# Getting toned, help me out.



## Veldar (Dec 31, 2015)

Yo guys, I've started my journey to tone my body, right now I'm doing some weight lifting for my biceps and standing up bicycle to form my abs.

I don't know what I should be doing to tone my whole body though, don't have access to a gym just the weights and my own body 

Thanks for any help, Cheers, Sam.


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## Ibanezsam4 (Dec 31, 2015)

Read as much as you can from these guys: 

Bodyweight Bodybuilder: The Mass-Building Calisthenic Workout 

also there a bunch of bodyweight manuals out there. my brother has one called convict conditioning or something like that. worth reading


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## UnderTheSign (Dec 31, 2015)

Eat properly and lift to grow your muscles. Don't worry about getting too bulky because honestly, you won't.


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## Josh Delikan (Jan 31, 2016)

The very best book that you can buy is Arnold Schwarzenegger's Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding. It covers absolutely everything that you'll need to know; from the basics of weight training to advanced routines, nutrition, et cetera.


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## Ebart (Feb 8, 2016)

Lift heavy and eat - A LOT. That's the basic equation. Find a personal trainer to get you dialed in on all your lifting techniques so you don't develop dysfunctional motor patterns and hurt yourself.


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## Winspear (Feb 9, 2016)

Yup what has been said. Train to get huge without getting fat, that will get you results. Lift hard and heavy, and EAT.


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## ElRay (Feb 9, 2016)

Tone is on the left-side. Don't worry about working-out the right-half of your body.

Oh, and it's in the fingers. Gotta exercise them too.


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## bpprox22 (Feb 9, 2016)

1) Don't kill yourself trying to eat boiled chicken and broccoli for every meal
2) Lift heavy (correctly) and consistent
3) Don't follow eating myths
4) Be patient!
5) Enjoy the journey

There is a lot of "broscience" in the fitness industry that can be very misleading. Understanding the science behind what happens when you eat and workout is always a good perk. Look up Layne Norton (biolayne). He is a bodybuilder, powerlifter, and scientist. He posts a lot of good (long) YouTube videos and other content. I've learned a ton from him.

Good luck!


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## MikeH (Feb 9, 2016)

Toned. Ugh. 

Sorry, that term just annoys me. Tone comes from muscle growth. I understand not wanting to be powerlifter/IFBB Pro status, but in order to develop your physique, your muscles must grow and you must train them. From what it seems like, you're wanting to be fit and gain endurance while losing body fat. The best I can recommend, (and I'm no professional in that department, as I'm a powerlifter who eats pizza and cookies) is to look into a circuit training-based program, or a pseudo-CrossFit style plan. A lot of explosive compound movements (power cleans, snatches, squats), high rep/low weight accessory work, and lots of cardio, whether it be recumbent bike, treadmill, or just running outside. Most importantly out of all of that is getting your diet right. You'll want to up your caloric intake, but make sure it's with lean foods (fish, chicken, turkey, etc.). Bodybuilding.com will have a lot of resources and calculators to help you get a grip on how much of what macronutrients you should be taking in per day, plus a lot of other helpful tools for your journey. The biggest point I can stress, though, is to have fun with it. When you make your training and lifestyle adjustments enjoyable, it doesn't seem so much like a task, but more of a privilege to train. I wake up every morning and look forward to getting in the gym because I love it so much. Best of luck!


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## celticelk (Feb 12, 2016)

Ibanezsam4 said:


> Read as much as you can from these guys:
> 
> Bodyweight Bodybuilder: The Mass-Building Calisthenic Workout
> 
> also there a bunch of bodyweight manuals out there. my brother has one called convict conditioning or something like that. worth reading



Best bodyweight fitness routine I've found: https://www.reddit.com/r/bodyweightfitness/wiki/kb/recommended_routine

That subreddit is also a great place to ask for information/help, provided you've already read the routine and their excellent FAQ (https://www.reddit.com/r/bodyweightfitness/wiki/faq). I've been doing the RR 3x/week for about three months now, and reworked my eating habits in line with the info that I found in the r/Fitness FAQ that they link to. I've lost about 15 pounds (through the holidays, no less!) and have definitely improved my overall strength. I had been doing 3x5 pull-ups once a week; once I started the RR, I quickly worked up to 3x8 pull-ups 3x a week, and this morning pounded out 10 pullups (1 more than my personal best) on a lark because I felt well-rested (I've had a cold all week and haven't been working out). I'm 41, and haven't looked this good since my early 20s.


