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I used to be fit. Legs and bum always pretty strong considering my frame and despite the fact that I have never been very sporty. So since I’m in Dubai I became soft and fluffy , which is what I want to fix now. I also want to lose about 4-5 kgs. So I started going to the gym again 1 week ago. The exercise doesn’t make me over eat, I have normal size meals and running every morning. Now instead of losing some of that weight, I’m already tightening up and just afraid that if one week of moderate exercise has started to pump me up, in a few months I’ll have the legs of a body builder.

Any advice on what exercises would help lose the diameter of my tights?

Is this a good time to post my Thailand beach pictures?


Anyway there is no right answer to your question, however, from experience you wont grow muscles if your diet is low in proteins. Concentrate on aerobics and no weight lifting of any kind. one more thing, make sure you measure your body parts every ten days and write them down to keep track of your body changes .

You have to lift less weight but do it more often.
If you lift more weight you just get pumped. It helps when you want to gain mass quickly which is not your case.
If less weight than you work on relief (form).

Keep the cardio going, my rule of thumb is 70% cardio with 30% muscle building (you said you run, why not supplement that with swimming probably twice a week?) If just keeping toned is ur plan then I'd reckon muscle building is best done with ur bodyweight as opposed to actually doing any weights. And finally if ur short and workout hard, ur bound to get stocky.So stretch! By stretch I'm not talking about ur mandatory prior to workout stretching. I'm suggesting at a proper one or twice a week stretching routine...Yoga would be excellent. Besides not many know but regular yoga as relaxed as it may seem is an excellent way to burning fat and off-course it also does keep you looking young.

PS a lil muscle IS sexy

It is very difficult for women to build any muscle because of their hormonal make-up.

* general rule of thumb consume less calories than you burn = weight loss.
* Take more calories from protein (that does not spike insulin)
* Limit carbs to fruits and veg (avoid starchy breads and rice) Read about the Glycaemic Index.
* Don't avoid a weights circuit...Just do lots of reps at a light weight.
* when doing cardio make sure your heart beats fast. ref: HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) preferably in the morning.
•* Oh, and eat eggs for breakfast.

That should get you where you want to be.

tx for the replies.

swimming is for sure a good idea and I've been thinking about it for a while now.
i guess I'm not like most women. in school I used to have 2 gym classes each of one hour a week. those 2 hours where I would avoid excercise as much as possible would keep me in such shape that people would ask where i trained

anyways, some good swimming and extra attention to not only how much but also what i eat should work

tx

I am not out of shape...

Round IS a shape!

A girl should have some fluffy bits. Rejoice in them.



Knight

'Round is a shape'...Hahahahahahhh!!



Jade

Who are you trying to kid DK, there's nothing round about you!

I hav e the same issue, I bulk up very very easily, and yup more reps less weight, try classes like Body Pump, Attack, Combat and do stuff like Yoga and Pilates to make long lean muscle.

Swimming is excellent, defo keep that up.

Pfff professionals? In Dubai? purlease I can run circles around the workouts most of those guys suggest, complete and utter garbage most of the time.

It's all about balanced workouts and diet, everything in moderation is all you need. With all the watersports I do, my upper body can get ridiculously toned, especially in the shoulder, neck and back.

It's now pretty much been proven that long hard slogs doing cardio workouts are not great, but short sharp bursts are far more effective combined with weights. Have a look at Turbulence Training, it also comes with a very good balanced diet program too.

Really it all depends on what you want to achieve. Basically if you want to lose the softness and tone up then you need to cut back on the carbs - not totally as that's not healthy - eat a good balanced diet, reduce your portion size, eat little and often to encourage your metabolism to keep going and avoid sugar rushes and low blood sugar levels. Drink lots of water, green tea is also amazing at boosting your metabolism, easing digestion etc etc and do a good all round workout.

The best advice I can give is to throw away the scales!!!! Constantly looking at your weight is no good, it's far better to go on how your clothes fit and how you actually look and feel.

Chocoholic wrote:Pfff professionals? In Dubai? purlease I can run circles around the workouts most of those guys suggest, complete and utter garbage most of the time.

It's all about balanced workouts and diet, everything in moderation is all you need. With all the watersports I do, my upper body can get ridiculously toned, especially in the shoulder, neck and back.

It's now pretty much been proven that long hard slogs doing cardio workouts are not great, but short sharp bursts are far more effective combined with weights. Have a look at Turbulence Training, it also comes with a very good balanced diet program too.

Really it all depends on what you want to achieve. Basically if you want to lose the softness and tone up then you need to cut back on the carbs - not totally as that's not healthy - eat a good balanced diet, reduce your portion size, eat little and often to encourage your metabolism to keep going and avoid sugar rushes and low blood sugar levels. Drink lots of water, green tea is also amazing at boosting your metabolism, easing digestion etc etc and do a good all round workout.

The best advice I can give is to throw away the scales!!!! Constantly looking at your weight is no good, it's far better to go on how your clothes fit and how you actually look and feel.

