Im trying to loose weight, going on the treadmill, bike, cross trainer, stepper, rower at the gym.

How can i not build up too much muscle, so that i can still loose weight and tone up, rather than beefing up like a body builder and not loosing any weight!

Thanks in advance!

I too used to go to the gymme and i add the same problem infact my friends started to say i add legs like a man so why pay all that money i just excercise at home the stairs make a good stepper lol

Originally posted by pdrnsf
Im trying to loose weight, going on the treadmill, bike, cross trainer, stepper, rower at the gym.

How can i not build up too much muscle, so that i can still loose weight and tone up, rather than beefing up like a body builder and not loosing any weight!

Thanks in advance!

You're doing the right thing, aren't you? Cardio-vascular work such as the treadmill and rower, etc, that get your heart pumping, are effective for losing weight (look on the machine to see what your heart rate should be for your age and losing weight).

Body builders use weights, and heavy ones to build big muscles. If you're wanting to tone using the weights, you should use light weights and more repetitions.

You should ask the staff at your gym, I'm sure they'd devise a programme for you.

BoroughGal is right, you shouldn't really put on too much muscle using the CV machines. Keep away from the heavy weights and you'll be fine

Cardio-vascular work, the more you sweat the more chance of weight loss you have.. using weights will make you sweat but also build up all that muscle, and it depends on you how you want this to effect you? THERE IS A BIG DIFFERENCE OF WANTING TO KEEP FIT AND TONE UP - AND BODY BUILDING!
Im doing a bit of both and its worked well for me so far, but like BoroughGal has said You should ask the staff at your gym, I'm sure they'd devise a programme for you.
good luck.:thumbsup:

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I had this problem before...actually signed up to the gym and managed to put weight on (brilliant...I may as well have stayed in bed and ate cream cakes)

I spoke to one of the instructors who told me I was weight training using far to heavy weights. So I cut the weight but increased the reps, as has been suggested.

Also when you do C.V. do you use the rower? If so don't put the resistance too high - the instructor told me the rowing machine is actually very good at building muscle.

Oh and one other tip... if you do your weights and C.V. in one session do the weights first. That way when it comes to the C.V. you will be more likely to be burning fat :thumbsup:

Ok dude - here's what you do. Sack off the Cadio stuff you are doing. Most people train just under the level required to lose weight. (Your body doesnt like losing weight) Classes are where it is at. Do two hard cv classes a week (circuits/ boxing/ aerobics) and do weight every other day. (note for weight loss - smalll weights - long sets) Do 30 bench presses at the lowerest weight rather than 8 at a heavy weight. Do 50 ab curls at the lowest weight quickly then the same with out any weights)

Diet is key - avoid white bread - potatos - pasta -fizzy drinks (diet or otherwise)

Learn to skip. Have loads of sex. enjoy your life! :clap:

Or take pills and smoke - your choice

Your average bodybuilder works out with HEAVY weights five or so times a week plus eating many thousands of calories a dayso just by lifting a few weights you aren't gonna suddenly turn into a Arnie clone! Plus your basal metabolic wake is roughly proportional to your lean muscle mass so what you really don't want to be doing is dieting and doing only light CV and end up metabolising all your muscle because as soon as you stop exercising/dieting you will just pile all the weight back on.

Originally posted by Lucy_Smith
I had this problem before...actually signed up to the gym and managed to put weight on (brilliant...I may as well have stayed in bed and ate cream cakes)

I spoke to one of the instructors who told me I was weight training using far to heavy weights. So I cut the weight but increased the reps, as has been suggested.

Also when you do C.V. do you use the rower? If so don't put the resistance too high - the instructor told me the rowing machine is actually very good at building muscle.

Oh and one other tip... if you do your weights and C.V. in one session do the weights first. That way when it comes to the C.V. you will be more likely to be burning fat :thumbsup:

can i just ask why u say to do cv after doing weights?

I wouldn't worry about how much you actually weigh, just concentrate on getting the shape you want.

Thanks all, i know this sounds weird, but cant really ask for a program doing, its a weird sort of gym! Dont ask!

On the weights machines i have it on the lowest possible, so surely that cant be too heavy?!

I should be 170 heart rate, for my age etc, and im mostly around 165ish, so i dont think thats too bad.

Oh and ive just got back and im PROPER WET. At least all this sweat must mean im doing something right!!

Out of interest how long does everyone go to the gym for?

I often do: 20mins treadmill-aout 5.5mph, 20mins cross trainer, 10 mins cycling, 10 mins stepper and a few weights. To finish leg raises, stretches and sit ups. I also swim a few nights a week too.

i do about an hour....can wizz thru if no one is on the machines in 35mins thou (3 or 4 times a week)

theres nothing wrong with lifting JUST a bar with lots of reps.. dont feel put off by BIG AL in the corner benchpressing a cow.

im usually there bout an hour doing my whole body, if i get bored it'll be jus one or 2 body parts,

dont be afraid to do weights. Doing compound movements (exercises using more than one muscle group) such as squat, benchpress, deadlift will boost your metabolism and burn lots of calories for hours afterwards whereas doing c.v normally just burns calories while you are actually doing the exercise.
The most important factor is diet. Bodybuilders get huge because of the vast amount of caloris they take in every day combined with heavy training. They would not get 1/4 as big as they do eating like the rest of us do and remember they are on lots of supplements or maybe even drugs. Pm me for any diet/training advice you would like.

Originally posted by ryan123
can i just ask why u say to do cv after doing weights?

Lol because my gym instructor told me to when I started gaining weight after working out at the gym! He told me if you do weights before C.V. you are more likely to be burning fat when it comes to the C.V. (don't ask me about the science...I just took his advice).

It is actually relatively easy for women to put on weight because of working out. When I started at the gym I was already at a decent weight for my height (8.5 stone) but just wanted to get down to 8 stone. I ended up going up to 9 stone through my wonderful combination of diet and exercise!!! So it is really important to do the right stuff because it's quite demotivating for a woman to be gaining weight.