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Toning up, building some muscle workout and advice

Hello guys! :smile:

Okay, let's see.
I am a 20 year old female, 1'82cm height (6ft) and I weight 72kilos (158.4 lbs). I am not overweight, however I have no muscle at all. I would like to tone up and build some muscle around my thighs and behind, since it is quite wobbly because of my lack of muscle. I would also like to tone up my hips because I have a little bit of love handles.

I am currently doing 50 squats and the bicycle everyday. There are some exercises I cannot do, because I injured my knee practicing Taekwondo 3 years ago and it still hurts to this day.

I would like some tips or advice, what home exercises are good to target those bits. I consider my diet to be good, since I rarely eat junk food and eat my fruits, carbs, veggies and fish almost everyday (I don't eat meat, but I do replace its protein with beans, dry fruits, soy, etc).

Thank you very much :wink:

(edited 9 years ago)

Reply 1

BKS

50 squats and cycling in endurance/cardio. If you start with almost literally no muscle then you might build some from it but nowhere near the amount you'd want. Your muscles grow when they are continually challenged to lift more weight for a lower number of reps, lets say 12 max but it's grey. You need more weight than you think to do that which is why people join gyms- to get access to enough weight.

I was talking to a woman at the gym the other day, she's been lifting for a few months. Firstly, she couldn't believe she looks better heavier and (with somewhat dodgy form) she was squatting 60kg for 5x5 and deadlifts 75kg x5. Those are thing you need to do for leg muscle and weights you can expect to reach fairly easily.

If you will go to a gym then look up ice cream fitness 5x5, it assumes you are a guy so half the weight added and consider starting with less than 20kg on overhead press. Gaining muscle is gaining weight s you need to eat a calorie surplus, just a few hundred a day- men get 500 as a suggestion but you can't build muscle as fast so think more 200-250. It'd be nice if we could say eating healthy helps but it doesn't, so by all means do but it's calories and protein that matter. You don't need a million g protein per day, just get a decent amount in each meal.

(edited 9 years ago)

Reply 2

LavenderBlueSky88

What he said!

You need to do weight exercises. 50 bodyweight squats won't do much at all.

Reply 3

Sei Shōnagon

I don't understand much about fitness, but finding out that doing 50-60 squats everyday was for almost nothing is such a let down, lol. I am on my year abroad now, and it was easier to access a gym back home. I guess I will have to join a gym here and use their weights then. Isn't it there anything useful I can do at home too? I guess if I do squats while holding two bricks of milk...

Thanks for the ice cream fitness thing, I will definetly give it a look :smile:

Thanks to Lavender too!

Reply 4

BKS

Original post by Sei Shōnagon

Thanks to Lavender too!

You can do upper body much easier at home but lower body not at all. You can do pull ups, chin ups, dips, push ups, hand stand push ups etc. For pull/chin ups you'll want to start with negatives. Dips you want to do like this, not the feet on the floor style- I do it in the corner of the kitchen counters. Once you can do 3x12 of anything it's too easy to build muscle but you'll get a bit more mileage with weight in a backpack.

You can do upper body because it's weaker, lifting your body weight it tough, especially for women. Your legs are lifting your body weight all the time so it's easy, easy means no gains. The difference of some milk isn't enough to make it challenging. So if you want your legs to look better/be stronger, you need to join a gym.

Once you look up ice cream fitness, ask any questions- though watch the video and you aren't likely to. Getting the programme right is important and once you start lifting there's a thread for getting technique advice and/or you can start a log on the blogs section.