How did you get so toned? I have no idea...
August 15, 2013 9:35 PM Subscribe
I want to tone up a bit. I'm female, 30yrs, very satisfied with my weight and overall body shape. I've always been on the thin side and eat pretty healthy so I'm not looking to lose weight or improve my lifestyle. I have a lot going on right now so I don't want to commit to the gym or an exercise regimen. I just want to get toned by doing things here and there in my normal day to day life. I'm looking for ideas that I can do when I do other things, such as squats when I brush my teeth, or push ups in the ad breaks when I watch TV. Arm curls with cans of soup while waiting for the pasta to cook , that kind of thing. I'm not very creative in a fitness sense, so please help me brainstorm and get toned!
Looking more 'toned' just means building muscle and, usually, reducing fat so that the muscle is more visible.
If you're already on the thin side and already don't have much body fat coverage, then the only way to make your muscle definition more obvious is...to gain muscle.
I have a lot going on right now so I don't want to commit to the gym or an exercise regimen.
To be honest, I don't think it works like that. (Although I'd gladly be proved wrong.) Unless you make a lifestyle change that involves chopping cords of wood every day, or start building a mud-brick hut or something, you're just not going to build enough muscle to make a visible difference.
I do a pretty hardcore (dripping in sweat) one-hour weight session 3x per week at the gym. It took months for it to show significantly in my physical appearance.
posted by Salamander at 9:50 PM on August 15, 2013 [11 favorites]
If you're already on the thin side and already don't have much body fat coverage, then the only way to make your muscle definition more obvious is...to gain muscle.
I have a lot going on right now so I don't want to commit to the gym or an exercise regimen.
To be honest, I don't think it works like that. (Although I'd gladly be proved wrong.) Unless you make a lifestyle change that involves chopping cords of wood every day, or start building a mud-brick hut or something, you're just not going to build enough muscle to make a visible difference.
I do a pretty hardcore (dripping in sweat) one-hour weight session 3x per week at the gym. It took months for it to show significantly in my physical appearance.
posted by Salamander at 9:50 PM on August 15, 2013 [11 favorites]
(Oops...sorry if I didn't answer the question - I didn't mean to sound so discouraging! Maybe someone more creative than I will have some ideas...)
posted by Salamander at 9:52 PM on August 15, 2013
posted by Salamander at 9:52 PM on August 15, 2013
Response by poster: Sorry guys, perhaps I didn't make it clear enough that I just want to slip some sneaky exercise into my single mum/full time working lifestyle. I don't want or need to shed any weight, I don't want or need to become muscle bound. I just thought it might be cool to think outside the box in terms of repetitive exercises than can be done around my home or workplace. Hopefully this clarifies.
- OP
posted by Youremyworld at 10:02 PM on August 15, 2013
- OP
posted by Youremyworld at 10:02 PM on August 15, 2013
Regular 2-3x a week weightlifting regimens will not make you "musclebound". You have to make a huge commitment to diet and exercise in order to become "musclebound".
You can try doing pushups/squats in 25 descending reps (25 of one then 25 of the other, then 24, 23, all the way down to 1).
posted by elizardbits at 10:05 PM on August 15, 2013 [9 favorites]
You can try doing pushups/squats in 25 descending reps (25 of one then 25 of the other, then 24, 23, all the way down to 1).
posted by elizardbits at 10:05 PM on August 15, 2013 [9 favorites]
Salamander is correct. Toned means lifting heavy weights on a regular schedule, and you can do fine on three hours a week. This is especially true after 30 for men and women when the body fat starts to sag a bit.
Also, particularly as a female, weightlifting will not make you muscle bound without extremely intense and purposeful effort. As in consuming your life levels of effort. Even as a male it takes very deliberate effort.
Since you don't have much freetime I would suggest bodyweight exercises (google it) - things like pushups, planks, and bodyweight squats.
posted by MillMan at 10:06 PM on August 15, 2013 [2 favorites]
Also, particularly as a female, weightlifting will not make you muscle bound without extremely intense and purposeful effort. As in consuming your life levels of effort. Even as a male it takes very deliberate effort.
Since you don't have much freetime I would suggest bodyweight exercises (google it) - things like pushups, planks, and bodyweight squats.
posted by MillMan at 10:06 PM on August 15, 2013 [2 favorites]
Best answer: Did you read through this thread already?
posted by tan_coul at 10:07 PM on August 15, 2013
posted by tan_coul at 10:07 PM on August 15, 2013
Oh, I totally get that. I would hate to look muscle-bound myself! My point was, I've been conscientiously doing weight sessions 3 times a week, religiously, for a year, and I look nowhere near muscle-bound. Instead, it has only made a subtle, but noticeable, difference to my shape.
