[underscore420]

I'm 16 and about 5'4. I weigh 124 lbs but I want to know some ways I could tone up... I can't really lift anything because I have really bad spine problems. The main areas I need help on are my stomach, and thighs. Could anyone help me do a workout that won't make me bulk up?? It would be kind of weird to be more buff than my boyfriend lol
Thanks... ciao!:D

[Eileen G]

Don't worry, you won't get bigger than your boyfriend, you just don't have the testostrone for it. I promise, even if you lifted the same weights as he did, he would get muscular and you'd get toned. Women have to lift heavy weights just to look as if they ever get off their bums.

The best exercises for shaping your thighs and hips are squats. You can do bodyweight squats during the ad breaks. Stand up, then bend your knees and hips as if you were about to sit down, but move back up as soon as your bum touches the seat. Do this until the programme starts again.

You should also do deadlifts. Even if you have a bad back. It will strengthen your back and teach you how to lift weights safely. You can do it with a couple of bags of shopping. Keep your back straight and head up, bend your knees and hips, grab the handles of the bag and stand up straight, by pushing your hips forward. Repeat ten times.

If you have a bad back, sit-ups are not a good idea, but you can do supported crunches. Lie on your back with knees bent and holding a teatowel behind your head. Slowly, contract the muscles of your tummy, so that you slightly raise your head and shoulders off the ground. Concentrate on bringing your hips and ribs closer together, not on swinging up and down.

[mudweiser]

People often get concerned about "bulking up" when weight training is involved in their exercise program, but there's no need to be worried. Building muscle and losing weight go hand in hand, and here's why: While you burn calories when you exercise and when you do daily activities like walking or climbing stairs, you burn the bulk of your calories just by sitting still. This is called your resting metabolic rate. For each pound of lean muscle you have on your body, you burn calories by doing absolutely nothing! What's important for you to know is that the more muscle you build, the higher your resting metabolic rate, and the more calories your burn per day. That's why building muscle is such an important part of weight loss, and why it's so good for your health -- all that muscle makes it even easier to keep the fat off.

The other benefit of weight training is that muscle tissue will keep you looking lean and taut. You may lose fat by dieting and by doing cardio exercises, but to look trim you need to build muscle in place of the fat. Muscle is also higher in volume than fat, so every pound of muscle takes up less room on your body, making you smaller and giving you that great shape you're looking for.

Completing a high number of repetitions at a lower weight is ideal for sculpting your body and speeding your metabolism to help keep the weight off.

MRS.S