Toning up for the lazy boy

Hi all, I've just got a quick question; could anybody recommend a 15 minute or less daily toning up routine (I have 5 kg weights)? I would quite like to tone up my arms, back and stomach...

Also, can I count my walks to school as sufficient exercise (2 * 45 min walk @ 3.5 mph)? I don't get that sweaty but it does get my heart up a bit... is that enough>

Stats: 17yo boy, 10st 5.

Thanks.

Original Post by kiltias92:

... is that enough>

Has it been working so far?

Suppose it has, I've been around the same weight for a while, I could lose if I cut out snacks.

But the toning is what I want to know about

Toning is generally regarded as a swear word or a diagnostic marker that the person you're talking to doesn't know anything about training so you need to start with the very basics.

 Like, that "toning" doesn't exist.

A muscle can grow, shrink, or stay the same, you can gain or lose body fat to uncover or cover up your muscles, one is controlled by your training and the other is controlled by your diet. Well, mostly - there's a fair bit of cross-talk effects so that if you combine a good diet with proper training you'll see better results than if you had only diet or training right.

 Anyway - "toning" as it's commonly used encompasses a workout and diet style based on non-physiological myths about exercise perpetuated by marketing hacks in mainstream fitness magazines who wouldn't know a exercise physiology text book if it hit them.

 Walking is excellent recovery intensity training, and doing a lot of it places you firmly in the "active" category; 30 minutes a day is enough for cardiovascular health, so your 90 minutes a day is quite sufficient for health purposes.

 For the rest, bodyweight-based exercises are your best bet :Options for equipmentless workouts - while there are some exercises where 5kg weights are sufficient, they're mostly mobilization and stabilization drills for shoulders, not actual strength training which is what you need to see results.

Original Post by melkor:

Toning is generally regarded as a swear word or a diagnostic marker that the person you're talking to doesn't know anything about training so you need to start with the very basics.

 Like, that "toning" doesn't exist.

A muscle can grow, shrink, or stay the same, you can gain or lose body fat to uncover or cover up your muscles, one is controlled by your training and the other is controlled by your diet. Well, mostly - there's a fair bit of cross-talk effects so that if you combine a good diet with proper training you'll see better results than if you had only diet or training right.

 Anyway - "toning" as it's commonly used encompasses a workout and diet style based on non-physiological myths about exercise perpetuated by marketing hacks in mainstream fitness magazines who wouldn't know a exercise physiology text book if it hit them.

 Walking is excellent recovery intensity training, and doing a lot of it places you firmly in the "active" category; 30 minutes a day is enough for cardiovascular health, so your 90 minutes a day is quite sufficient for health purposes.

 For the rest, bodyweight-based exercises are your best bet :Options for equipmentless workouts - while there are some exercises where 5kg weights are sufficient, they're mostly mobilization and stabilization drills for shoulders, not actual strength training which is what you need to see results.

 

 So what would you say is a good term to use when explaining to people that I'm not really trying to lose weight, per say, just trying to become more muscular? Generally I just say I'm trying to "tone" because it sounds better than "I'm trying to build muscle." Generally the response to that is "but you're going to look all jacked and gross."

I usually tell people I'm working on getting stronger.

The fitness industry has a lot to answer for with this whole toning/sculpting muscle business!

Doesn't matter how many times we write it on this forum someone will always have a question about toning.

Original Post by littlesimongeorge:

The fitness industry has a lot to answer for with this whole toning/sculpting muscle business!

Doesn't matter how many times we write it on this forum someone will always have a question about toning.

 lol yeah so let's not jump down people's throats when they say "toning". I see a lot of that on here and that's really no way to encourage anybody. And no littlesimongeorge, I wasn't saying it was you. That's just a general statement. I'm probably guilty as well.

Original Post by danaofdoom:

Original Post by littlesimongeorge:

The fitness industry has a lot to answer for with this whole toning/sculpting muscle business!

Doesn't matter how many times we write it on this forum someone will always have a question about toning.

 lol yeah so let's not jump down people's throats when they say "toning". I see a lot of that on here and that's really no way to encourage anybody. And no littlesimongeorge, I wasn't saying it was you. That's just a general statement. I'm probably guilty as well.

 I guess we could do with a sticky thread on "Gym Myths" or something similar.

I know some may sound a little harsh in their replies regarding toning, but as you know it can be hard getting through to someone who has been heavily bombarded with classic gym mythology. 

What makes it even harder to break gym myths is that they often get passed on by "Mr 1000lb squatter" or "Miss Physique" who will look the picture of physical strength and fitness.  So to an impressionable eager beginner, those moments of gym enlightenment will be gospel.  It was for me as a teenage lifter until someone pointed me in the right direction and got me into researching.

