Any tips on getting fit without losing weight?

[LaurenB7]

So, I am about 108 pounds and 5'4. Not a lot of muscle and a little belly fat. I don't need to lose weight and trying to search for ideas on how to get fit and tone...I find a lot on "How to lose 10 pounds in a month" type things and that is something I don't need. 

I just got a gym membership and I'm not very familiar with the machines other than the treadmill, so been trying to find apps or websites that help me understand the correct form and to use it. Also, I know there is a lot of free weights excerses and stuff. Anyone have any ideas or websites/apps to suggest?

Thanks! 

[JacobHN]

I highly recommend the rowing machine. For me at least, it helped me lose 30 pounds of fat and gain 15 pounds of muscle in a year. 

Here is a video on form:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sfnAhEAa_T8

The form isn't different for a water rower or a turbine one. 

[JoeyUK]

I think the main thing you could focus on is weight training. With a short amount of cardio at the end. That way you will lose fat and gain muscle. Your weight may stay around the same.

If you are wanting to get toned, abs and such. It is mainly in your diet. That's where I fall short 😄 

With doing weights, if you are wanting to get lean, it is best to do low weight, high repetitions. 

[SunsetRunner]

If you have a gym membership already, see about getting a trainer for a few sessions to help you learn how to use the equipment properly and to setup a training plan. If the gym is any good they should be able to help with that. Sounds like you should probably do a mix of weight and cardio, with more emphasis on the weights. Although any cardio regime should include some type of resistance training to help maintain muscle mass.

[Dominique]

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@JacobHN wrote:

it helped me lose 30 pounds of fat and gain 15 pounds of muscle in a year. 

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Just curious: how did you establish your 15 pounds net loss came from losing 30 pounds of fat and gaining 15 pounds of muscle? Asking, because: 1) it’s very hard to gain muscle when eating at a deficit, or very hard to lose fat if eating at a surplus, 2) there’s only so much muscle one can gain in a year, even in the most optimal conditions (young, untrained male starting a proper resistance training program); more about models for predicting potential muscle gain here, and 3) rowing is primarily an aerobic exercise and if you were to use it for resistance training, you would need to constantly increase the resistance of the rowing machine (in order to achieve progressive overload, which is the condition for building muscle).

[elderwanda]

I recommend Stronglifts 5x5 at Stronglifts.com  

It's all about compound barbell lifts---real exercises that serious lifters have been using forever because they are effective.   

The website and how-to videos do assume that the viewer is a male who can start out deadlifting 135 pounds in their sleep, and hold the 45 pound empty bar over their head on the first day.  You almost certainly won't be able to do those things for a while, but don't let that intimitate you.  

If you do searches for things like, "I want to get toned", you'll end up looking at articles telling you to do 20 biceps curls with a soup can, and that's just going to waste your time.  What you want---believe me---is to build as much actual muscle as you can.   Unless you're a young male in his first year of training, and eating plenty, the muscle building process is glacier-slow, so if you aim to GAIN ALL THE MUSCLE, you'll end up looking nicely "toned", and being able to open jars and carry your groceries.  You probably won't gain 15 pounds of muscle like the poster above, unless you dedicate the next 15 years to that one goal.  

 Once you learn how to do a barbell squat with proper form, and have been doing it for a couple of months you'll start going, "Hey, what's this firm, girdle-like thing on me?  Why is my mid-section not all floppy and flabby?  Whoa!  I have muscle there!!"  🙂   That's because those compound barbell lifts engage your whole body and your central nervous system, and you'll build up strength in the midsection (and your mind) just keeping your body in the correct position under a load.  

[elderwanda]

I'm in the US where, apparently, anyone can call themselves a trainer.  If I were to hire one, I'd want to make sure that he or she has an understanding of anatomy, and "posterior chain", and why a Smith machine is not good for squats.  My gym has this trainer dude who loves to brag loudly about how he routinely injures himself doing bench press.  Then there's my previous gym where the "trainer" just had people doing endless biceps curls while talking to them about his weekend plans.  

[UVcat]

Yes, what @elderwanda said; a structured weightlifting program is the best way to gain muscle; if you are already a member of a gym, look into getting a trainer to help you with form at the beginning. For your over-all health and fitness, doing some cardio in addition is probably a good idea.

You can gain muscle (albeit very slowly) while also maintaining a constant weight, it's usually called "recomposition". I found this helpful:

https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10177803/recomposition-maintaining-weight-while-los...

Hope that helps.

-UVc

[SunsetRunner]

Does your gym have trainers on staff?  It is more than worth the expense to hire one for several sessions.  They will give you a work our plan to follow based on your goal and show you how to use the machines and free weights effectively and safely.

[emili]

I know she isn't everyone's cup of tea, but Jillian Michaels has really good youtube videos for toning and shaping. You don't have to lift weights- you can use your body weight if you have to. At the gym, you want to sign up to have the trainer show you how to use the machines and the correct formula for toning- low weight, high reps as an example. Then look at the people there. If you find someone who knows what they are doing (based on how they look) ask questions. No one has ever said no when given an opportunity to be an expert.