Muscle Toning And Workouts

[[old] akit110]

"My legs and arms (including top of shoulders) already have good definition but the chest is still yeccchhh. I can't wait for the "point" you experienced, I am now at 179 lbs."<br /><br /><br />I can't help but think the fact that rowing doesn't really stress the 'pushing' muscles of the upper body (chest, triceps, and front shoulders) like it does the 'pulling' muscles (back, biceps, rear shoulders) might be (partially) contributing to this. <br /><br />Of course, if you're carrying any extra weight, the chest - like the abs - tends to be one of the last places to get lean, unlike say the legs or arms. From what I read, most people tend to lose weight the most quickly in the extremities with the fat deposited on the torso being the last to get lean. <br />

[[old] John Rupp]

HCC,<br /><br />Any updates? <br /><br />I noticed last you were having back pain. Since you are 5'6 that was probably caused by going hard at 22 spm and no surprise. Unless you are VERY strong and/or tall be sure to keep your rating up to a normal speed.<br /><br />Toning is what comes from improving the tensile strength of the muscle.<br /><br />For example, Olympic weightlifters, who have the highest strength for body weight, have a very high tensile strength in their muscles. Body builders also like to have a high amount of tone in their muscles and, I believe, are judged based on this.<br /><br />Those whose only concern is getting as big as possible are probably not as concerned with the tone of their muscles.

[[old] ljwagner]

Rowing can't do too much in the chest, you don't push your arms forward with power and resistance. You will get a muscle imbalance, and shoulders drawn back a bit too much, since you back musles should be gaining in size and strength.<br /><br />Start working on pushups, sets with elbows in, sets with them out. The chest muscles pull the arms across the chest Pullups will get them some, too. Start doing more ab work, to balance the build up in strength in your hips and back. <br /><br />We store most of our fat in the torso, so the flabby skin might not go away, and more may be coming as you lose more weight. If you get to your goal weight, and realy really hate that look, you can try cosmetic surgery to remove the excess skin. If you lose weight at 2 pounds a week, I've read the body frequently can re-absorb the skin. Your mileage may vary.<br /><br />Good Luck and Congraulations for your accomplishments.

[[old] Byron Drachman]

<!--QuoteBegin--><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><div class='genmed'><b>QUOTE</b></div></td></tr><tr><td class='quote'><!--QuoteEBegin-->For those of us who wish to leave no doubt as to the maleness of ourselves, words like "ripped" and "chiselled" work far better . </td></tr></table><br /><br />Yep, that's me. Heh, heh. Linda says<br /><br /><!--QuoteBegin--><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><div class='genmed'><b>QUOTE</b></div></td></tr><tr><td class='quote'><!--QuoteEBegin-->I was able to achieve a very strong, toned (I CAN use the word) flab free physique using a combination of better diet and lots of erging. You can do it too. </td></tr></table><br /><br />I agree with Linda that you just need to keep at it. Also, have you tried the upper body workout DVD by Xeno Muller? It works on core strength and flexibility by using the C2 in interesting and novel ways, and gets muscles that ordinary rowing don't get. Use this DVD a couple of times a week and I think you'll see a difference in the chest and shoulders. <br /><br />Byron