Ruby Slippers Posted February 27, 2012 Posted February 27, 2012 So, I'm working on getting in the best shape of my life, and making good progress. Yay! I've always been pretty fit. I was a competitive tennis player all through school, and still play as a hobby. The past few years, I've gotten a little more serious with it again, playing in leagues and working with a coach. Just from this and my other fitness activities (biking, swimming, gym cardio, dancing), I stay pretty toned. But a few years ago, I discovered the wonders of strength training, and used this to create more tone all over my body than I'd ever had before. For example, I really worked on my back muscles, as I think back muscles are very sexy. And the results were pretty fabulous -- subtle, sexy muscle tone. And I am continuing this now. What I'm wondering about is the best route to getting toned and svelte without bulking up. I want lean muscle tone, not bulk. I've read some conflicting information about how to achieve this. In addition to cardio, I do a combination of body weight exercises (such as pushups, crunches, squats, etc.), free weight training (for shoulders, back, etc.), and machine weights. For the free weights and machines, I use weights that are heavy enough to provide a challenge, but not the heaviest I could possibly handle. I usually do about 3 sets of 15-20 reps for each area, and I feel it the next day. Is this a good strategy for creating lean, non-bulky muscle tone? Or would you recommend something else? By the way, I've considering hiring a trainer, but I'd rather spend my money on other things right now. So maybe down the line, but not yet. Thanks!
verhrzn Posted February 27, 2012 Posted February 27, 2012 You are not going to bulk up. Women just aren't designed that way, unless they're taking in steroids. This article was very helpful for me in understanding how lifting effects a woman's body: Meet Staci: Your New Powerlifting Super Hero | Nerd Fitness Couple of things. 1) Do NOT use machines. Stay away from the machines! While they will get you muscle, they have such a narrow focus that they are working ONLY that muscle. They are doing all the equalizing for you, so your smaller connecting muscles end up fatigued. So your muscles will look great, but when using them in real life, they'll atrophy easily because they aren't being supported by the muscle systems AROUND them. 2) If you weight train on top of eating a normal amount of calories, you will burn fat while also building muscle, which is the ideal situation. The sneaky thing about cardio is that while it destroys fat, too much will ALSO destroy muscle. So you look skinny... but it's a weak-skinny. Actual weight lifting (lifting to failure) will allow you to be strong AND sleek. Win-win. Seriously, this article put SO many things in perspective for me. Read it, own it. 2
redhighheels Posted February 27, 2012 Posted February 27, 2012 Nice story, but be aware that powerlifting and bodybuilding are different in that powerlifting is focused exclusively on strength, whereas bodybuilding is focused on aesthetics. You become strong doing both, but they have very different end goals. If your goal is too look good, I would advise going in a bodybuilding direction. Ruby, there is no such thing as “tone” ..you have muscle and then you have a layer of fat over it. The toned look you are referring to is a combination of having muscle and also having a bodyfat low enough for the muscle to be visible. What most women lack, even when they are skinny, is muscle. Hypertrophy should be your main goal. This is a good article: apt physical training: Strength is built in the gym, size at the dinner table The look you want can be achieved through a combination of 3 main things: 1) diet - figure out your caloric needs, weigh and track your food 2) weight training - find a good, solid program and focus on compound movements and free weights; Starting Strength, New rule of lifting for women, even Jamie Eason`s 12 week program..just don`t go for some random crap from a magazine 3) consistency - do it day in and day out until it becomes second nature I recommend The new rules of lifting for women by Lou Schuler, it has a good workout plan and it touches on nutrition as well. Even if you don't do the program, it is still a good read. I strongly suggest that you ask for advice on forums geared towards bodybuilding, instead of a forum geared towards relationships such as this. The Female section at bodybuilding.com will answer all your questions..take the time to read the stickies and do your own research. Oh, and always go to failure! Lift as heavy as you possibly can. Generally speaking, 1-8 reps are for strength, 8-12 are for hypertrophy (muscle growth) and 12+ are for endurance. In order to build muscle you must give the body a reason to grow. It will take more than pink dumbbells to tear down muscle tissue. I wish women wouldn`t be so misinformed and brainwashed by the fitness industry and would just go in there and kill those weights! Good luck! 2
Krios Posted February 27, 2012 Posted February 27, 2012 Can you post a picture of a muscular female back that you find aesthetically pleasing? Because I as a man tend to turn off on muscular backs on women. However perhaps you don't mean it as muscular as I think you mean it, hence I'm asking for an example photo. I agree with you that you should be careful about not getting too muscular, because men strongly associate that with masculinity and it's not something that most men feel attracted to. We like women, because they're women. If we liked men, then we'd have sex with men, yet most of us don't.