Original Post by danaofdoom:

Original Post by littlesimongeorge:

The fitness industry has a lot to answer for with this whole toning/sculpting muscle business!

Doesn't matter how many times we write it on this forum someone will always have a question about toning.

 lol yeah so let's not jump down people's throats when they say "toning". I see a lot of that on here and that's really no way to encourage anybody. And no littlesimongeorge, I wasn't saying it was you. That's just a general statement. I'm probably guilty as well.

My problem with the word toning isn't the misuse, it's that nobody can agree what it means. People talk about wanting to tone their love handles... what does that mean? Build muscle? - there is no hip muscle. Lose fat? - can't spot burn.

If you recommend lifting heavy, the response is "But I just want to tone" as if that requires some different type of exercise. You get people recommending different (useless) rep schemes because someone wants to tone, not bulk.

I wouldn't mind it as much if there were a consistent meaning to it. Saying "I want more definition" makes sense to me - it's about the appearance of the muscle under the fat. But "tone" is part of those "long lean muscles like a dancer" euphemisms that pretends that muscle is shapeable - that you can make it go from looking like Arnold's to a ballerina's, just by increasing the number of reps.

But "tone" is part of those "long lean muscles like a dancer" euphemisms that pretends that muscle is shapeable - that you can make it go from looking like Arnold's to a ballerina's, just by increasing the number of reps.

 Yeah, but we all know that doesn't work.  Pilates on the other hand...

To me toning means the same as "getting in shape" or "getting fit".  In other words converting untrained muscle into trained muscle.  Lifting heavy weights is not the only way to do this.

Original Post by trhawley:

To me toning means the same as "getting in shape" or "getting fit".  In other words converting untrained muscle into trained muscle.  Lifting heavy weights is not the only way to do this.

Basically the same for me too, but add in fat loss. "Toning" would, to me, mean improving the appearance of muscle tone. I was explaining this to my mom last night. She had said she doesn't think I need to lose weight, just "tone", so why am I doing this crazy diet? I explained that I can build all the muscle, I want (aka "tone")  but you'll never be able to see it if I have a jiggly layer of fat over top. And the only way to get rid of fat is, as we all know, to eat less than you burn.

Ok so who wants to make the gym myths sticky?

Original Post by trhawley:

To me toning means the same as "getting in shape" or "getting fit".  In other words converting untrained muscle into trained muscle.  Lifting heavy weights is not the only way to do this.

But how does that work when they want to "get fit" a particular part of their body?

I can see where you are coming from... I just don't think that you are going to find a general consensus on what it means (or what an individual means when they say it), hence the disputes.

Original Post by amethystgirl:

Original Post by trhawley:

To me toning means the same as "getting in shape" or "getting fit".  In other words converting untrained muscle into trained muscle.  Lifting heavy weights is not the only way to do this.

But how does that work when they want to "get fit" a particular part of their body?

I can see where you are coming from... I just don't think that you are going to find a general consensus on what it means (or what an individual means when they say it), hence the disputes.

There won't be a general consensus for what it means because it is different in each situation.  Getting in shape for basketball is not the same as getting in shape for golf.

But I agree that the idea of toning a particular body part, such as abs, is an unrealistic notion.  Getting in shape involves training untrained muscles, the cardiovascular system, and reduce your percent of body fat. 

Yes you can spot train muscles but you can't pick where your body will lose the fat from.

Original Post by trhawley:

Original Post by amethystgirl:

Original Post by trhawley:

To me toning means the same as "getting in shape" or "getting fit".  In other words converting untrained muscle into trained muscle.  Lifting heavy weights is not the only way to do this.

But how does that work when they want to "get fit" a particular part of their body?

I can see where you are coming from... I just don't think that you are going to find a general consensus on what it means (or what an individual means when they say it), hence the disputes.

There won't be a general consensus for what it means because it is different in each situation.  Getting in shape for basketball is not the same as getting in shape for golf.

But I agree that the idea of toning a particular body part, such as abs, is an unrealistic notion.  Getting in shape involves training untrained muscles, the cardiovascular system, and reduce your percent of body fat. 

Yes you can spot train muscles but you can't pick where your body will lose the fat from.

I'm with you - if someone posts "how should I get in shape" the answers are typically "figure out what you want to do that's active, and do it" or simply "get in shape for what?"

But I think your definition is much more based on performance, and most posts that I see about "toning" are based on appearance.

So while I don't mind your definition, I don't think it's the commonly used one.

OP, eat less and do some push-ups.

I adore push ups. +1 :) I like bodyweight exercises more than free weights or anything, but I guess we're all a little different in that regard.