Thread: Beginner girl routine?

Originally Posted by CRASHMAN

Can someone help me write a routine for this girl im kind of seeing?
Im going to start training her in self defense and boxing but she needs some strength and she wants to get toned and stuff... I never really wrote one for a girl before??

#1 - don't ever say the word 'tone' again. muscles grow and shrink, they do not tone .

#2 - what are her goals specifically? strength, lean out, sport specific?

#3 - women have the same muscles as men...why would she train differently with the exception of sport specific movements (if necessary)?

#4 - how's her diet?

Originally Posted by The13ig13adWolf

#1 - don't ever say the word 'tone' again. muscles grow and shrink, they do not tone .

Thank-you! Thank-you! Thank-you! I hate it when people say, "I don't want to get big. I just want to get toned." Those are people who are just making excuses to not work hard.

(Although I think that should be #2 on the list. #1 should be, "Always workout naked. )

Originally Posted by The13ig13adWolf

#1 - don't ever say the word 'tone' again. muscles grow and shrink, they do not tone .

#2 - what are her goals specifically? strength, lean out, sport specific?

#3 - women have the same muscles as men...why would she train differently with the exception of sport specific movements (if necessary)?

#4 - how's her diet?

Tone - Normal firmness of a tissue or an organ

I argue that your muscles do in fact become more firm as they grow, and for someone who has not worked out, their body will in fact become more tone.

Originally Posted by Zac_Champigny

Tone - Normal firmness of a tissue or an organ

I argue that your muscles do in fact become more firm as they grow, and for someone who has not worked out, their body will in fact become more tone.

Using very strict definitions, you may be correct. But 90+% of the novices to the sport use "tone" as a euphamism for, "I don't want to work real hard."

Originally Posted by Zac_Champigny

I argue that your muscles do in fact become more firm as they grow, and for someone who has not worked out, their body will in fact become more tone.

not really, the firmness is a loss of sub-cutaneous and intra-muscular fat.

Originally Posted by Robert DiMaggio

not really, the firmness is a loss of sub-cutaneous and intra-muscular fat.

I dont know about you, but after I lift for a few months, my body is much less squishy. My stomach 2 months ago jiggled, and not its much harder. Maybe these are freek occurances, but I attribute them to the diet and gym work I've been doing.

Originally Posted by Zac_Champigny

I dont know about you, but after I lift for a few months, my body is much less squishy. My stomach 2 months ago jiggled, and not its much harder. Maybe these are freek occurances, but I attribute them to the diet and gym work I've been doing.

You have a lower level of body fat now than you did then, plain and simple. Your muscles didn't get harder.

Originally Posted by CowPimp

You have a lower level of body fat now than you did then, plain and simple. Your muscles didn't get harder.

And that is what people mean when they say toned

They don't know if it is due to fat loss or muscle gain or whatever. They just know they want to be harder - less squishy than they are. I think that is what people mean when they say toned.

Originally Posted by NeilPearson

And that is what people mean when they say toned

They don't know if it is due to fat loss or muscle gain or whatever. They just know they want to be harder - less squishy than they are. I think that is what people mean when they say toned.

It is what people mean. The point is that it occurs by lowering your level of body fat. Either they increase the amount of the muscle mass they have, lose body fat, or both. There is no special training routine that is done for toning; it is about being in a negative energy balance. Or, in the case of a beginner, a recomposition of their body.

Originally Posted by CowPimp

You have a lower level of body fat now than you did then, plain and simple. Your muscles didn't get harder.

Isn't the lower level of body fat partially a byproduct of going to the gym and working out?
Not everyone shares the same goals. Some people do not feel as though spending hours in the gym should be a top priority of theirs. I'm sure they have hobbies that you would not want to work very hard at. It is good that they are interested in even "toning up" and getting into physical fitness a little. Not everyone Aims to put up 300 pounds on the bench press, just as everyone here has different goals. They may not be lazy and not plan on working hard, it may just be they really don't have any interest in being muscular.

Originally Posted by NeilPearson

They don't know if it is due to fat loss or muscle gain or whatever. They just know they want to be harder - less squishy than they are. I think that is what people mean when they say toned.

doesn't matter what they mean...it's a misnomer all the same.

Originally Posted by Zac_Champigny

Isn't the lower level of body fat partially a byproduct of going to the gym and working out?

Well obviously. That contributed to their acievment of a negative energy balance. The point is that people feel certain routines are conducive to them becoming toned, which is a load of horsecrap.

Not everyone shares the same goals. Some people do not feel as though spending hours in the gym should be a top priority of theirs. I'm sure they have hobbies that you would not want to work very hard at. It is good that they are interested in even "toning up" and getting into physical fitness a little. Not everyone Aims to put up 300 pounds on the bench press, just as everyone here has different goals. They may not be lazy and not plan on working hard, it may just be they really don't have any interest in being muscular.

So what's your point? The true definition of toning still stands...

Originally Posted by CowPimp

Well obviously. That contributed to their acievment of a negative energy balance. The point is that people feel certain routines are conducive to them becoming toned, which is a load of horsecrap.




So what's your point? The true definition of toning still stands...

I don't understand what you mean. I just don't get whats wrong with people going to the gym to get Tone. If their goal is to lose some fat and gain a little bit of muscle in order to make themselves a little more firm and less squishy, why does that bother people? I think its admirable that they at least go to the gym and do that. Every person that goes to the gym is toning their body, some are just also trying to make bigger gains.

