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Can you tone up in two months?

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  1. #11

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    Quote Originally Posted by Liquorice:
    Good guess!

    I weigh 132 pounds, 5'8, don't know bodyfat ratio....definitely some to lose but not that much. Good diet already. Just looking for good overall toning, especially back and arms.

    How important is a personal trainer? I was planning on just doing it at home on my own (have weights/dumb bells etc.) - that way I am much more likely to do it... but that would be with no instruction obviously (ref - "its not about the weight but how you lift it").

    And you mentioned "train hard and heavy" - is it not okay to lift light if you are just trying to tone up....?

    Thanks for your help.

    First of all, in suggesting a personal trainer, I didn't mean that it would be a person that would hold your hand all the time as others suggest a PT is all about. If you were to go to the gym to do weight training, and you don't know what you're doing, having someone who knows what they are doing giving you advice is important. You don't want to be doing it wrong. That can lead to injury and you won't achieve any results. Sure you can read about it on the web, but in my point of view, it takes years to fully understand how to lift correctly and find out what works for your body.

    Your measurements indicate that you most likely don't have a lot of fat to burn. And you want to work out from home. Ok, no problem. You can follow some workout programs that targets your muscles and cardio at the same time. I will give you a link to a site which has several workouts that you can probably do in your living room. At first, this site may look a little funny, ok, it's not where I learnt how to train, but give these videos a chance as they may be more suitable for you. Follow these workouts:

    1st week: 2-3 workouts per week
    2nd week: 3-4 workouts per week
    3-8 week: 5-6 workouts per week

    Here's one of the programs:

    [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jK_TXjN_73k"]YouTube- Fitness - 550 Rep Muscle Murder Workout[/ame]

    More on this site: Workout Body, Workout Routine, Nutrition Information | BodyRock.tv Go to the daily workouts page.

    Check it out first and let me know what you think of this approach.

    Remember, visualize how you want to look, and give it everything.

    Another very important point I must add, is that your diet is essential to tone up. The workouts above will definitely shed some fat of your body, but your food will also play an important role. What do you normally eat in a day?

    Note there's also some good diet tips on that website.

    Let me know how you go!

  2. #12

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    Liquorice: Would I be correct in guessing that you're female? Sorry if I missed that in the thread somewhere. If you're female, 'bulking up' is the last thing you have to worry about- most women have to do seriously psycho excercise for very extended periods of time before this happens because they only carry a tiny amount of testosterone compared to men. There's no way you can bulk up on muscle in two months. Come to think of it, there's no way most men can bulk up in two months.

    Two months is a very short period of time to make changes to your body. From what I've seen, losing fat can start quite quickly, it's the changing muscle shape that takes a bit longer. Doesn't sound like you have much in the way of fat to lose, but if you did maybe that would make you look more toned in the areas you mention (no way to tell without photos )

    Anyway, you are leaving this quite late- if you really want to make changes, you're going to have to start immediately and really stick to an intensive regime that incorporates sensible rest periods for muscle recovery, and diet.

    With such a short time limit, getting a personal traininer in would really be a good idea. You should find one via referral rather than looking for one at a gym- the gym PTs that I've seen (at Fitness First) are not very good. There are several threads on here that recommend PTs.

    Last edited by jgl; 16-03-2010 at 09:56 AM.

  3. #13

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    great info above. Cardio first thing in the am before breakfast.. I find it to be an energizing start to my day! Try to do high intensity as much as you can out of the days you do do cardio. Granted, some days you may just be too tired and it's okay to do a moderate intensity day. Make sure you have a source of protein in every meal that you consume (snacks included)! Weights in the afternoon is great.. that way you won't be up all night from working out in the evening. Sleep is very important!

    think of the foods you consume as the fuel for your body. IF your body isn't getting the proper nutrients that it needs to help build muscle (which is what burns fat), you're not going to end up with the results that you want. And if you don't have enough of a certain nutrient your body is going to take it from another source and that is not always a good thing. Good way to start is to figure out your BMR. BMR Calculator and go from there And should you decide to get some professional assistance, I'd recommend that you find a licensed sports nutritionist who will customize an eating plan and work out plan for you to help you reach your goals. it is worth it, trust me. You don't want just any old PT giving you a meal plan because the average cert'd pt has maybe a days worth of knowledge/training in nutrition.

    And remember.. over training does more damage than good. Your muscles do not grow when you're working out, they actually get micro tears. What causes the muscle to grow is proper nutrition and proper rest Always do your very best with each work out and push yourself. Results will come if all the building blocks are put together!!


  4. #14

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    Quote Originally Posted by apple&dog:
    Basicly, it depends on what you eat, how many times you exercise / workout and most important sleep.

    Don't sleep, muscle won't grow. I tried before.
    Apple, this is another thread where you are just posting crap. The first line is blindingly obvious, the second is just wrong.

    Rest (preferably sleep) is a critical component of muscle growth during an intensive exercise regime. Workouts don't make muscle grow- they stress and stimulate the body. It's the periods of rest between these workouts that allow muscle growth.

    You should follow the advice of Mark Twain: It's better to stay silent and look a fool, rather than speak and remove all doubt.
    Last edited by jgl; 16-03-2010 at 09:53 AM.

  5. #15

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    Quote Originally Posted by apple&dog:
    Don't sleep, muscle won't grow. I tried before.
    One of the stupidest thing I've read here and there has been many

  6. #16

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    I believe what apple&dog was trying to say was:

    IF you don't sleep, muscle won't grow.


  7. #17

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    Quote Originally Posted by Master:
    I believe what apple&dog was trying to say was:

    IF you don't sleep, muscle won't grow.
    That's how I read it too!

    OP - if you are female and looking for something to get you started, I recommend Body Pump classes (but you need to be a gym member for them - I use California) - they target most of the major muscle groups and there is an instructor who (supposedly, I find this limited in HK) tells you exactly how to do each exercise. All done to music too which makes it much more fun and harder to get bored!

    NO WAY you are going to bulk up - I did body pump for years and never gained much muscle, I did tone up though, and it's more fun than sitting at home!

  8. #18

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    Quote Originally Posted by Master:
    I believe what apple&dog was trying to say was:

    IF you don't sleep, muscle won't grow.
    That would be an interpretation that makes sense, but I'd say that's quite a generous re-interpretation given his general posting history.

    (Either way, you'd have to know how the body responds to excercise to make sense of it, and the OP sounds like she's a new to it all.)
    Last edited by jgl; 16-03-2010 at 01:00 PM.

  9. #19

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    Quote Originally Posted by gilleshk:
    It's paying someone hundreds/thousands/week to hold your hand and watch you every minute that's ridiculous...
    I see this often enough in our complex gym. If they spent as much time working out as they did talking about working out (and posing in front of the mirrors) they would be huge.
    Nice job if you can get it, though.

  10. #20

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    Jan 2010
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    Quote Originally Posted by gilleshk:
    Repeating the same exercise day after day at the same intensity for two months won't get you very far.
    Hmmmm. that's what I have always done in the past.

    Thanks everyone for all the help. Thanks Master for the work out ideas.