the other day that he can see my muscle development there (covering those icky bones that were previously about the ONLY thing on my chest!)

Sorry this is getting so long! I hope you don't mind! Ok, for triceps I do the overhead dumbbell extension (see the Muscle and Fitness link for that) and the dumbbell kickback http://www.muscleandfitnesshers.com/hers/092402/dumbbell_rope.html#dumbbell_kickback I do three sets of 10-15 for each exercise, depending on the amount of weight I have on my dumbbell.

Shoulders are my least favorite body part to work out, but it really does help your arms look great when you include every part! I do three exercises for shoulders, HOWEVER, I only do two one day and two the next time I work shoulders. I do the overhead dumbbell press each time I work my shoulders. Then for one session I will do the dumbbell lateral raise and the other session I will do something similar, but with my arms extended out in front of my body instead of to the side (don't know what that exercise is called, sorry!) I really hate to work my shoulders, but once I started to do it faithfully it seemed like they shaped up over night and now that is what my DH comments on the most!
I also do 3 sets of 10-15 for each of those exercises, depending on how strong my shoulders feel that day.

For biceps I just do bicep curls. It's very important to keep your elbow still and not move it forward to "help" lift the weight. Also very important to maintain proper posture and not shrug your shoulders back to give the weight a boost! I did that for a while and one day I really made sure I didn't do any cheating and just used my biceps and WOW, what a difference I felt!

For my back I do the one arm dumbbell row. I really thought working my back was a waste of time because I couldn't see it, but it has helped shape my upper body and give me the waist that I never had (I'm kind of boxy shaped). I also do the bent over row, but I just use my dumbbells and keep them in line like it was one solid bar! Hopefully for Christmas I'll get a real bar!

For legs I do the front lunge and dumbbell squat that they show on the M&F Hers site, and I do another squat. I stand with my feet shoulder width apart, hold a dumbbell in each hand by my side and squat like I am going to sit down in a chair. When my bottom would have touched the chair, I slowly stand up. I make sure my knees do not bend over my toes. This one really shapes up my hamstrings and butt.

Hope this wasn't more than you wanted to know! This is REALLY all I am doing. It takes about 1/2 hour for each session, and I am someone who is easily distracted so sometimes it takes me longer. Start off with light weights and don't do too many reps. Make sure you give your body a break between workouts, you shouldn't work any one muscle group too frequently, they need time to recover. Have patience! If you stick to this type of program you will see a difference in 6 weeks, and in 12 weeks you will wonder what happened to your old body!!!

Good luck! YOU CAN TOTALLY DO IT!

 

[Christine]

Karen,
Thanks--that is EXACTLY the kind of advice I was looking for. Something defined and concise. I've got so many magazines that I'm looking at, and, at times, they seem to have conflicting advice. I'll be looking at that website this afternoon.

So far, I've just been doing squats but I know that I need to work on my form with them and that I shouldn't ignore my upper body. Right now, my legs look atrocious to me. They just look like two scrawny little noodles...I swear I actually used to have nice, shapely legs with little effort. I guess age and too much time sitting in my work cubicle have taken their toll!

By the way, Karen, how tall are you? A size 6 sounds great!

 

[TigH]

Originally posted by Christine
So far, I've just been doing squats but I know that I need to work on my form with them and that I shouldn't ignore my upper body. Right now, my legs look atrocious to me. They just look like two scrawny little noodles...I swear I actually used to have nice, shapely legs with little effort. I guess age and too much time sitting in my work cubicle have taken their toll!

By the way, Karen, how tall are you? A size 6 sounds great!

Christine, you'll be sprorting even better legs that you had before, trust me! You should purchase a few issues of Muscle and Fitness Hers - it really is a great magazine. I think you can also do something for your calves too, but I am lucky that I inherited my Mom's genes (for my legs) and my calves are just naturally big... M&F Hers has more than just training tips, there are great articles about nutrition too (how to feed your body to encourage those muscles to grow!)

I'm 5' 8" and BEFORE WISH the smallest size I could ever fit into was a size 10, so that was my original goal, to get back into a comfy 10.

I have to say that if it wasn't for OhMom sending me a killer workout challenge, I probably would still be working one body part per day and I'd be really upset that I wasn't seeing any changes. She challenged me when I needed it and the work has paid off! She's a great friend and great PM buddy! ((((OhMom))))

 

[Christine]

Karen,
5'8" and 138 lbs. That is wonderful. I could not tell from your pictures if you were tall, short, etc. The lowest I've ever made it into was a size 8.

You know, my calves don't look all that bad either. It is my thighs and knees. I will have to get Muscle & Fitness Hers also. I've heard good things about that mag before, but it isn't real easy to find.

I did do some arm work last night. Haven't study the routine too much so I didn't get to the shoulders, but I'm glad I have some direction now.