Crusoe Posted February 27, 2012 Posted February 27, 2012 What I'm wondering about is the best route to getting toned and svelte without bulking up. I want lean muscle tone, not bulk. I've read some conflicting information about how to achieve this. Unless someone wants to get big I always thought simple body weight exercises are best. It's natural, you're not asking your body to do anything it wasn't designed to do and you can't lift too much or too little. Your own body finds the best, most efficient, balanced and natural shape for itself.
tman666 Posted February 27, 2012 Posted February 27, 2012 Unless someone wants to get big I always thought simple body weight exercises are best. It's natural, you're not asking your body to do anything it wasn't designed to do and you can't lift too much or too little. Your own body finds the best, most efficient, balanced and natural shape for itself. While bodyweight only exercises are great, and (in my opinion) be part of everyone's training program, women can benefit greatly from heavy weight training without getting bulky. They simply don't have the testosterone to be able to get very large. 3
adipex Posted February 29, 2012 Posted February 29, 2012 Thanks Great article, i have enjoying lot while reading this article.
FitChick Posted March 2, 2012 Posted March 2, 2012 I've switched to lighter weight/endurance style workouts in the past five years and I am actually stronger and look better than when I was lifting heavier. I switched when I got tired of injuring my joints which meant I couldn't work out at all. I worried that I'd lose strength and lose my muscle tone. Nope! 1
Author Ruby Slippers Posted March 2, 2012 Author Posted March 2, 2012 Wow, there's a lot of information here. I'll have to look over this all more carefully. I do track what I eat every day, and it's pretty clean -- mostly fruit/vegetable, protein, and maybe a small serving of whole-grain carbs, with the occasional treat in moderation. I think a good weight-training book or program could be very helpful. Right now, I'm just following my intuition, basically -- pushing myself, but not too hard. Just gradually increasing the intensity as my body feels ready for it. Some things that were killing me a few weeks ago are a breeze now, which rules. And I know that I'm gonna take a big jump up when spring hits!
FitChick Posted March 2, 2012 Posted March 2, 2012 The New Rules of Lifting for Women has a lot of fans. I personally could never exercise to a book, though. I do own The Women's Health Big Book of Exercises which I use when I have to modify a move to accommodate an injury. 1
tman666 Posted March 2, 2012 Posted March 2, 2012 Wow, there's a lot of information here. I'll have to look over this all more carefully. I do track what I eat every day, and it's pretty clean -- mostly fruit/vegetable, protein, and maybe a small serving of whole-grain carbs, with the occasional treat in moderation. I think a good weight-training book or program could be very helpful. Right now, I'm just following my intuition, basically -- pushing myself, but not too hard. Just gradually increasing the intensity as my body feels ready for it. Some things that were killing me a few weeks ago are a breeze now, which rules. And I know that I'm gonna take a big jump up when spring hits! I've also heard good things about The New Rules of Lifting for Women. It sounds like you're on the right track (monitored nutrition, gradually increasing intensity). What big jump do you speak of? 1
volkl1996 Posted March 2, 2012 Posted March 2, 2012 The girl I am seeing is a Personla Trainer and a Spinning Instructor. I highly recommend you try Spinning and working with a PT. I thought I was in great shape, and I am..wow, did she show me! You want reps in the 12 - 15 range, lower weight, alternate exercises instead of waiting to do the next set. For example, do a set of push ups then immediately do a set of lat pull downs, rest 20 seconds, do it again. Do a set of bicep curls, immediately do a tricep exercise, rest, do it again. Do a shoulder exercise, then a leg exercise, rest, do it again. This kind of training has really toned my up and helped my cardio. 1
Author Ruby Slippers Posted March 2, 2012 Author Posted March 2, 2012 What big jump do you speak of? I just mean that I'll be a lot more active in my day-to-day activities when the weather's nicer. When it's nice outside, I usually ride my bike everywhere, miles and miles most days. And I play tennis 3-4 times a week, for 2 hours or more. I can't do any of this in the Chicago winter, so 95% of my exercise happens indoors. In summer, I might bike and play tennis for 3 hours or more, and not even think about it as exercise. So I get a lot more activity all around.
volkl1996 Posted March 2, 2012 Posted March 2, 2012 +1 for tennis; I play 2-3 times a week competitively...great sport. 1
Author Ruby Slippers Posted March 7, 2012 Author Posted March 7, 2012 So, I've been following some of the advice here, and I think I'm already seeing results. I've been experimenting with heavier weights, with good results. I'm going to order The New Rules of Lifting for Women when I get back from an upcoming trip. In the meantime, is there something I should be doing to help prevent so much muscle soreness? I don't really mind it too much, but is that related to lactic acid buildup? Should I just drink more water, or is it more than that? I do meditative/flexibility/restorative yoga during and after my workouts, and I think that helps a lot.
