Female workout question

[JanineSoCal]

Girls,

Has anyone changed their workouts to a type that would build a more feminine figure? I have learned to workout to build a masculine body over the years, but want to go to a type of workout that would tone and burn body fat and deemphasize bulk. I don't know if anyone else has thought of this, has a resource, or experienced success in a female workout and desired results, but I would appreciate any input.

"What is your goal?
"I want to look good naked" Kevin Spacey in American Beauty

Thanks,

Janine

[christine marie]

i personally nvr had to worry bout my figure. im toned ,but on the thin side.5'8" 135lbs.. i do work my abs good,i like the look of a real girls worked hard abs,so thats wut i try to keep.although i just recently started to do palatis,to make sure i keep my little ass.i go to my sisters gym and do weight training,but light weights and few reps.just to stay toned.not for mass.i also take moi tai classes and that really helps brn off unwanted fat during my feasting seasons(holidays). i drink alot of water to help keep my skin shiney and smooth.dont have 2 worry bout my legs ,cause at my job,i walk alot.i would say if youre trying to debulk or stay away from bulk,get with a trainer to go over a good diet plan.not a lose weight diet. but a non weight gaining diet.nice broad shoulders on a girl looks nice too from the back. thats what im focusing on now. luv christine marie

[Tristen Cox]

Hmmm what's my secret? I dance alot, privately of course. It keeps my tummy toned and trims off that extra leg flab. Although I'm pretty skinny but flab seems to take hold of the wrong places if I just sit all the time. And I do love to dance :cool:

[Wendy me]

walking and lifting..........so put it together and make it fun shopping walking around the stores .........lifting all them packages well its a work out...........

[sunita_rao]

a lot of stretching, light weights for the triceps and biceps and shoulders, definitely crunches, jogging, and light-squats. do a lot of repetition but low weight.

[Priscilla1018]

Hi Janine,

Lots of cardio work out.Mix it up Treadmill,Stair stepper,Bicycle,Swimming.
If you do weights use light weight(you only want to tone the muscles).Do abs and you may wish to try leg abduction and leg adduction. You sit in the machine and, using your legs,push the pads apart to raise the weight and on the other machine you squeeze the pads together to raise the weight. These two exercizes work small muscles in your thighs and help firm the butt.The other one I like is done on the Roman chair.Position yourself face down on the chair with ankles held securely under ankle pads.Your lower body is supported on the chair at waist hight.
Lean forward as far as you can and raise your torso upright using your lower back muscles, squeeze your butt cheeks,hold for two seconds and then repeat. I do 3 sets of 10 repititions. This is a great exersize for the lower back and butt.

Love and Hugs,
Priscilla

[Wendy me]

Hi Janine,

Lots of cardio work out.Mix it up Treadmill,Stair stepper,Bicycle,Swimming.
If you do weights use light weight(you only want to tone the muscles).Do abs and you may wish to try leg abduction and leg adduction. You sit in the machine and, using your legs,push the pads apart to raise the weight and on the other machine you squeeze the pads together to raise the weight. These two exercizes work small muscles in your thighs and help firm the butt.The other one I like is done on the Roman chair.Position yourself face down on the chair with ankles held securely under ankle pads.Your lower body is supported on the chair at waist hight.
Lean forward as far as you can and raise your torso upright using your lower back muscles, squeeze your butt cheeks,hold for two seconds and then repeat. I do 3 sets of 10 repititions. This is a great exersize for the lower back and butt.

Love and Hugs,
Priscilla


good lord girl thats a lot could we like go shopping for some shape wear and have a diet coke insted?????????

[Priscilla1018]

good lord girl thats a lot could we like go shopping for some shape wear and have a diet coke insted?????????

I would love to. I am addicted to long workouts at the club,unfortunately. I feel that if my muscles are not sore,I did'nt do it right.I know the workout is His idea but what the hell, He is part of me also.

Love and Hugs,
Priscilla

[Deborah757]

Go run. It is the least expensive exercise. If you want to lose a lot of weight, train for a marathon.

