Toning up in 5 weeks

[Optrix]

Hi

Im 18 and wish to tone myself up a bit in the next 5 weeks. I'm quite skinny, and don't have access to a gym.

What sort of exercises/routines can i do to help tone myself up a bit?

I guess itll be along the lines of doing a lot of sit ups and press ups?

[emartin10]

You should do a quick search around here. There are about a million threads like this. The long and short of it will be to clean up your diet significantly, and be sure to focus on ALL parts of your body, including your legs. 5 weeks is a pretty short amount of time, so don't get your hopes up TOO high, but you can make some changes between now and then. Good luck, and welcome!

[Optrix]

Thanks.

Any chance of linking me to a similar thread? I can't find one

[chris_f]

optrix... have you tried using the search function, or have you just been browsing manually? We get one of these questions about once every 2 or 3 weeks.

[OldGuy]

http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=459685

Reading material.

[Optrix]

I was guessing mine was more of a specialist case, due to the factors i listed.


What key words do you recommend i search for?

[emartin10]

I'd suggest:

Cutting
Toning
Bodyweight Routine

...to start.

[Blackjack]

Hold the phone!!! How skinny are you?

If you are already lean, the only way to "tone up" is to gain muscle mass. Cutting may not be what you need to do. This would be both a diet and workout issue. Most likely, you need to eat a lot and lift a lot. If you're already skinny, cutting will simply cause LBM loss, which is the opposite of what you want, I think.

Can you provide some stats - height, weight, bf% etc?

[Optrix]

I am about 6 ft 3, and weight 10.5 stone.

Wouldnt know my bf%.

What is cutting exactly?

[Firm&Fine]

Optrix,

At 6'3" and 147 pounds, you need to eat, then eat some more. You need to add some body mass. I'm sure you know this already.

Good luck, though I don't expect you'll see a big difference in 5 weeks.

[AS]

Right, at that height and weight I cant imagine you have much muscle on your frame. As others have said, your goal should be to eat enough and find some way to lift some weights(make your own weights if you dont have access to a gym). Find heavy things around the house or outside and just start lifting them.

People around here often refer to "cutting" and "bulking" cycles. Basically, cutting is when you eat less than your maintenance calories (the number of calories it takes to maintain your body weight). When youre cutting, you are trying to burn fat off your body while trying not to lose muscle mass.

Bulking is when you eat more than your maintenance calories while lifting to add muscle mass (and probably a little fat also, although the goal is to minimize fat gain). Its really very difficult to add muscle and lose fat at the same time, so most people take it in cycles..its usually much easier that way. Hopefully that helps a little, although i wouldnt expect to see drastic changes in only 5 weeks.

[Optrix]

Ah, thanks.

Are push ups a good enough substitue for weights?

What sort of food should i be eating, and what sort of food pattern should i observe?

[Blackjack]

That was my concern. Right now you are so lean, that it's not possible to "tone up". You don't have that much muscle mass and most likely you don't have a lot of body fat either. I hate to sound like a T-Nation goon, but you need to put on some weight. Only way to do that is to eat. Eat a lot, lift heavy stuff, repeat. Sorry.

For nutritional advice go to www.johnberardi.com and start reading. Especially his Massive Eating articles.

Pushups are a great exercise to an extent. As are pull ups, dips, and other bodyweight exercises. But they'll only get you to a certain point and you'll need to add more resistance. They are a great way to start as a novice.

My advice would be to save up some money and purchase a set of adjustable dumbells or a barbell set. You can generally pick some up at a used sports equipment store for relatively cheap, less than $50 usually. Also a good bench would be a good investment.

Good luck!