So, unfortunately, I think that much less than that is going to make zero difference to your appearance.
posted by Salamander at 10:11 PM on August 15, 2013 [2 favorites]
So, unfortunately, I think that much less than that is going to make zero difference to your appearance.
posted by Salamander at 10:11 PM on August 15, 2013 [2 favorites]
Best answer: Well, if you can do squats, pushups, and pullups, you're covering all of your muscle groups. These are all things that can be done quickly with no special equipment (minus the pullups, you'd need something to grab onto, but a very sturdy table can be used for reverse rows). Every time you think about it, jump down and do 15 pushups, then grab the heaviest thing you can find and do as many squats as you can, then do some pullups. This would take just a few minutes, and if you did it several times a day, you'd be getting in some decent exercise without planning a "workout". You won't see the same results as actually having a workout routine, but after a while you should feel stronger than if you did nothing.
Weight training with heavy weights is the best bang-for-buck workout you can do to have any significant change in your body composition, but anything helps, and if you do it long enough, you will see some change. The main key is that it has to be difficult. Doing 5 bodyweight squats when you are capable of doing 50 is not going to do anything for you. The key is going to be doing each exercise until you almost can't do it anymore. Whether that's doing 5 pushups or 35, if it still feels easy, you aren't going to have any physical benefits. That's why people don't end up with great looking bodies just by walking around the mall. You have to push yourself to see improvement, and as your body improves, you'll have to work harder to keep pushing yourself.
posted by markblasco at 10:21 PM on August 15, 2013 [2 favorites]
Weight training with heavy weights is the best bang-for-buck workout you can do to have any significant change in your body composition, but anything helps, and if you do it long enough, you will see some change. The main key is that it has to be difficult. Doing 5 bodyweight squats when you are capable of doing 50 is not going to do anything for you. The key is going to be doing each exercise until you almost can't do it anymore. Whether that's doing 5 pushups or 35, if it still feels easy, you aren't going to have any physical benefits. That's why people don't end up with great looking bodies just by walking around the mall. You have to push yourself to see improvement, and as your body improves, you'll have to work harder to keep pushing yourself.
posted by markblasco at 10:21 PM on August 15, 2013 [2 favorites]
Best answer: I do a five to ten minute bodyweight/heavy weight lifting routine at night before bed. That's it--five to ten minutes. And without humblebragging about it, I will say that I'm fairly toned. So I would say definitely go for some bodyweight exercises, maybe lift some heavy weights, and setting aside even a short amount of dedicated workout time can yield results.
posted by whistle pig at 10:23 PM on August 15, 2013
posted by whistle pig at 10:23 PM on August 15, 2013
Best answer: I like this list of body weight exercises. You should be able to fit them in throughout the day.
posted by sacrifix at 10:34 PM on August 15, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by sacrifix at 10:34 PM on August 15, 2013 [1 favorite]
Walking lunges while watching TV, with fast jump-rope during the ads, maybe? Or set an amount of push-ups/squats you want to complete during an episode of your favourite TV show and pump them out while watching. For work, if you have stairs you could try running up them?
Honestly though, if you're looking for 'tone' in the sense that fitness magazines use it - visibly tighter, more dense muscle and firmer flesh - you're only going to get that if you drop body fat and/or put on more muscle, and generally that takes a lot of dedication to diet and heavy exercise. I'm not trying to be rude; that'd just how most bodies work, unfortunately. Good luck!
posted by zennish at 10:43 PM on August 15, 2013
Honestly though, if you're looking for 'tone' in the sense that fitness magazines use it - visibly tighter, more dense muscle and firmer flesh - you're only going to get that if you drop body fat and/or put on more muscle, and generally that takes a lot of dedication to diet and heavy exercise. I'm not trying to be rude; that'd just how most bodies work, unfortunately. Good luck!
posted by zennish at 10:43 PM on August 15, 2013
Best answer: Gymnastics warm-ups. I'm still working on "FSP for true beginner":
60s plank
60s reverse plank
60s perfect hollow hold with hands over your head
60s arch hold in the superman flying position
60s Parallel Bar support.
60s chin up grip dead hang
This can be done with almost no equipment. You'll need a chair for the parallel bar support, and some sort of actual bar for the dead hang. But you can substitute inverted rows for the dead hang.
posted by d. z. wang at 10:57 PM on August 15, 2013 [2 favorites]
60s plank
60s reverse plank
60s perfect hollow hold with hands over your head
60s arch hold in the superman flying position
60s Parallel Bar support.