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## Veldar (Feb 13, 2016)

Wow can't believe I posted this last year...

Anyway I'm looking a lot better, still not at the point where I want to be (And seeing photos of Greg Puciato doesn't help, he's a big dude) I've been eating healthy for the last 2 years, and even before that it was just indulging in lots of after meal foods. 

I think right now it's just an issue of not knowing every muscle I have to work, but I keep evolving & adding to my routine and I do really enjoy doing it.

...and I can now do pull ups so WHOO!!!!


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## MikeH (Feb 13, 2016)

Aspiring to look like someone else is good and bad. Good because it gives you a goal, but bad because you'll never feel accomplished. Believe me. You looking at Greg is similar to me looking at James Pligge.







Goals.


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## Captain Shoggoth (Feb 13, 2016)

MikeH said:


> Aspiring to look like someone else is good and bad. Good because it gives you a goal, but bad because you'll never feel accomplished. Believe me. You looking at Greg is similar to me looking at James Pligge.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



I'm much less interested in mass now, partly because I overbulked and got too fat and partly cause being 5'7 I'd rather be more on the lean side, but Pligge was my goal physique for years, and still is some days. Guy is a ....ing tank


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## MikeH (Feb 13, 2016)

I technically shouldn't want to be that big, as I'm only 5'9" and I'm in a career field that relies heavily on physical fitness and endurance. But there's a sergeant in my squadron that has his exact build, so it can be done here.


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## Captain Shoggoth (Feb 13, 2016)

do it, do it for the sake of being like a terrifying huge veteran dad in 20-30 years time


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## Veldar (Feb 16, 2016)

I'm going to add photos so you guys can encourage me haha

This was me on the 28/12/2015





This was me a month later 





I'll add a new one on the 28th of this month

And for comparison here is me June of last year





And this was March 2014





And I need some tips for low fat but high in protein foods, I normally eat hipster food haha


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## Ibanezsam4 (Feb 16, 2016)

Veldar said:


> And I need some tips for low fat but high in protein foods, I normally eat hipster food haha



easy, sea food. 

fish, shrimp, scallops are more protein dense than land animals and are super low fat. 

obviously you need to worry about the sourcing of the seafood, but most white fish is low in mercury naturally so its not an issue. there's a few free apps you can use to check the quality of seafood brands. 

then of course you have chicken and such. if you want to treat yourself, game meat such as elk and boar are also lower in fat, but more expensive. 

so long as you don't cook with lots of oil and butter your meats should be fine (they won't taste as good but they will be fine).


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## UnderTheSign (Feb 16, 2016)

I wouldn't worry too much about the fat in my protein sources. Unless you're REALLY cutting calories and macros (bodybuilding contest style), I doubt the fats in meat and eggs are going to make a big difference.

Low fat cottage cheese (quark in Europe) and greek yogurt are great though. Here you can buy pound tubs for under 1 and it's 40+ grams of protein. Great pre-bed snack.


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## lemeker (Feb 16, 2016)

Like others have said, you need to eat more than you think, and really pay attention to what you're eating. It's a bit of a lifestyle change, but it's an easy one to make.

In my experience, you do need to up your carb (good carbs) intake a bit and match your protein intake (roughly 1gram per 1lb of body weight) with your body weight. You wont gain fat but mass because your body will burn it. 

Like others have said, fish, chicken and other lean high protein meats are good. You'll want to eat cottage cheese, greek yogurt ( I eat this instead of cottage cheese), and your fruits and veggies. You also want to cut back on your sugar intake as much as possible. The sugar in fresh fruits are usually ok, because it's natural sugar. 

You don't necessarily "need" to lift heavy, although it really helps. If you can't lift heavy, then do more sets and more reps.

I'm actually getting back into my routine after having been down and out with my bike accident a few months ago......


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## Ibanezsam4 (Feb 17, 2016)

lemeker said:


> Like others have said, you need to eat more than you think, and really pay attention to what you're eating. It's a bit of a lifestyle change, but it's an easy one to make.
> 
> In my experience, you do need to up your carb (good carbs) intake a bit and match your protein intake (roughly 1gram per 1lb of body weight) with your body weight. You wont gain fat but mass because your body will burn it.
> 
> ...



all of this is spot on... i take exception with the comment on natural sugars being better for you. all sugar is sugar, but fruit has the built in dietary fiber which helps the body process it. 

following this advice i've kept my body fat relatively the same while adding several pounds of muscle


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