Muscle Toning And Workouts

[[old] H33]

Hi,<br /><br />I am in my mid-40's and started a month ago at 200 lbs. with a height of 5' 6". I am averaging 6,500 meters a day and vary between 2,000 and 11,000 meters every 24 hours. My workouts are very vigorous and I am always within 3-7% of my best times. <br /><br />Today I weighed in at 182 lbs. but still feel "flabby", especially in the chest area. The arms and legs look just fine but the rest is lacking. Is the muscle I am developing still hidden under fat and when I get to a certain weight will it start to appear? My goal is to be around 140 lbs. or less by July.

[[old] DIESEL]

<!--QuoteBegin-H33+Feb 2 2005, 01:11 AM--><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><div class='genmed'><b>QUOTE(H33 @ Feb 2 2005, 01:11 AM)</b></div></td></tr><tr><td class='quote'><!--QuoteEBegin-->Hi,<br /><br />I am in my mid-40's and started a month ago at 200 lbs. with a height of 5' 6".  I am averaging 6,500 meters a day and vary between 2,000 and 11,000 meters every 24 hours.  My workouts are very vigorous and I am always within 3-7% of my best times.  <br /><br />Today I weighed in at 182 lbs. but still feel "flabby", especially in the chest area.  The arms and legs look just fine but the rest is lacking.  Is the muscle I am  developing still hidden under fat and when I get to a certain weight will it start to appear?  My goal is to be around 140 lbs. or less by July. <br /> </td></tr></table><br /><br />I'm assuming you're a woman? Men shouldn't use the word "toning" . If you're a guy - stop using the word "toning" - that's a word they invented so you don't freak out fat housewives when you tell them that you have to burn fat and gain muscle mass to get "toned." "toning" sounds much more, well... feminine. <br /><br />Anyway, to answer your questions.. Rowing won't develop your pecs all that much. You need to hit the weights for that. And yes, as you get leaner your new muscle will pop out in all its glory. <br /><br />Good luck, <br />D

[[old] CAROLE MAC]

mmmmmmmmmmmm I like toned men .. P...............................rather than body builders .......

[[old] H33]

<!--QuoteBegin-CAROLE MAC+Feb 2 2005, 04:03 AM--><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><div class='genmed'><b>QUOTE(CAROLE MAC @ Feb 2 2005, 04:03 AM)</b></div></td></tr><tr><td class='quote'><!--QuoteEBegin-->mmmmmmmmmmmm I like toned men .. P...............................rather than body builders ....... <br /> </td></tr></table><br /><br />Carole,<br /><br />You hit it right on the head. I don't see the point of body building and from an all around fitness perspective it is very lacking. You have a great deal of short term strength but no endurance (ever see a body builder run 5 miles or play 3 hours of singles tennis?) and the bulk requires enormous maintenance. To top that off when you quit it rapidly turns into fat, and frankly all that weight is very unhealthy in the long run. <br /><br />I knew a perfectly healthy guy who was 5' 7" and about 145, he had well developed muscles and tremendous endurance. Due to peer pressure and thinking women liked huge men he felt the need to "bulk up". Within a year he was very large, and almost looked like a comic book drawing. To make a long story short 15 years later he ballooned up to 300 lbs. (during second marriage), has had surgery twice for weight related problems and is in an unhealthy state. Body building requires a lot of time and when you have kids it is hard to keep up. <br /><br />First Poster:<br /><br />As for the term "toned" that is just a matter of semantics, if you feel it isn't masculine enough substitute the word "cut". I'm not so worried about my masculinity that a single word is going to strip me of it, lol.

[[old] PaulS]

<!--QuoteBegin-DIESEL+Feb 1 2005, 10:59 PM--><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><div class='genmed'><b>QUOTE(DIESEL @ Feb 1 2005, 10:59 PM)</b></div></td></tr><tr><td class='quote'><!--QuoteEBegin-->I'm assuming you're a woman?  Men shouldn't use the word "toning".<br /><br />Good luck, <br />D <br /> </td></tr></table><br /><br />Sounding a little "Macho" there D. <br /><br />Any other words to avoid? <br /><br />You knarling mound of muscle!

