POLL: Do you exercise regularly?

[lilFajita]

Originally posted by: Amused
"Toning" comes from decreased body fat. If you want to be tone, you need to lengthen the time you do cardio and moderate your diet. If you want to tone without getting much skinnier, you have to maximize your weight lifting. Lift heavy, and minimize the sets and reps you do. Less is more. Work each muscle group once a week and do every set to complete failure and with maximum intensity.

There is really only one way to work with weights. How "big" you get depends totally on your diet (and genetics) not in how you lift weights. How "toned" you get depends on how much fat you burn... not in how you lift your weights.

Thanks for the advice!
I really don't want to lose much more weight...it doens't seem like I lose in the right places. And I am ok with my upper body- I would just like my legs and perhaps abs to be much more tone. I do alot of cardio because I have a low stamina level, so I was hoping that would help....plus, I gotta balance out my sometimes sketchy eating habits. Lately, I have been doing what you said: when I do any weight training, I do the max amount I can, and only about two sets of 10 (at the end of which my muscles are totally fatigued). I really hope it makes a difference. If I can fix up these legs, I'll be a happy girl!

 

[Amused]

Originally posted by: lilFajita

Originally posted by: Amused
"Toning" comes from decreased body fat. If you want to be tone, you need to lengthen the time you do cardio and moderate your diet. If you want to tone without getting much skinnier, you have to maximize your weight lifting. Lift heavy, and minimize the sets and reps you do. Less is more. Work each muscle group once a week and do every set to complete failure and with maximum intensity.

There is really only one way to work with weights. How "big" you get depends totally on your diet (and genetics) not in how you lift weights. How "toned" you get depends on how much fat you burn... not in how you lift your weights.

Thanks for the advice!
I really don't want to lose much more weight...it doens't seem like I lose in the right places. And I am ok with my upper body- I would just like my legs and perhaps abs to be much more tone. I do alot of cardio because I have a low stamina level, so I was hoping that would help....plus, I gotta balance out my sometimes sketchy eating habits. Lately, I have been doing what you said: when I do any weight training, I do the max amount I can, and only about two sets of 10 (at the end of which my muscles are totally fatigued). I really hope it makes a difference. If I can fix up these legs, I'll be a happy girl!

You're welcome 🙂 There are a lot of exercise myths out there. I'm just doing my best to debunk them one by one 🙂

Hey, check out my sig. Have you been to Geekfitness.com?

 

[DougK62]

If you want to tone without getting much skinnier, you have to maximize your weight lifting. Lift heavy, and minimize the sets and reps you do.

This is not correct. Toning your muscles involves lots of reps at a lower weight. You do low sets and low reps with high weight when you want to bulk up.

 

[WinkOsmosis]

Originally posted by: DougK62

If you want to tone without getting much skinnier, you have to maximize your weight lifting. Lift heavy, and minimize the sets and reps you do.

This is not correct. Toning your muscles involves lots of reps at a lower weight. You do low sets and low reps with high weight when you want to bulk up.

I think it's been decided that that is a myth.

 

[SludgeFactory]

Originally posted by: WinkOsmosis

Originally posted by: DougK62

If you want to tone without getting much skinnier, you have to maximize your weight lifting. Lift heavy, and minimize the sets and reps you do.

This is not correct. Toning your muscles involves lots of reps at a lower weight. You do low sets and low reps with high weight when you want to bulk up.

I think it's been decided that that is a myth.

Affirmative.

 

[DougK62]

Originally posted by: SludgeFactory

Originally posted by: WinkOsmosis

Originally posted by: DougK62

If you want to tone without getting much skinnier, you have to maximize your weight lifting. Lift heavy, and minimize the sets and reps you do.

This is not correct. Toning your muscles involves lots of reps at a lower weight. You do low sets and low reps with high weight when you want to bulk up.

I think it's been decided that that is a myth.

Affirmative.

Can you point to some reliable sources? I've been lifting for quite a long time and keep up on new things as best as I can - I've never heard of this. I'm a walking billboard for high weight/low rep = bulk and low weight/high rep = tone.

 

[bernse]

I try to run every night (although it usually works out to 5 times a week) for about 1/2 an hour.