I eat a balanced diet:

Cheese on one side of the plate and pate on the other!

You forgot the efficatious benefits of the grape.
It is proven by doctors that theoretically a glass of wine is beneficial for the heart. My theory: The whole bottle therefore must be EXCELLENT!



Knight

If you're going that route DK then sorry to tell you that you need to swap your vino for beer as it actually against common belief contains less calories.

I loves the cheese I does - when's the next cheesey arvo?

i disagree with most posts here. i suggest heavy weights and less reps+more sets. doing barbell squats 5x5 with a heavy weight will get you more muscle mass.

more muscle mass = more calories burned while resting. and as mentioned before, sprinting, swimming, and boxing are the best way to lose fat. oh and substitute any carbs such as rice and bread to leafy vegs like spinach not lettuce.

Chocoholic wrote:If you're going that route DK then sorry to tell you that you need to swap your vino for beer as it actually against common belief contains less calories.

I loves the cheese I does - when's the next cheesey arvo?

Unfortunately I recently found I am slightly allergic to beer...after a lifetime living on the stuff. Certain brews here trigger the most hideous migraines.

Let me see what fromage delicacies are lingering at the back of the fridge. You missed the last one! It was awsome...12 varieties of cheese, Saucisson sec, rillettes and 22 varieties of pate! Nom Nom!!!

Oh...and fresh macaroons as well!

Fromage frais Rodney!



Knight

xero_ wrote:i disagree with most posts here. i suggest heavy weights and less reps+more sets. doing barbell squats 5x5 with a heavy weight will get you more muscle mass.

more muscle mass = more calories burned while resting. and as mentioned before, sprinting, swimming, and boxing are the best way to lose fat. oh and substitute any carbs such as rice and bread to leafy vegs like spinach not lettuce.

LOL this is what's known as the Dumb bloke workout - all brawn and no brains!

The OP doesn't want to build muscle - that's the whole point! What you suggest is what most people that are into body building do. Yes building muscle burns more calories, but it also encourages bulk up which is what most women want to stay away from, and instead want long, lean muscle not bulging biceps! Which is why low weights and more reps works more effectively, becuase you're toning not necessarily building muscle.

women cannot "bulk up" and have huge muscles since they do not have enough testosterone. a big misconception is that if women lift weights they are destined to have toned muscles like bruce lee.

less weight and lots of reps will only get you lactic acid intolerance and give you no results on weight loss. if you google pictures of female Olympic power lifters who does the 5x5 workout, you'd be surprised how in good shape they are while maintaining a feminine shape. the OP wanted results about losing weight, and therefore means heavy weights+HIIT.

and btw, body builders are wasting their time since what they usually do is 8, 10, 12 reps for 3 sets and a lot of volume. thats why they get huge muscles without any functionality

to improve lactic acid tollerance, just do lots of reps until failure.

Xero, you honestly don't know what you're talking about. As someone who used to do competitive sport for years I can guarantee you that I can bulk up! This is my problem now, muscle memory and that my upper body can become ridiculously muscley.

Doing reps and increasing weight till muscle exhaustion can help, but I've found workouts like Turbulence trainnig really work - short sharp bursts of high intensity work wonders.

Forget exercise...liposuction is easier!



Knight

xero_ wrote:i disagree with most posts here. i suggest heavy weights and less reps+more sets. doing barbell squats 5x5 with a heavy weight will get you more muscle mass.

more muscle mass = more calories burned while resting. and as mentioned before, sprinting, swimming, and boxing are the best way to lose fat. oh and substitute any carbs such as rice and bread to leafy vegs like spinach not lettuce.

Hey what purpose does heavy lifting serve? I mean being fit means being able to swim through a flash-flood, carrying an injured mate to safety after he was caught in a mud slide, being able to outpace the cops after a night of drunken revelry to being able to fend ur lady from a bunch a pervs at the club, and finally being good in bed!!! To do all of those weight lifting serves absolutely no purpose. None watsoeva!
So cardio, with good body weight exercises coupled with a decent diet is the only way to fitness. Talkin bout cardio, Chocoholic's suggestion regarding turbulence training or interval training is simply brill. Interval training is in my opinion is quite simply the ultimate form of exercise. It burns of the calories and get you fit.........real fast!. Try Tabata!!!

yes tabata's do work and so does turbulence training. ive read about that from the local men's health mag. i do not do it since i smoke alot, and it causes me too much pain in the lungs.

turbulence training just works because of oxidization. you expend calories through heavy consumption of oxygen. it has nothing to do with real strength. basketball players and MMA fighters alike does the 5x5 workout combined with circuits such as HIIT. but if you want your training to be useful and not a waste of time lifting sissy weights, for example moving furniture and lifting groceries, then i suggest the 5x5.

Oh well you're a great advocate for being fit and healthy then aren't you? As MCL correctly states being muscly is one thing, but it shows no real fitness, not like you could run a marathon or anything or have any kind of stamina.