tman666 Posted March 7, 2012 Posted March 7, 2012 So, I've been following some of the advice here, and I think I'm already seeing results. I've been experimenting with heavier weights, with good results. I'm going to order The New Rules of Lifting for Women when I get back from an upcoming trip. In the meantime, is there something I should be doing to help prevent so much muscle soreness? I don't really mind it too much, but is that related to lactic acid buildup? Should I just drink more water, or is it more than that? I do meditative/flexibility/restorative yoga during and after my workouts, and I think that helps a lot. I think you'll find with time that you get sort of "addicted" to being sore. Strange, but many have found it to be true. The thing about muscle soreness (DOMS-Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness) is that it's not necessarily indicative of how effective your training session was. Some people will mistakenly think that if they're not sore, then their training was inadequate. While I have yet to find a way to eliminate DOMS (other than not training very hard), I've noticed a couple things that can help: 1) Staying hydrated. Try to drink at least 120 ounces of water a day. 2) Static stretching. Many folks prefer to do dynamic warm ups (moving drills) before training and static stretching after training. I personally like to do a mix of static stretching and dynamic drills pre-training. Post training, I'm generally about to fall over, and hanging around at the gym stretching is pretty much the last thing on my mind. That said, I try to get in some longer, dedicated static stretching in on off days or during times of the day that I'm not about to keel over. 3) Good nutrition. If you want to maximize your recovery time from training, proper nutritional support is essential. Make sure that you're not lacking in any vitamins or amino acids (from meats/other protein sources). Eat lots of leafy green veggies, lots of protein (try to hit at least a gram per lb of lean body mass per day), and get in some healthy fats from sources such as avocado and natural peanut butter. 4) Supplementation. I have found that supplementing with fish oil and citrulline malate can have positive effects on my recovery. Branched Chain Amino Acids (BCAAs) are also beneficial. I would recommend looking into purchasing a supplement like Scivation Xtend to take immediately before your training. It contains BCAAs as well as citrulline malate. I also supplement with calcium, especially if I'm not eating much dairy in my diet (it seems like I go through dairy "phases" haha). 1
HHC Posted March 8, 2012 Posted March 8, 2012 So, I've been following some of the advice here, and I think I'm already seeing results. I've been experimenting with heavier weights, with good results. I'm going to order The New Rules of Lifting for Women when I get back from an upcoming trip. In the meantime, is there something I should be doing to help prevent so much muscle soreness? I Glutamine - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia I take this and I find it assists with making muscle soreness disappear quicker. I also use a roller Good luck 1
Author Ruby Slippers Posted March 8, 2012 Author Posted March 8, 2012 I think you'll find with time that you get sort of "addicted" to being sore. Strange, but many have found it to be true. I totally agree! I love how you can feel the muscles all activated all the time. It reminds you of your strength I'm pretty good on water, stretching/yoga, and nutrition. The supplementation issue warrants more research, since I know very little about these types of supplements. That rolling video looks fun. haha Now I want to try that.
HHC Posted March 8, 2012 Posted March 8, 2012 That rolling video looks fun. haha Now I want to try that. haha, you say that now. Get back to me after you have experienced. It's the most painful and enjoyable feeling all wrapped up in one 1
FitChick Posted March 8, 2012 Posted March 8, 2012 Foam rollers are devices of torture and extreme cruelty. I heard they use them on terrorists in Guantanamo to make them talk. 1
tman666 Posted March 8, 2012 Posted March 8, 2012 haha, you say that now. Get back to me after you have experienced. It's the most painful and enjoyable feeling all wrapped up in one Foam rolling my IT bands = pure misery followed by "aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhh". I love rolling those knots in my upper back too.
Author Ruby Slippers Posted March 8, 2012 Author Posted March 8, 2012 I really am excited about the rolling. I'm looking forward to getting back from my trip and trying it. I LOVE massages, and I still miss this guy I was dating over a year ago because he gave THE most amazing massages. So I'm thinking this will be a good solo substitute.
Author Ruby Slippers Posted May 1, 2012 Author Posted May 1, 2012 haha, you say that now. Get back to me after you have experienced. It's the most painful and enjoyable feeling all wrapped up in one Update: I got a foam roller, and I LOVE IT. It feels amazing. Yes, I have some sore spots sometimes, but the rolling always feels awesome on them. I'm glad y'all pointed that out.
fucpcg Posted May 1, 2012 Posted May 1, 2012 (1) My advice is not to get serious weight training, body transformation info from a dating site. It's conflicting because you are asking people who are not well educated in the fitness world. If you seek opinions from bodybuilders, for example, you WILL NOT get that much conflicting feedback. If you want some good sites to check out, PM me. From basic to borderline legal, I can tell you where to read for results. (2) Train with a good bodybuilder if you can. No women won't bulk up, unless on drugs, that's a fact. My girlfriend followed the same routine with me and my training buddies, and she looked absolutely amazing, and probably could have won her division in any type of regional fitness contest had she entered, by training with a bodybuilder program and eating the wonderful, healthy meals I was always making her =)
Emilia Posted May 1, 2012 Posted May 1, 2012 Post training, I'm generally about to fall over, and hanging around at the gym stretching is pretty much the last thing on my mind. That said, I try to get in some longer, dedicated static stretching in on off days or during times of the day that I'm not about to keel over. Stretching after any form of exercise is absolutely essential. Whether I'm boxing or weight/strength training or running I always stretch afterwards, regardless how tired I am. On the odd occasion that I'm sore afterwards I know I hadn't stretched enough.
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