Hey guys, Just joined the gym round here. Was a special offer and i thought why not, may as well try and get fit and tone up abit. Anyway i'm a little new to the whole gym workout thing and i'm not so sure at what would be best for me to tone up a bit. I don't want to to be mr muscles or anything like that just nicely toned I've been using the rowing machine quite abit, someone told me thats a good overall workout. Any suggestions?
Head over to bodybuilding.com. You'll find all you need there. Most important: Always use proper form! You'll save youself injury & pain if you take the time to learn how to lift properly.
bodybuilding.net has a great forum full of tips for workout routines and diet. Rowing is a great way to build muscle without hitting the actual weights, so is swimming. Other kinds of cardio like cycling and running generally leave you a little too lean up top. To build muscle get a trainer for a couple of sessions to show you basic exercises for your chest biceps triceps lats legs etc... Try and stick to large compound muscle exercises such as bench press, squats, deadlift etc as they target your big muscles and unleash more natural testosterone then isolating say just your bicep. Lastly, your diet is perhaps the most important component. an average guy who weight-trains or does cardio for atleast an hour 5 days a week should consume about 3000 calories a day if youre trying to build muscle. This should be mostly a protein and vegetable diet. Lots of meat, fish, chicken, steak, pork etc... try not to overdo the carbs unless you have a big cardio session in front of you Hope this points you in the right direction, remember the internet will always be your biggest resource. -P
I am a personal trainer. There are options. Lifting is necessary, moderate weight, moderate reps, multiple sets. Check out G3 Fitness for more information.