[windycissy]

Swimming is great, it smooths out your body and it feels awesome after you shave down! Try putting on a leotard and tights and doing a Jane Fonda workout to one of her videos, your abs will burn and you'll feel all girly. Windy

[Sweet Susan]

Swimming is great, it smooths out your body and it feels awesome after you shave down! Try putting on a leotard and tights and doing a Jane Fonda workout to one of her videos, your abs will burn and you'll feel all girly. Windy

Of the suggestions I read, I think that Windy's probably would work best for me, as well as bicycling. Running is by far the quickest way to lose poundage, but it is hard on the feet and ankles. By no means should you be doing any heavy lifting, as it will only make you look macho. Macho women are not feminine. Swimming would be great if a pool is easily accessible, which for me it is not. I ride an indoor bike, as well as an outdoor bike, and I find this to be very useful, though it could muscle up your legs in the wrong places, if you are wanting to have feminine legs.

[Dressing up]

I've thought about posting a similar question. I have always worked out for high repetition low resistance so as to keep my body firm but not bulky. For years my goal was to plays sports that required speed like tennis, road running and basket ball. I don't ply sports much lately but I am glad I am thin, it offers more choice in ladies clothing. Men and woman put on fat in different places, so I guess it can inhibit passability if you get too much flab.

[trinity24]

I've been bodybuilding for some time now - and there's times when I love my triceps (going to the beach), and times when I hate them (can no longer fit my arms through my fav wedding dress). Either way - I don't think I would want to lose them - I'd rather learn how to modify the dress :) .
At the peaks I am able to get my bodyfat down to 5%, suck my gut down to 27" and get into size 8 dresses. And while my waist, and even pecs have not been a problem (they do approximate breasts much better now that I lift), I noticed that my shoulders are really getting in the way. If I really wanted to lose them, I'd probably stop lifting and start running.

First of all it's true what they say - 90% of your success depends on what you eat (abs are made in the kitchen not gym). You really need to get your diet down to a science, I'm sure you know all the basics - especially try to avoid simple sugars - stay away from any bakery that's white (i.e. stick to whole wheat bread). If you want to tone - food is key, also - to prevent from gaining muscle increasing your reps and lowering weight would be the common sense approach. Also - if you really built a lot of muscle already - I'm afraid you're stuck having to maintain most it, otherwise you'll end up with a lot of flappy skin.

[StephanieCD]

Megan Renee suggested bicycling... I've been waiting to see her around for a while, too, to ask about it. She said it's great cardio, bulks up the butt and trims the thighs and - serves as a great excuse to shave your legs.

Megan... talk to me about the bikes... seriously.

[Dominique Melt]

Trinity,
You're absolutely right about diet. There is a very, very helpful book entitled "The Abs Diet" by David Czincenko. It's not so much about dieting, but a guide on how to eat. Many of us have confused eating for chewing.

I've dropped BMI from 17.9% to 16.5 in fifteen days ...

[Deborah757]

Dieting is easy, at least the principal behind it. Eat fewer calories than you burn. It doesn't even matter what you eat as long as it is a balanced diet, approx 30% fat, 20% protein, and 50% carb. Once you eat 3500 fewer calories than you burn you will lose a pound of fat. A good free website that helps calculate what you eat and burn is fitday.com.

The only hard part is maintaining the discipline to not eat too much. That gets me every time. :o

[trinity24]

Dieting is not as easy as it seems. Not all carbs were created equal. So simply knowing that you should consume 50% (some sources mention 60%) carbs doesn't help you much if you go for the bad carbs.

[Deborah757]

For health reasons some carbs are better than others. Complex carbohydrates i.e fruits and vegitables are best. However, for losing weight the only thing that matters is eating fewer calories than your body burns.

[trinity24]

Again - I disagree. Good carbs (like complex sugars, that weren't processed), take longer to digest, and so you don't feel hungry for a longer period, and you end up eating less. This is also known as a sugar-rush effect. For example if you are hungry, and eat a high-carb food (let's say some candy bar), you'll get a sharp rise in sugar levels. That transient will then cause you to crave more as soon as it falls off.