[[old] Bayko]

In addition to "toned" the word "buff" also seems a bit girly.<br /><br />For those of us who wish to leave no doubt as to the maleness of ourselves, words like "ripped" and "chiselled" work far better . <br /><br />Rick

[[old] DIESEL]

Hi guys, <br /><br />sorry if I ruffled a few feathers there... H33, sorry if I offended you - you never specified gender in your original post. <br /><br />"toning" - as a fiction that was invented so as not to intimidate people is exactly that. A lot of people, when you tell them adding "muscle mass", (especially women) get the negative connotations of roided out bodybuilders... But in reality, it really does comes down to building mass and cutting fat. However, the degree of mass is really up to the individual - the amount of mass you want to put on is what separates men from a "bodybuilder look" to those who look more "aesthetically pleasing " think a Men's Health cover model. <br /><br />I think we can agree a large majority of ladies would prefer the Men's Health cover model over a bodybuilder. Even though both are "cut", "buff", and "toned" - it's just a matter of relative degree and preference. <br /><br />peace, <br />D <br /><br />P.S. I think I have too much testosterone these days.... but as a matter of protocol, men should never use the word "toned" in a hardcore gym setting, the other guys'll just laugh at you. I guess I am a product of my lifting environment. Meathead to the max. <br /><br />P.S.2 - muscle does not turn into fat. the muscle just atrophies somewhat due to inactivity, however, the person usually eats the same amount of food as when they exercised, and thus they put on fat. But it's impossible for muscle to transform into fat. Just trying to clarify the misconception. <br /><br />P.S. 3 - you're absolutely correct - bodybuilding as a "sport" is a farce - all show and no go. Especially when you factor the amount of drugs those guys take to get so big. <br /><br />However, Powerlifters - especially those who compete in Highland games and World's Strongest Man style competitions - might be huge and kinda fat, but they are certainly no slouches in the CV department. <br />

[[old] Kudos]

I'd also like to add that there are a lot of natural bodybuilding shows and competitors out there as well. I have a very close friend who is one. I feel bad due to all the roid stereotypes he gets because he looks like he does, but I can more than vouche for him being clean as a whistle. He may be a bodybuilder but he has plenty of both kinds of strength. He may not beat me in a 5 mile run, but he could probably beat 95% of the people in the gym. Oh well, getting disrespected is a lot of what motivates those athletes. I would put him as 6 times the athlete as a bowler, cheerleader, etc that some people would consider athletes. Hes at the gym twice a day pressing iron doing crunches and doing just as much cardio as some people on this board. Not to mention a diet so scrutinized and maintained, he should probably be checked into a hospital for OCD. Anyway, just throwing a warning out there for all you having any negative thoughts towards the brothers of iron, that they are not all the same.

[[old] DIESEL]

good point, kudos. <br /><br />When I say "bodybuilding" I am referring to IBBF/NPC bodybuilding - which unfortunately is pretty 100% roided. I think it's safe to say this is the stereotypical image most of the non-lifting public has about bodybuilding. <br /><br />natural bodybuilding IMHO is a whole other animal.

[[old] H33]

No offense at all D, and the comments that follow are not intended for you, just some of my general experiences...<br /><br />One poster said "Oh well, getting disrespected is a lot of what motivates those athletes." This is very true and kind of sad because the kind of people they impress aren't worth doing so in the first place. <br /><br />I guess in a nutshell many spend time and effort becoming what they think peer pressure and Madison avenue tells us is the ideal person but is that really who we want to be? I saw this happen to people I knew in high school, it was as if they willfully selected a personna and then set about becoming that person. The results were kind of sickening as the charade was so obvious. Luckily I knew them before they had changed and it wasn't hard for me to get them to drop their defences. <br /><br />Experiences shape who we are but we also need the wisdom to resist being unduly influenced and driven in directions that take us off track. Often times we over compensate for what went wrong early in our lives and our progeny suffer the consequences. I knew a mother who as a child was forced to eat by her father. Result? When she had her own children they were allowed to eat whatever they wanted and naturally they had extreme deficiencies in their diet (no fruit, no vegetables, etc.). <br /><br />I'm not immune to such influences myself and am constantly battling them. What motivates me to exercise (in order of importance) are:<br /><br />- Health (want to be around for family)<br />- Makes me feel great, more "alive"<br />- Competitiveness<br /><br />Like some guys when I was young looks in women were very important but that changed when I hit 17. Suddenly I discovered that intelligent women made far better and more interesting companions (what a revelation, lol) and looks quickly became secondary. Routines make life short and dull, I found being around bright people made it unpredicatable, exciting and great for character development.<br /><br /><br /><br /> <br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />

