35yr old...Need advice on Hips, Legs, Tummy

[tammy_girl]

Posted this in the wrong forum earlier and decided to redo it. So first off, Hi!! I have recently gone from 162lbs to 120lbs but still feel I need further work on my legs, hips, and Tummy. Just not sure where to go or what to do. I still eat right and cardio (running/jogging) 3-5 miles per day-3 days a week. Husband just recently purchased a bowflex (he said bodybuilders dont like bowflex but I figured I would mention it because neither of us has ever used any type of weight machine or free weights. We also have dumbells we just recently purchased.

I would like any advice on how to continue on a fitness journey and fix my trouble spots. Like I said, I do eat pretty good and dont mind cardio and not sure if it is time to hit the bowflex. Any guidance would be welcome!!

120 lbs
35 Years Old
5' 2" tall

[taf1968]

Welcome . . .

Resistance training will make a big difference in how you look. Cardio is great for burning bodyfat and overall conditioning, but it won't do anything to "reshape" your body in the ways that you are probably looking for. Plus, adding muscle also has the benefit of burning more fat just by being there . . . so it helps you stay leaner. The muscle building is what gives the more athletic look.

I think you would be fine starting off with the Bowflex and the DB's . . . you could look to do a "total body" routine 2 or 3 times per week (betting your Bowlfex came with some sample programs--if not there are a lot of places to find info on what to do or people here can also make some suggestions).

Get started with anything you have access to, and then if you find yourself getting hooked on lifting you may want to step up to a gym with more/different equipment at some point. But as a starting point what you have will be great for you.

EDIT: there are some really amazing women on this site--I'm sure you will hear from them and they will offer advice.

(Sorry, ladies--didn't realize I was in the Female section . . . hope you don't mind me chiming in )

[kimm4]

The right eating plan is the most important...but if you're looking to drop some extra body fat and add some nice lean muscle...weight training is a must! The bowflex is a great investment and you will get some decent results for sure. But down the road if you're looking to take it even further I would advise a gym membership.

You're off to a good start, best of luck!!

[tammy_girl]

Originally Posted by taf1968

Welcome . . .

Resistance training will make a big difference in how you look. Cardio is great for burning bodyfat and overall conditioning, but it won't do anything to "reshape" your body in the ways that you are probably looking for. Plus, adding muscle also has the benefit of burning more fat just by being there . . . so it helps you stay leaner. The muscle building is what gives the more athletic look.

I think you would be fine starting off with the Bowflex and the DB's . . . you could look to do a "total body" routine 2 or 3 times per week (betting your Bowlfex came with some sample programs--if not there are a lot of places to find info on what to do or people here can also make some suggestions).

Get started with anything you have access to, and then if you find yourself getting hooked on lifting you may want to step up to a gym with more/different equipment at some point. But as a starting point what you have will be great for you.

EDIT: there are some really amazing women on this site--I'm sure you will hear from them and they will offer advice.

(Sorry, ladies--didn't realize I was in the Female section . . . hope you don't mind me chiming in )

Thanks for the advice. The reason for the Bowflex is we live in a very rural area and there are no gyms within an hour. Both hubby and I need weight/resistance work and we also have a son and daughter that are already wearing the BF out. So I guess it is a starting point.

Wil it hurt to work out more than 2 to 3 times per week and cardio 3 times along with it?

[kimm4]

You can easily train 4x a week on the bowflex and cardio 3-4x a week would work well.

[tammy_girl]

Originally Posted by kimm4

The right eating plan is the most important...but if you're looking to drop some extra body fat and add some nice lean muscle...weight training is a must! The bowflex is a great investment and you will get some decent results for sure. But down the road if you're looking to take it even further I would advise a gym membership.

You're off to a good start, best of luck!!

Thank you....Since my hips, legs and stomach are more of my problem areas should I do lower body and ab workout more than upperbody/chest?

I dont guess weight training is a miracle worker for breasts? Lifting/Firming?

Originally Posted by kimm4

You can easily train 4x a week on the bowflex and cardio 3-4x a week would work well.

Thanks...thats my plan then.

[taf1968]

Originally Posted by tammy_girl

Thanks for the advice. The reason for the Bowflex is we live in a very rural area and there are no gyms within an hour. Both hubby and I need weight/resistance work and we also have a son and daughter that are already wearing the BF out. So I guess it is a starting point.

Wil it hurt to work out more than 2 to 3 times per week and cardio 3 times along with it?

It depends on how you structure your lifting . . . if you do a total body routine (like working a few exercises for chest, arms, back, legs, shoulders, etc all in a single workout each time) then you want to limit that to 2 or 3x per week--like a MWF arrangement. Some people do what is referred to as a "split" routine, where you divide up your bodyparts: example, chest & triceps one day, back and biceps another, legs on a day, etc. In those cases, you could lift 4 or even 5 days a week. I wouldn't do a total body more than 3x/week to make sure you have recovery time for the muscles to grow--at least as a start.

But for cardio . . . definitely you can keep up with your cardio. Do it when you can, it will help to keep bodyfat low! 3x for cardio is perfectly fine.

[tammy_girl]

Ok...so what do ya'll suggest should I do for abs, legs, and hips? What exercises? I can mimic whatever you suggest on the bowflex or at least try to. Since I have never used weights or resistance, I figure ya'll are right, for a while I will see improvement?

[BIGSEXY1131]

NEVER FORGET CORE EXCERCISES! ANYTHING THAT STRENGTHENS THE CORE LIKE CRUNCHES, PLANKS, SIT-UPS, ETC...

Legs: Squats, presses, hamstring curls, hamstring extensions, toe raises(for calves) dead lifts, stiff-legged dead lifts..

you will DEFINATELY SEE improvement!!!

Good Luck!

[martina92685]

Sorry to bust in here and not post about the tread topic, but I am sure that the reason you are in the red is directly related to your avi. You could at least make it a bb pose or something because with an avatar like that you look like an internet attention whore.

[terracotta]

Originally Posted by martina92685

Sorry to bust in here and not post about the tread topic, but I am sure that the reason you are in the red is directly related to your avi. You could at least make it a bb pose or something because with an avatar like that you look like an internet attention whore.

Actually most women in the red posted in MISC.. but yes, I can post in MISC without getting negged..

[FitBunny7]

I myself just began a killer leg workout that involves a lot of resistance training at the gym, but when developing my own plan I asked a lot of the pros what really has helped them with those same areas. To my questions they all assured me that even without the gym you can make a huge impact with dumbbells and some hard work.

So with that said, my advice is to grab some moderately weighted dumbbells at a sporting goods store or even walmart and work on lunges and squats.

Those two exercises are the two most effective in toning the lower region and all sorts of variations are shown on this site that are amazing and will really have you feeling the burn and seeing a difference really quickly.

My suggestions are wide and narrow stance squats with weight at shoulder level and walking lunges with weights held at your sides.

Best of luck!!

[humblegenius]

Eat clean, lift heavy and if you dont have real bad ass crack sweat, your cardio wasn't intense enough.