The kind of training you keep banging on about will not help Raidah, so please stop going on about it and leave it to the rest of us who actually know what we're talking about.

Misery Called Life wrote: and finally being good in bed!!! To do all of those weight lifting serves absolutely no purpose. None watsoeva!
So cardio, with good body weight exercises coupled with a decent diet is the only way to fitness. Talkin bout cardio, Chocoholic's suggestion regarding turbulence training or interval training is simply brill. Interval training is in my opinion is quite simply the ultimate form of exercise. It burns of the calories and get you fit.........real fast!. Try Tabata!!!

Good point, student. Sometimes it reminds me a run in full power on 5-10 km with fractional 100 meter distance in terms of time and heart-bit. So I thank my sporty past.

As for swimming it develops mostly hand's and breast's muscles and very good for burning calories but at my age it would be better to develop abdominal muscles in terms of esthetics. To be frank I have not found effective exersises for that,

RC, hate to break it to you mate but ads are made in the kitchen NOT in the gym! It's no good doing exercises to tone up your abs if you have a layer of chub over the top hiding them! Reduce carbs and eat a clean diet, drink tonnes of water.

Sit ups and all the rest of it are good for toning, but you need to think about working your entire core. Things like pilates which focus on the core muscles work best.

Chocoholic wrote:RC, hate to break it to you mate but ads are made in the kitchen NOT in the gym! It's no good doing exercises to tone up your abs if you have a layer of chub over the top hiding them! Reduce carbs and eat a clean diet, drink tonnes of water.

Sit ups and all the rest of it are good for toning, but you need to think about working your entire core. Things like pilates which focus on the core muscles work best.

I can only partly agree and I have excluded bread and beer (the most difficalt) from my diet and eat as little as possible but I cannot believe that anybody knows what perfect diet is. So phisical training is my baby and as soon as swimming is good for breast and hands there is another activity for abs.

On the other hand I have realized that swimming makes muscles more static, which is bad for a punch in boxing or a spike in volleyball.

Every sport requires a specific kind of fitness: 100m sprinters need speed, marathon runners require endurance. Boxers need flexibility, speed and endurance.
But the original question related to how one looks.

If one is slightly overweight you must take in a few less calories than you expend. That is the basis for losing weight. If you take in too few calories your body will go into starvation mode and will try at all costs to retain body fat, to be used as energy later.
Aerobic exercise will aid weight loss. Anerobic exercise (weights) done with hih reps will tone and shape.

smoggie wrote:If one is slightly overweight you must take in a few less calories than you expend. That is the basis for losing weight. If you take in too few calories your body will go into starvation mode and will try at all costs to retain body fat, to be used as energy later.

It's absolutely baseless statement because nobody knows how energetic balance works for a man. For instance if I eat twice against my day norm I should double my weight in a year but it isn't gonna happen. We only know how to burn calories in a physical training. That's why in my view regular training is a key point.

That's why in my view regular training is a key point.

Well if that strategy works for you, that is all that matters.

Red Chief wrote:

Misery Called Life wrote: and finally being good in bed!!! To do all of those weight lifting serves absolutely no purpose. None watsoeva!
So cardio, with good body weight exercises coupled with a decent diet is the only way to fitness. Talkin bout cardio, Chocoholic's suggestion regarding turbulence training or interval training is simply brill. Interval training is in my opinion is quite simply the ultimate form of exercise. It burns of the calories and get you fit.........real fast!. Try Tabata!!!

Good point, student. Sometimes it reminds me a run in full power on 5-10 km with fractional 100 meter distance in terms of time and heart-bit. So I thank my sporty past.

As for swimming it develops mostly hand's and breast's muscles and very good for burning calories but at my age it would be better to develop abdominal muscles in terms of esthetics. To be frank I have not found effective exersises for that,

5-10 kms? Hoot hoot, that's quite awsome man!
Agree with ur views on swimming, Intensive swimming does give you this amazing tone. The breast stroke coupled with the butterfly stroke, is just great for the arms, shoulders and chest.
That said I've never seen fit older men sport flat stomachs. I'm assuming ur in the range of 50 and about. I guess at that age most men are just worried about weight. As long as their BMI falls within the acceptable range, they're good. That said I think older men derive their sex appeal from strong arms and good broad shoulders a la Mr.Putin as opposed to tight flat stomachs.

Misery Called Life wrote:
That said I've never seen fit older men sport flat stomachs. I'm assuming ur in the range of 50 and about. I guess at that age most men are just worried about weight. As long as their BMI falls within the acceptable range, they're good. That said I think older men derive their love appeal from strong arms and good broad shoulders a la Mr.Putin as opposed to tight flat stomachs.

I am 40 y.o. and 187 cm in height. So I'm much younger, taller and broader in shoulders than Mr. Putin. On the other hand he looks pretty fit in his 58 y.o. I must say.

As for worry about weight it's not about age but rather the girl you walk with.