Not a clue where to start, advice needed

[ZOMB13 G1RL]

Hey everyone.

I need some advice.

I'm a small size 12, 9 stone and 5 foot 3. I'm looking to lose weight, and specifically tone up my upper arms, bum and thighs. I really like exercise but I'm worried about getting bigger and building up muscle cause thats the last thing I want.

Look forward to hearing what advice people have to offer

 

[Goldfish]

To save myself time, I'm going to refer you to one of my recent blog posts adressing your concerns:

Here's the cliff's notes:

- If you're eating to get smaller, you won't get bigger.
- If you were eating and training in such a way as to build muscle, it would still happen at such a slow rate that you probably wouldn't even be aware of it happening. For a man to build muscle is a long, slow, arduous process. For a woman to build the same amount of muscle (if she's even biologically capable of it) is a longer, slower, more arduous process.

Now, for your goals, I would recommend you do some resistance training, 2-3 days per week. If you have access to a gym, try this:

Squats (work the legs, glutes and trunk)
Deadlift (work the glutes, hamstrings, trunk and grip strength)
Bench Press (work the triceps, shoulders, chest and upper back)
Overhead Press (work the triceps, shoulders, upper chest, glutes and core)
Lat Pull Down (work the lats, upper back, shoulders and biceps)
Row (work the upper/middle back, lats, shoulders, biceps and core)
Calf Raise (work the calves)

Do each exercise for 2 working sets and 8-12 reps per set. For squats, bench press and lat pull downs, perform at least 1 warm up set (more warm up sets if you need them). For deadlifts, overhead presses, rows and calf raises, do warm up sets only if you feel you need them -- most of the muscles involved will be warmed up from the previous exercise, although you may benefit from practicing the movement at a lighter weight. If you were to do 3 warm up sets of squats, your session might look like this (using arbitrary loads; this is not a recommendation of what you should be lifting, as that's entirely individual): 10xBW, 10x20kg, 5x30kg, 2x12x40kg.

For each exercise, pick a variation and load that's appropriate to your current abilities and needs. You may not be able to squat with a barbell on your back at first, so you might be doing dumbbell/kettlebell goblet squats, or even just body weight squats at first. Likewise, you may not be able to bench press or overhead press a barbell starting out, so you may be using dumbbells.

You should only need 1-2min rest between working sets, so this whole workout should take you about an hour, give or take. Do it 3 times a week, working your way through the rep range with each workout (starting with 2x8 and working up to 2x12) and then adding a little weight and starting over again at 2x8. You could safely run this progression for a few months without changing anything, and for a very long time if you cycle through different variations of the 7 basic movements.

 

[Fat Loss Boss]

To save myself time, I'm going to refer you to one of my recent blog posts adressing your concerns:

Here's the cliff's notes:

- If you're eating to get smaller, you won't get bigger.
- If you were eating and training in such a way as to build muscle, it would still happen at such a slow rate that you probably wouldn't even be aware of it happening. For a man to build muscle is a long, slow, arduous process. For a woman to build the same amount of muscle (if she's even biologically capable of it) is a longer, slower, more arduous process.

Now, for your goals, I would recommend you do some resistance training, 2-3 days per week. If you have access to a gym, try this:

Squats (work the legs, glutes and trunk)
Deadlift (work the glutes, hamstrings, trunk and grip strength)
Bench Press (work the triceps, shoulders, chest and upper back)
Overhead Press (work the triceps, shoulders, upper chest, glutes and core)
Lat Pull Down (work the lats, upper back, shoulders and biceps)
Row (work the upper/middle back, lats, shoulders, biceps and core)
Calf Raise (work the calves)

Do each exercise for 2 working sets and 8-12 reps per set. For squats, bench press and lat pull downs, perform at least 1 warm up set (more warm up sets if you need them). For deadlifts, overhead presses, rows and calf raises, do warm up sets only if you feel you need them -- most of the muscles involved will be warmed up from the previous exercise, although you may benefit from practicing the movement at a lighter weight. If you were to do 3 warm up sets of squats, your session might look like this (using arbitrary loads; this is not a recommendation of what you should be lifting, as that's entirely individual): 10xBW, 10x20kg, 5x30kg, 2x12x40kg.

For each exercise, pick a variation and load that's appropriate to your current abilities and needs. You may not be able to squat with a barbell on your back at first, so you might be doing dumbbell/kettlebell goblet squats, or even just body weight squats at first. Likewise, you may not be able to bench press or overhead press a barbell starting out, so you may be using dumbbells.

You should only need 1-2min rest between working sets, so this whole workout should take you about an hour, give or take. Do it 3 times a week, working your way through the rep range with each workout (starting with 2x8 and working up to 2x12) and then adding a little weight and starting over again at 2x8. You could safely run this progression for a few months without changing anything, and for a very long time if you cycle through different variations of the 7 basic movements.