[[old] jav1]

H33,<br /><br />to your original post, I feel the same way. I've lost 20 pounds in just over 2 months and its clear from the scale and my clothes that I am smaller. However, there are area's of my body that are flabby (even more so than before I lost the wieght). I hate to say it but I attribute this to stretched skin. When I was "plumper", my skin was taught, and filled. Now I'm less fat and the skin is less stretched and appears flabbier... not very becoming. Its funny that my arms and legs aren't as effected as my torso but I've heard this happens to us folks that have let our weights get way from us. I hope it improves with time.

[[old] H33]

<!--QuoteBegin-jav1+Feb 3 2005, 08:37 AM--><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><div class='genmed'><b>QUOTE(jav1 @ Feb 3 2005, 08:37 AM)</b></div></td></tr><tr><td class='quote'><!--QuoteEBegin-->H33,<br /><br />to your original post, I feel the same way.  I've lost 20 pounds in just over 2 months and its clear from the scale and my clothes that I am smaller.  However, there are area's of my body that are flabby (even more so than before  I lost the wieght).  I hate to say it but I attribute this to stretched skin.  When I was "plumper", my skin was taught, and filled.  Now I'm less fat and the skin is less stretched and appears flabbier... not very becoming.  Its funny that my arms and legs aren't as effected as my torso but I've heard this happens to us folks that have let our weights get way from us.  I hope it improves with time. <br /> </td></tr></table><br /><br />Eeekkk, I hope that is not the case with me. The only area that is flabby is my chest and I don't expect it to shrink too much as most of the weight gain was in the stomach area. If I hit around 140 and find out I still have some flab in the chest I'll be pretty mad. A WR is about all I can fit in my house to exercise so I guess I may start doing old fashioned pushups soon as well.<br />

[[old] akit110]

I have to concur with Kudos. There are a lot of recreational bodybuilders who are in great shape in terms of cv and also engage in other athletics. The extremes of the activity are usually what gives it a bad name. <br /><br />Secondly, I think that extra muscle mass and bone density that they enjoy is the closest thing to a fountain of youth out there. For example, compare, say, a 55-year-old recreational bodybuilder and a 55-year-old recreational marathoner in terms of their physique, where age-related muscle atrophy starts to rear its ugly head (even among serious athletes).

[[old] d_picko]

h33,<br /><br />in your posts you have said your arms and legs are 'whatever' but not your chest. <br /><br />have you tried rowing at a slower rate 20-24 with an increased drag, then during your row be sure to concentrate on technique, keeping your arms straight on the catch through the drive until your arms cross your knees, then break with the arms to the finish. this will isolate the traps and pecs during the catch and emphasis the muscles in the back better on the finish. try not to break and blow your arms when rowing on the drive, drive with arms locked, like a power clean in the weight room. <br /><br />i row heavy, slow, long pieces 2-3 times a week at 2:00/2:05 per 500m, thinking that racing back to the next catch is cheating, it is harder but a better workout.<br /><br />good luck.<br /><br />

[[old] H33]

<!--QuoteBegin-LindaM+Feb 8 2005, 08:24 AM--><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><div class='genmed'><b>QUOTE(LindaM @ Feb 8 2005, 08:24 AM)</b></div></td></tr><tr><td class='quote'><!--QuoteEBegin-->In my case, there was a point in weight loss where it seemed that suddenly, the fat disappeared and muscle structure could be seen.  I don't think that's actually what happened, but I think you can be confident that as you get closer to your goal weight, and even more importantly - YOUR GOAL BODY FAT RATIO -  your chest and arm muscles will be much more defined and all evidence of flabbiness will disappear.  <br /><br />I am a woman and nearly 50 years old.  I am amazed that even at that ancient age, 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. <br /> </td></tr></table><br /><br />I slowed down a few spm yesterday with a heavier pull and broke two personal bests with much less effort, felt good. <br /><br />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 />