Zac, i think you're misunderstanding the point. when most people say tone, they usually mean they will come in, do an hour of cardio then lift pink db's for 50 reps of curls, laterals and presses and think that they are 'toning' when in reality they are wasting their time and the minimal results they see is simply from burning calories during the activity.

what Rob/CP were getting at, was come in work hard and heavy and gain muscle or lose fat. just because you might not be super dedicated like some on here, doesn't mean you should half ass your training. just like a side hobby of mine is cars, i'm not even close to being dedicated to cars as i am to training but you won't catch me tightening my lug nuts without a torque wrench nonetheless.

Originally Posted by Zac_Champigny

I don't understand what you mean. I just don't get whats wrong with people going to the gym to get Tone. If their goal is to lose some fat and gain a little bit of muscle in order to make themselves a little more firm and less squishy, why does that bother people? I think its admirable that they at least go to the gym and do that. Every person that goes to the gym is toning their body, some are just also trying to make bigger gains.

It would be admirable if the people saying it actually MEANT it. The problem here is perception. Most of the experienced lifters on this site have heard the same whining for years about, "I don't want work hard, I just want to get toned." It gets old. You've already figured out that in order to get "toned" you have to build muscle, lose fat or both, that's not easy. As a matter of fact, it's damn hard work. No, it doesn't take 24 hours a day, seven days a week, but it's still hard work. It gets really old and annoying when you hear people give the same whine day in and day out, "I want results, I just don't want to have to EARN them." In other words, they say, "I just want to get toned." Next few times you hear people say this, pay particular attention to WHO is saying it. You'll start to see a trend.

Originally Posted by The13ig13adWolf

#3 - women have the same muscles as men...why would she train differently with the exception of sport specific movements (if necessary)?

When someone tells me they want to get toned, to me that doesn't mean they don't want to work hard. It just means that they want to be less squishy and don't care to be bigger than they are now... just less squishy. Now they might not understand how to get less squishy (I won't use the word toned here, since I don't want anyone to blow a gasket) and they probably don't understand that getting less squishy just means losing body fat... and this can be done with lots of cardio and pink dumbbells. I think they think they don't realize is that they are just burning calories and they need to know their calorie intake and burn more than they eat.

I think saying they want to get toned just shows a lack of understanding the science behind the whole thing. They want to change their body though. I don't think we can assume they don't want to work hard.... then again I'm not a trainer so I don't have to deal with listening to this every day and then watching the people not want to do anything :P

Originally Posted by NeilPearson

When someone tells me they want to get toned, to me that doesn't mean they don't want to work hard. It just means that they want to be less squishy and don't care to be bigger than they are now... just less squishy. Now they might not understand how to get less squishy (I won't use the word toned here, since I don't want anyone to blow a gasket) and they probably don't understand that getting less squishy just means losing body fat... and this can be done with lots of cardio and pink dumbbells. I think they think they don't realize is that they are just burning calories and they need to know their calorie intake and burn more than they eat.

I think saying they want to get toned just shows a lack of understanding the science behind the whole thing. They want to change their body though. I don't think we can assume they don't want to work hard.

When a client tells me that, I ask them what 'exactly' they mean by that, you'd be suprised at what people different ideas of toned is - someones idea of toned is shredded, anothers is just having less body fat and anothers is someting completely different, it's a shitty term.

Originally Posted by BritChick

When a client tells me that, I ask them what 'exactly' they mean by that, you'd be suprised at what people different ideas of toned is - someones idea of toned is shredded, anothers is just having less body fat and anothers is someting completely different, it's a shitty term.

Okay... that I will agree with. It's a shitty term since it means such different things to different people.

I think we're just straying off-topic due to a pet peeve.

You can HAVE muscle tone, but you can't "tone" a muscle...I don't think the word was ever meant to be used as a verb.

Originally Posted by Myztek

I think we're just straying off-topic due to a pet peeve.

nah his question was answered in #3 of wolf's post. Thats why I felt no guilt jacking his thread.

Originally Posted by The13ig13adWolf

#3 - women have the same muscles as men...why would she train differently with the exception of sport specific movements (if necessary)?

Someone on this site told me once that women should not be training their traps (with shrugs) because bigger traps would not look good on a woman. Is this true or should women be training their traps just as a man would?

Originally Posted by NeilPearson

I think saying they want to get toned just shows a lack of understanding the science behind the whole thing. They want to change their body though.

Exactly, they want to lose fat and have a tight physique, but not necessarily gain muscle mass; the fact is they WILL be gaining muscle and losing fat to get "toned".

I understand what the average Joe/Jane means when they say they want to get toned, I was a personal trainer at one time and you here this from just about every client.

Originally Posted by MWpro

Someone on this site told me once that women should not be training their traps (with shrugs) because bigger traps would not look good on a woman. Is this true or should women be training their traps just as a man would?

It depends on her goals I guess, but if a female is training with weights she should be hitting all muscle groups including traps, whether or not she needs DIRECT trap work is debatable I guess.

I never did much direct trap work myself, I felt they were hit enough indirectly with back and shoulders.

tone was a relative term.. i meant with a good diet her muscles will become tone... now does anyone have a beginner routine?

Originally Posted by CRASHMAN

tone was a relative term.. i meant with a good diet her muscles will become tone... now does anyone have a beginner routine?

Designing a Full Body Routine

day 1 upper body maybe like 2exercises per body part, 2-3 sets 8-10 reps

day 2 HIIT cardio 20mins 2min warm/cool

day 3 lower body same as upper

day 4 HIIT 20 mins

day 5 upper body same

day 6 HIIT 20mins

day 7 off with some cheat meals

rotate this for 8-12 weeks, make sure you give some tips on eating correctly and show her to properly perform the exercises. If she is a beginner, this will definately help shape her body, then she can move on to more advanced training.

5-6 meals a day, I would have her get some myloplex or some sort of MRP just to make it easier on her.