Help with a fitness routine (33f, toning focus)

[elisei]

Hello! I am new to this community and finally decided to post as there seems to be quite a lot of knowledgeable people around

I am a 33 y.o. Female, 128lbs, 5'0".

I go to the gym 3-4 times a week (every other day). I alternate upper body and lower and every session. Per session I do 4 upper or lower exercises and 1-2 core exercises. I am at the gym for usually 45m-1hr.

Upper body (3 sets, 8-15 reps depending on weight difficulty) lat pulldowns, head tracers, pec dec, bicep curls (lower, upper, and full motion), pushups, tricep pulldowns

Lower body: leg press (both feet and singles), lying leg curls, goblet squats, split squats, inner thigh machine

Core: Plank w/ ball, flutter kicks, hanging leg raises

If I do any cardio, it is usually once a week, 30m on the stairmaster.

MY GOAL: I would like to tone all over. My problem area is my stomach and sides. I would also like to work on my glutes--perk up that area along with defining the area between my glutes and my upper thighs.

Aside from that, the rest of me is in quite good shape---I just need to keep on it. I truly just struggle with the "normal" female-post-30 areas.

All suggestions to my exercise routine are greatly appreciated!!

 

[dawn16]

@elisei I have left reddit

 

[confusedwickham]

@dawn16 or eat smarter.

 

[discipleduchrist]

@elisei Your routine is fine. Any routine that engages in progressive overload is fine.

What I note is conspicuously missing in your post is a single thing about your diet and nutrition, which accounts for 70-80% of your results.

You say you want to "tone", which is code for lose fat while preserving muscle. That means you have to eat at a caloric deficit while keeping protein intake high and continuing to challenge yourself in your workouts with your lifts.

You mention elsewhere in this thread you don't want to count or track your calories or macros. Well, good luck then. Not tracking your calories and macros and expecting to reach your goal is like shooting at a moving target blindfolded and expecting to hit a bullseye. You might get lucky, but odds say it ain't gonna happen.

So to sum up--your workout routine is fine. The reason you are not getting the results you want right now is because you refuse to focus on the most important part--your diet and nutrition. Get that right, and everything will fall into place.

 

[elisei]

@discipleduchrist Nutrition and caloric intake is certainly a massive factor and I do have a good idea of what I intake, I just make poor choices even when I DO know what I'm eating is less than optimal.

It comes down to discipline and that is what I lack (and lord know I wish I didn't have such an issue).

I appreciate your input and know you are 100% correct. Now...to work on it...

 

[crystalwolf]

@elisei You can't outrun a bad diet. That being said, make an effort and track your calories for 2-3 months. If you're paying attention and write everything down you'll develop understanding and can start to eyeball it. You don't have to count calories till doomsday. It gets easier. But first you just have to familiarise yourself how much calories your favourite/everyday meals contain.

 

[beth70]

@elisei Stomach, sides, perkier butt? Sounds to me like you might just have to lose some body fat.

 

[grace_deacon]

@elisei Download myfitnesspal. Follow instructions.

 

[elisei]

@grace_deacon Did. Ate it. :}

Seriousness though, not a bad app, but if weight loss is the goal, I prefer non-calorie count focused direction.

 

[dawn16]

@elisei I have left reddit

 

[elisei]

@dawn16 Sigh. I'm not here to argue. I appreciate the input. I actually calorie counted for an extremely long time and have extensive knowledge on what each food item gives me as far as calorie, protein, fiber, and carbs. So it's not an issue of not knowing, it's an issue of not being able to say no to too much at times.

So in this case, I would rather work with a diet that eliminates certain foods so I can be more lenient on portions.

 

[a3yan]

@elisei For a holistic method to reach your goals you might want to look at Thinner, Leaner, Stronger.

 

[elisei]

@a3yan I will check that out for sure. Thank you so much!

 

[dawn16]

@elisei

not a bad app

bit of an understatement there. with the barcode scanner, you can even can packaged foods.

it tracks everything quite good if youre honest and accurate with measurements

 

[emoore80]

@elisei Then pick any number of diets that will force you incidentally in the direction of lower calorie, higher protein, higher satiety (i.e. you feel full after eating less calories). Options include avoiding any prepared foods, avoiding things that are carby, South Beach diet, Atkins diet etc. Just remember that success with those diets basically always correlates with what a good calorie and macro counting diet would achieve (caloric input below your TDEE and adequate protein to avoid muscle loss).

 

[grace_deacon]

@elisei Sorry you didn't get on with it. However, calorie counting is the only reliable method of weight loss. 'Toning' i.e. weight loss plus increased muscle mass is a byproduct of a calorie controlled diet and an effective gym regimen. There's no easy answer, although it is a simple answer. There is no magic diet, only self-discipline.

 

[newbie1]

@elisei Personally, I like the /r/bodyweightfitness recommended routine. You may also want to check in with /r/xxfitness if you haven't already.

You can't target an area of bodyfat so the options for becoming more toned are to build muscle, drop fat, or both. If you want to drop fat, all you have to to is burn more than you eat. You don't have to go crazy counting calories, but you do want to have a rough idea of what you're consuming.

 

[nathchristian]

@elisei /r/loseit

 

[elisei]

@nathchristian Ah, that seems to be a thread focused more on larger scale weight loss--whereas I am about 5-7 lbs from goal. I prefer to live in the /r/ of people my age and plus, fitness includes healthy eating too :]

 

[jay5911]

@elisei /r/xxfitness is helpful or maybe /r/strongcurves