Slimming Down and Toning/Sculpting - Help!

[Cynic]

Originally Posted by StuWard

No offence Miss Jane, but recommending that someone by a book in order to get advise is not helpful. Yes, it's has great reviews. I haven't read it. I've read parts of "New Rules of Lifting" but only the parts that are available free online. I would also recommend reading "Starting Strength" by Mark Rippetoe.

Wait a minute, you scold Jane for recommending a book for advice, then turn around and recommend a book yourself? Am I reading that right?

[Cynic]

Originally Posted by werhardt

True, but the Internet is much cheaper.

Is it? I pay $39/mo for broadband access. NROL is $12-20 and the book provides a year's worth of workouts if done only one time through.

I would recommend a book or at least a good lifting program designed by someone that knows their craft. Waterbury is a name of reckoning, but there is no doubt that this site does favor the Schuler and Cosgrove pairing and then to add Forsythe, well, that's the making of a near holy trinity there.

[diamondpete]

Hi welcome to the boards!!

It has been said, but I would look to moving to free weights ad full body exercises, more bang for your workout time and you will get better results. You may not "feel comfortable" and that is normal when you first make the move. Try free body exercise with NO weight or little weight. For example, body weight squats (no weights) will do much more for you than the leg press machine.


Nick mentioned a big point about NROLW in that you will be asked to do exercises that you are not familiar with and I think this can be intimidating, but if you work at your own pace, I think you will find you can do it. Slow and safe!

Trainer, many have mentioned getting a good trainer. Great idea, but the probem is, how do you get a good one. If you post your area, here, perhaps someone can recommend one, but in general I would say there are more bad trainers than good trainers in your average gym, so you are better off educating yourself first.

Have a look in the FAQs under routines and you will finds many that are free. They are for men, but basically there is not much difference in a "man's workout and a woman's. I have always liked HGM because it takes you up step by step in terms of exercise "technical difficulty", and it was free, and it lasts a year. To be honest, armed with what I know now, I would make some changes but in general I think it is a very good program.

I have not read NROLW, but I have bought by the same author, New Rules of Lifting (this is the "men's version") , the Homeworkout Bible (it shows you how to do every exercise with "limited equipment" GREAT BOOK!!!) The book of muscle and TAP (testosterone advantage Plan??). I have enjoyed all of them.

Even if you do not start with NROLW's workout plan, the book is a good strat because it will give you an overview of what you need to be thinking about and some very practical guidleines.

Best of all, the author, Lou Schuler is a regular on this forum, very knowledgeable, actively supports his products in the NROL forums, and is most importantly, imo, is an very accessible guy in terms of time, and in terms of answering questions "in English" as opposed to jargon.


Anyway, I hope this helps, welcome to the boards. Train safe!!

[Sharon]

Dear werhardt,

Now that you are sufficiently overwhelmed, please let me assure you that we all mean well, and truly want to help you.

Please consider: if you pursue goals that ignore overall strength, fitness and health, you do a great disservice to your self.

If you are trying to measure your success by a number on your scale, again, you do yourself more harm than good.

On fitness boards like this one, we (and here I use the Royal “we”) tend to not speak of weight loss, but of “Fat Loss”. The reason being, the scale can’t tell you if you have lost more fat than muscle when you adopt a training program. When losing fat is your goal, you may lose a little muscle, but hopefully you will lose more fat when you train with heavier free weights.

This is why everyone so far has suggested you use free weights: they are more challenging to lift that using machines. Granted, free weights take more expertise to use than machines, but in the long haul, you will see that it was worth the effort.

werhardt, if you are a fan of Before and After photos, please see what lifting heavy weights did for Krista Scott-Dixon:

Krista Pics

Krista lifts weights like a power lifter, she also does olympics style lifts, and her sport of choice is Grappling.

[Sharon]

That link isn't working!

Krista Butches Up, Posts Pics

[Karen P]

Have you tried anything like Slim in Six? It's a combination of cardio and strength training. I have found it to be the best thing for toning and not adding bulk. You'll sweat more than you ever have before. I highly recommend it if your goal is to get lean and toned. Good Luck!