AWESOME AWESOME workout plan!! I would also suggest to add a couple of days of cardio 30-40minutes

Don't forget to get your diet right as well. you cannot out train a bad diet. What does your diet look like currently? And be sure to drink LOTS and LOTS of water.

 

[Fat Loss Boss]

To save myself time, I'm going to refer you to one of my recent blog posts adressing your concerns:

Here's the cliff's notes:

- If you're eating to get smaller, you won't get bigger.
- If you were eating and training in such a way as to build muscle, it would still happen at such a slow rate that you probably wouldn't even be aware of it happening. For a man to build muscle is a long, slow, arduous process. For a woman to build the same amount of muscle (if she's even biologically capable of it) is a longer, slower, more arduous process.

Now, for your goals, I would recommend you do some resistance training, 2-3 days per week. If you have access to a gym, try this:

Squats (work the legs, glutes and trunk)
Deadlift (work the glutes, hamstrings, trunk and grip strength)
Bench Press (work the triceps, shoulders, chest and upper back)
Overhead Press (work the triceps, shoulders, upper chest, glutes and core)
Lat Pull Down (work the lats, upper back, shoulders and biceps)
Row (work the upper/middle back, lats, shoulders, biceps and core)
Calf Raise (work the calves)

Do each exercise for 2 working sets and 8-12 reps per set. For squats, bench press and lat pull downs, perform at least 1 warm up set (more warm up sets if you need them). For deadlifts, overhead presses, rows and calf raises, do warm up sets only if you feel you need them -- most of the muscles involved will be warmed up from the previous exercise, although you may benefit from practicing the movement at a lighter weight. If you were to do 3 warm up sets of squats, your session might look like this (using arbitrary loads; this is not a recommendation of what you should be lifting, as that's entirely individual): 10xBW, 10x20kg, 5x30kg, 2x12x40kg.

For each exercise, pick a variation and load that's appropriate to your current abilities and needs. You may not be able to squat with a barbell on your back at first, so you might be doing dumbbell/kettlebell goblet squats, or even just body weight squats at first. Likewise, you may not be able to bench press or overhead press a barbell starting out, so you may be using dumbbells.

You should only need 1-2min rest between working sets, so this whole workout should take you about an hour, give or take. Do it 3 times a week, working your way through the rep range with each workout (starting with 2x8 and working up to 2x12) and then adding a little weight and starting over again at 2x8. You could safely run this progression for a few months without changing anything, and for a very long time if you cycle through different variations of the 7 basic movements.

AWESOME AWESOME workout plan!! I would also suggest to add a couple of days of cardio 30-40minutes

Don't forget to get your diet right as well. you cannot out train a bad diet. What does your diet look like currently? And be sure to drink LOTS and LOTS of water.

 

[Albert Smith]

Well this is the question I heard thousand of time. I would like to give you very simple suggestions those are easy to follow. All I want that you should be regular. Just follow some of my advice for next couple of month:

• You may turn on some music to get your mind off the work out.
I find it more fun with music too. Most importantly it’s work as motivation.

• You should start off with stretching. You don't want to work out with a stiff body. So warm up your body before any form of exercise.

• After the stretch you want you lie on your back and do 50 sit-ups.
Knees to elbows and no cheating. This will give you a great abs look or what others call a six pack. Keep in mind that it’s tough. So adjust yourself.

• After that you want to do some leg holds. This is where you lie on your back and lift your legs 4 to 5 inches off the ground. This one will get your back thighs, inner things, and buttocks.

• Then after all that you want to do 25 push-ups. This will get your arms and upper body.

• This is the last step of them all and it is the most important one. Be committed.

I recommend doing these 30 minutes a day for minimum three weeks and maximum 2 month. You have to be persistent. That is the major key.

 

[PaleoDan]

Goldfish hit this one out of the park!

The real truth of weight loss, for anyone of any gender, is you want to build muscle. I know lots of women are afraid of lifting weights and suddenly turning out like an extreme female body builder, but it just doesn't happen like that. If you want those sexier curves, thinner overall body, etc. it's going to come from building muscle. Ladies don't get that curvaceous butt, hips, and thighs from simply losing weight and being skinny, it's muscle. It's just not the extreme muscle that requires extreme diet control, supplementation, and rigid workout routines, so don't worry about that.

Unfortunately, one of the biggest misconceptions around is that a person that is skinny is somehow automatically healthy. True, a skinny person may be less susceptible to certain health issues and diseases than someone that is overweight. Though, if that skinny person significantly lacks muscle, they're still not nearly as healthy as they could be. A little muscle never hurt anyone.