No idea how many calories it burns.

 

[SWScorch]

Well, let's see...

Sunday - Day Off
Monday - 20minute am run, 2 hour pm run/workout
Tuesday - Day Off (not by choice...)
Wednesday - 20 minute am run, 2 hour pm run/workout
Thursday - 2 hour pm run/workout
Friday - 1 hour pm run/workout
Saturday - am race; 8K (5.2 miles)

supposedly running burns what, 600 cal/hour? So that's... umm 5200 calories a week?

 

[kmac1914]

Since I've been back to school i've started running at least 3-4 times a week. I've worked my way up to a mile without being horribly tired...but i don't know--would it be better to keep running like on the track or to use one of the bikes?

 

[Aves]

No. I want to but I'm just too damn lazy.

I need Skoorb to come over and whip me into shape.

 

[SludgeFactory]

Originally posted by: DougK62
Can you point to some reliable sources? I've been lifting for quite a long time and keep up on new things as best as I can - I've never heard of this. I'm a walking billboard for high weight/low rep = bulk and low weight/high rep = tone.

"Toning" is a fitness bunny term for increasing muscular definition. Not trying to rag on you about choice of words, but that particular one has a negative connotation among a lot of people. The primary way to increase muscular definition is by decreasing bodyfat (cutting), and secondarily by increasing the size of the muscles. High rep/low weight resistance training does neither of those things to a high degree. It is generally a poor method of burning calories for decreasing bodyfat, and it is generally a poor method for increasing the size of muscles, except perhaps in the completely untrained individual.

 

[Koing]

Mon: O-Lifts
Tues:
Wed: O-Lifts
Thurs:
Fri:
Sat: O-Lifts
Sun:Gymnastics

I also commute 5mile round trip on my bike Mon-Fri excluding Tues as it is a free day.

I get about 11hrs of exercise a week exluding commute. 3.5hrs of Gymnastics on Sunday.

Summer = Tennis, Rock climbing and swimming.

Koing

 

[StageLeft]

Originally posted by: DougK62

Originally posted by: SludgeFactory

Originally posted by: WinkOsmosis

Originally posted by: DougK62

If you want to tone without getting much skinnier, you have to maximize your weight lifting. Lift heavy, and minimize the sets and reps you do.

This is not correct. Toning your muscles involves lots of reps at a lower weight. You do low sets and low reps with high weight when you want to bulk up.

I think it's been decided that that is a myth.

Affirmative.

Can you point to some reliable sources? I've been lifting for quite a long time and keep up on new things as best as I can - I've never heard of this. I'm a walking billboard for high weight/low rep = bulk and low weight/high rep = tone.

It is false. High reps will simply aim towards more endurance, while low will aim towards more strength size. Neither muscle - other than size - will "look more toned", as toning is a result of shape (reps do not affect that), size (lower make you bigger), and bodyfat. My surfing is screwed now but plug in "high rep toning myth" into google.

 

[Koing]

Originally posted by: SludgeFactory

Originally posted by: DougK62
Can you point to some reliable sources? I've been lifting for quite a long time and keep up on new things as best as I can - I've never heard of this. I'm a walking billboard for high weight/low rep = bulk and low weight/high rep = tone.

"Toning" is a fitness bunny term for increasing muscular definition. Not trying to rag on you about choice of words, but that particular one has a negative connotation among a lot of people. The primary way to increase muscular definition is by decreasing bodyfat (cutting), and secondarily by increasing the size of the muscles. High rep/low weight resistance training does neither of those things to a high degree. It is generally a poor method of burning calories for decreasing bodyfat, and it is generally a poor method for increasing the size of muscles, except perhaps in the completely untrained individual.

12-15 reps at best weight you can is for bulk.

4-6reps is for strength.

Depends what you call low weight. But any weight you can do for 12-15reps which will aid for size and bulk. But the weight has to be trying. It can't be something you could do for say 50reps ala 2kg dumbell..........

Koing

 

[sash1]

Option for twice a day please? Once in the morning before school, and then again in the afternoon.

`K

 

[wjones]

Originally posted by: Kauru
Option for twice a day please? Once in the morning before school, and then again in the afternoon.