60s chin up grip dead hang
This can be done with almost no equipment. You'll need a chair for the parallel bar support, and some sort of actual bar for the dead hang. But you can substitute inverted rows for the dead hang.
posted by d. z. wang at 10:57 PM on August 15, 2013 [2 favorites]
Also, note that descending sets starting at 25 means you'll do 325 in total. 325 push-ups and 325 squats is a very serious workout. I can only assume elizardbits used to be pretty hardcore into gymnastics or circus or prison or something.
posted by d. z. wang at 11:00 PM on August 15, 2013 [10 favorites]
posted by d. z. wang at 11:00 PM on August 15, 2013 [10 favorites]
Best answer: I have the same body type as you, and the same attitude.
When watching TV I do repetitions of tricep dips against the couch. Alternate with push ups or sun salutes. Or I 'sit' against a wall pushing into it. Great for core strength.
I do lunges and bicep curls with cans of soup in each hand
In the shower I stand on one leg. Three minutes. As I brush my teeth I stand on the other for three minutes. This is excellent for balance and strength.
To stretch newly washed jeans I do a bunch of low, long squats.
If I am waiting for my toast to pop, I do leg stretches against a kitchen chair.
When I am waiting for something in the microwave I do cross the body arm stretches and arm swings.
When I am walking the dogs I take long lunge strides when no one is watching.
posted by honey-barbara at 1:19 AM on August 16, 2013 [6 favorites]
When watching TV I do repetitions of tricep dips against the couch. Alternate with push ups or sun salutes. Or I 'sit' against a wall pushing into it. Great for core strength.
I do lunges and bicep curls with cans of soup in each hand
In the shower I stand on one leg. Three minutes. As I brush my teeth I stand on the other for three minutes. This is excellent for balance and strength.
To stretch newly washed jeans I do a bunch of low, long squats.
If I am waiting for my toast to pop, I do leg stretches against a kitchen chair.
When I am waiting for something in the microwave I do cross the body arm stretches and arm swings.
When I am walking the dogs I take long lunge strides when no one is watching.
posted by honey-barbara at 1:19 AM on August 16, 2013 [6 favorites]
I'm not looking to lose weight or improve my lifestyle. I have a lot going on right now so I don't want to commit to the gym or an exercise regimen. I just want to get toned by doing things here and there in my normal day to day life. I'm looking for ideas that I can do when I do other things, such as squats when I brush my teeth, or push ups in the ad breaks when I watch TV. Arm curls with cans of soup while waiting for the pasta to cook , that kind of thing
Sorry to be negative, but it's just not going to happen like that. Anybody you see who looks "toned" -- which is a colloquial term for "moderately muscular with low body fat" -- is either that way naturally due to their genetics and normal lifestyle, which doesn't apply to you or you wouldn't be asking this question, or is that way because of a conscious effort to diet and exercise (with emphasis on the diet). This page has a good overview of the fundamentals if you decide you do want to commit to something a little more involved.
Now I'm not saying that you can't get benefits to your health and well-being from incorporating easy exercise into your life without hard dieting and exercise. Walking more is one of the best ways to do that. Maybe get a pedometer and find ways to increase the number of steps you take every day. But it sounds like your question is about changing your appearance, and that's a different story.
posted by ludwig_van at 5:51 AM on August 16, 2013 [4 favorites]
Sorry to be negative, but it's just not going to happen like that. Anybody you see who looks "toned" -- which is a colloquial term for "moderately muscular with low body fat" -- is either that way naturally due to their genetics and normal lifestyle, which doesn't apply to you or you wouldn't be asking this question, or is that way because of a conscious effort to diet and exercise (with emphasis on the diet). This page has a good overview of the fundamentals if you decide you do want to commit to something a little more involved.
Now I'm not saying that you can't get benefits to your health and well-being from incorporating easy exercise into your life without hard dieting and exercise. Walking more is one of the best ways to do that. Maybe get a pedometer and find ways to increase the number of steps you take every day. But it sounds like your question is about changing your appearance, and that's a different story.
posted by ludwig_van at 5:51 AM on August 16, 2013 [4 favorites]
ALSO if you have gallon jugs of anything in the house (milk, laundry detergent, etc) save them and fill them with water. 1gal of water is about 8.4lbs, so one in each hand when doing squats or split squats is a good beginner's level weight.
posted by elizardbits at 7:44 AM on August 16, 2013
posted by elizardbits at 7:44 AM on August 16, 2013
Best answer: I'm going to give the side eye to all the naysayers here and point out that for women, looking toned mostly means 'Michelle Obama Arms'. So I'd focus on doing some push-ups during commercials and stuff like that.
posted by bq at 7:57 AM on August 16, 2013
posted by bq at 7:57 AM on August 16, 2013
Here's an oldy but a goody - home workouts with a sledgehammer!
posted by abecedarium radiolarium at 11:05 AM on August 16, 2013
posted by abecedarium radiolarium at 11:05 AM on August 16, 2013
I have a similar build to you. I used to do 100 crunches in bed at night before I went to sleep, and my stomach was much more defined than it is now. I'm sure doing crunches in bed is not proper form at all but it was much more comfortable for my spine.
posted by jabes at 11:41 AM on August 16, 2013
posted by jabes at 11:41 AM on August 16, 2013
Best answer: Wow. Almost none of the comments are actually answering the question. I am also a thinly-built, healthy-eating, single mom with a full time job, and I totally get this question. I also find that brief but intense exercising of any given muscle group causes definite change to my body shape very quickly - like in a month or two. I have a brother who is a body builder, and he agrees with this, and has helped coach me.