[missjane]

Is that an affiliate program you have in your sig?

[werhardt]

From all of my other posts, I decided to go with just using the free weights. Now that I have chosen that, can someone help me come up with an attack plan? I want to work my arms and legs. I want to slim/firm up! Please help, I am not starting from scratch.

Also how do you get rid of a little bit of cellulite on the back of the legs?

[shark]

New Rules of Lifting for Women. Can't say it enough. If you want to do this, and you want to do it right, that's one of the best/quickest/easiest ways to educate yourself.

[StuWard]

Originally Posted by werhardt

From all of my other posts, I decided to go with just using the free weights. Now that I have chosen that, can someone help me come up with an attack plan? I want to work my arms and legs. I want to slim/firm up! Please help, I am not starting from scratch.

Also how do you get rid of a little bit of cellulite on the back of the legs?

Slim + get rid of cellulite = lose fat.

You want to make sure you are in a slight to moderate calorie deficit. There are current discussions in this forum about how much of a deficit is the optimal.

For free weights, focus on what I call, the big 6.

Back Squats
Deadlifts
Bench Press
Overhead Press
Bent Row
Chin ups or lat pull downs

These, or variations of them, should make up 80% of your workouts. You can add accessory work as needed or desired.

Since you want to firm but are not that interested in size or strength, you should spend most of your effort in the 12-15 rep range. Work up to 3 sets of each with limited rest (about 60 secs) between sets. Do all 6 exercises 3 times/week on non-consecutive days. Try to use heavier weights whenever you can. If you get all 3 sets of 15 with an exercises, add weight next time. If at some point you want to start adding size or strength, reduce the reps and increase the weight. Eventually you should cycle through a range of intensities but that's for later.

That's a basic workout that will get you started. Do that until you can get the book. At any rate it will help you get used to the exercises.

Stu

[Karen P]

Also how do you get rid of a little bit of cellulite on the back of the legs?[/quote]

Lunges, lunges, and more lunges. Then some squats. You can use free weights and up the weight as you get stronger. Just hold the weights down by you rhips and out to the side while you lunge. For the squats, its easier to hold the weights up by your shoulders.

They say that cellulite is just fat on top of fat. When fat sits on top of muscle, it looks smooth. So, if you build up your hamstring and lose a little fat, you should start to notice a difference. Then again, sometimes that cellulite just won't budge. A person with hardly any body fat can still have some dimples and someone with twice as much body fat, won't have any at all. One of life's mysteries, but the lunges will help. Good Luck!

[PowerManDL]

Originally Posted by werhardt

From all of my other posts, I decided to go with just using the free weights. Now that I have chosen that, can someone help me come up with an attack plan? I want to work my arms and legs. I want to slim/firm up! Please help, I am not starting from scratch.

Also how do you get rid of a little bit of cellulite on the back of the legs?

1) What does your diet look like? Give as much detail as possible.

2) What's your history re: exercise and diet? Where did you start out, and where are you now?

3) What exactly is your goal? You said you want to "slim down" and "tone up". Ok, I kinda know what that means in chick-speak, but can you be more specific? Are you just wanting to look better overall? Hit a weight goal? Other?

[werhardt]

Thanks everyone!

Originally Posted by justinbass

Great advice here!

[sharsell119]

Just curious... why have so many people said to stop using the adductor/abductor machines? I don't personally use them but I see the trainers at my gym having folks use them a lot.

[shark]

Originally Posted by sharsell119

Just curious... why have so many people said to stop using the adductor/abductor machines? I don't personally use them but I see the trainers at my gym having folks use them a lot.

You don't need special excercises to train your legs to stay open or closed (well, unless your name is Seirra and you went to my high school). Squats and deadlifts hit those muscles just fine. In terms of life function, how often are you opening or closing your legs against heavy resistance, vs. standing up, sitting down, picking up a heavy weight from the floor, etc.

The trainers at your gym suck.

[sharsell119]

Originally Posted by shark

The trainers at your gym suck.

Which is why I haven't hired them!!

[shark]

Originally Posted by sharsell119

Which is why I haven't hired them!!

smart move... also, whatever you're drinking in that photo, i'll take one