`K

Here you go, updated poll. Nice to be a student, plenty of time to exercise. I only can squeeze out an hour/day (Mon-Fri) for exercise.

 

[Kev]

Originally posted by: Skoorb

Originally posted by: FuZioN
yeah i go to the gym 4x a week...
last year...

Haven?t been there since.. :-( Not working out for a year really takes a toll on your physique. DOH! I really need to get back working out a regular basis again.

A year without working out? I can't imagine that would hurt your physique 😉

how much of a toll would 5 years take? i want to know what i'm up against

 

[Amused]

Originally posted by: DougK62

If you want to tone without getting much skinnier, you have to maximize your weight lifting. Lift heavy, and minimize the sets and reps you do.

This is not correct. Toning your muscles involves lots of reps at a lower weight. You do low sets and low reps with high weight when you want to bulk up.

This is one of the myths I've been seeking to debunk. "Toned" by definition is the appearence of low body fat. It has nothing to do with the size of the muscle, but how reveiled it becomes after the fat covering it is lost. Lifting for high reps can do nothing for "toning" because it does not burn fat, nor does it build muscle. About all it does is build specific muscular endurance.

"Bulking" comes from diet. Not from your workout. Go to just about ANY fitness site online and you'll find that when bodybuilders "bulk" or "cut," their workouts stay the same, and their diets and amount of cardio they do changes. You may find them lifting lighter weights while they are "cutting" but that's only because they have signifigantly reduced their carbs and overall calories to lose fat and don't have the energy to apply maximum intensity to their workouts.

Finally, she's a GIRL. Unless she suppliments with testosterone, she will NOT get bulky no matter how much she eats or how heavy she lifts. This is a myth that is REALLY hurting how women workout.

 

[abracadabra1]

6 days a week.

Sprints in the early afternoon; lifting at night...w00t!

 

[M0oG0oGaiPan]

Yes. Balls to the walls.

 

[wjones]

Since I started exercise from mid August, as of today, I lost 15 lbs in 2 months 🙂 down from 180 lbs to 165 lbs. Another 15 lbs to go, target at 150 lbs.

 

[PanzerIV]

I've been switching things up for variety but my excercise routine consists of tennis, fast walking, light jogging and running stadium stairs at a local college. I've lost some weight although I don't really need to but that's what happens since I haven't increased my caloric intake.
I've noticed I've been able to increase my stadium stair running so something must be working, although at other times I feel like I never progress. Regardless, I love being outdoors and doing something...especially with the cooler evenings now.

 

[Red Dawn]

Originally posted by: Amused

Originally posted by: DougK62

If you want to tone without getting much skinnier, you have to maximize your weight lifting. Lift heavy, and minimize the sets and reps you do.

This is not correct. Toning your muscles involves lots of reps at a lower weight. You do low sets and low reps with high weight when you want to bulk up.

This is one of the myths I've been seeking to debunk. "Toned" by definition is the appearence of low body fat. It has nothing to do with the size of the muscle, but how reveiled it becomes after the fat covering it is lost. Lifting for high reps can do nothing for "toning" because it does not burn fat, nor does it build muscle. About all it does is build specific muscular endurance.

"Bulking" comes from diet. Not from your workout. Go to just about ANY fitness site online and you'll find that when bodybuilders "bulk" or "cut," their workouts stay the same, and their diets and amount of cardio they do changes. You may find them lifting lighter weights while they are "cutting" but that's only because they have signifigantly reduced their carbs and overall calories to lose fat and don't have the energy to apply maximum intensity to their workouts.

Finally, she's a GIRL. Unless she suppliments with testosterone, she will NOT get bulky no matter how much she eats or how heavy she lifts. This is a myth that is REALLY hurting how women workout.

Funny I haven't lifted heavy in almost a year but with High Intensity workouts using light wieghts My Arms,Shoulders and Legs have gotten bigger and definately more defined. That said, lifting, Cardio and diet will give you faster and more pronounced results.

 

[DivideBYZero]

Soccer twice a week and MTB at weekends.

 

[wjones]

Down another 5 lbs to 160 lbs now, lost 20 lbs in 3+ months 🙂