The reasoning: "toned" is relative. It depends on your body type. If you already have very low body fat and very little muscle, a small change shows a LOT faster than if you have somewhat more muscle but more body fat over it. This is common sense. So on me, working out starts to "show" really fast, because the (almost-nonexistent) muscle is right there under the surface. Yes, there is a point where it plateaus and improvement takes a lot more effort; some of my friends get to that point before any visible effect. I don't. Regardless, I don't see the question even being overly concerned with visual effect; her question was basically "what are some creative small ways to work my muscles in and around my everyday life."
Which brings me to my answer. To get stronger muscles (and by "stronger" here we mean "non microscopic"), you have to do high-intensity stuff. NOT low-intensity-million-reps things like curling soup cans, unless curling a soup can is already really kinda hard. So: Crunches are good, in their various permutations, if you know how to do a crunch with good form (and if not, dear god, please learn before you start doing them badly). Boat pose until you want to cry. Pushups are good. Planks are good. Various yoga and/or Pilates poses are excellent. Doing squats while cleaning or watching tv is good. For me, just tensing and holding good posture as I slowly and deliberately bend over to pick up 172 crayons off the living room floor can leave my abs and quads sore, if I do it right. Stair climbing, if you have access to stairs; there are a million things you can do on a staircase (running up, jumping up, skipping steps, etc).
Finally: Learn how to hold your abs and pelvic floor in a flexed position habitually while doing other things - cooking, driving, at work. If you've never taken yoga or Pilates, this is a good reason to take at least a couple classes to get the hang of it; being conscious of your body and holding tone instead of being "slack" as you move through your daily life is what helps me the most - not only does it constantly keep the muscles working but it also makes me more aware of my body constantly and more likely to add in little stretches and workouts here and there when possible because it just FEELS GOOD. Which is the primary point in the first place. Once you get to a place where working the muscles is a habit and makes you feel good, you will find millions of ways to incorporate those movements.
posted by celtalitha at 7:04 PM on August 16, 2013 [1 favorite]
The reasoning: "toned" is relative. It depends on your body type. If you already have very low body fat and very little muscle, a small change shows a LOT faster than if you have somewhat more muscle but more body fat over it. This is common sense. So on me, working out starts to "show" really fast, because the (almost-nonexistent) muscle is right there under the surface. Yes, there is a point where it plateaus and improvement takes a lot more effort; some of my friends get to that point before any visible effect. I don't. Regardless, I don't see the question even being overly concerned with visual effect; her question was basically "what are some creative small ways to work my muscles in and around my everyday life."
Which brings me to my answer. To get stronger muscles (and by "stronger" here we mean "non microscopic"), you have to do high-intensity stuff. NOT low-intensity-million-reps things like curling soup cans, unless curling a soup can is already really kinda hard. So: Crunches are good, in their various permutations, if you know how to do a crunch with good form (and if not, dear god, please learn before you start doing them badly). Boat pose until you want to cry. Pushups are good. Planks are good. Various yoga and/or Pilates poses are excellent. Doing squats while cleaning or watching tv is good. For me, just tensing and holding good posture as I slowly and deliberately bend over to pick up 172 crayons off the living room floor can leave my abs and quads sore, if I do it right. Stair climbing, if you have access to stairs; there are a million things you can do on a staircase (running up, jumping up, skipping steps, etc).
Finally: Learn how to hold your abs and pelvic floor in a flexed position habitually while doing other things - cooking, driving, at work. If you've never taken yoga or Pilates, this is a good reason to take at least a couple classes to get the hang of it; being conscious of your body and holding tone instead of being "slack" as you move through your daily life is what helps me the most - not only does it constantly keep the muscles working but it also makes me more aware of my body constantly and more likely to add in little stretches and workouts here and there when possible because it just FEELS GOOD. Which is the primary point in the first place. Once you get to a place where working the muscles is a habit and makes you feel good, you will find millions of ways to incorporate those movements.
posted by celtalitha at 7:04 PM on August 16, 2013 [1 favorite]
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by Specklet at 9:42 PM on August 15, 2013 [2 favorites]