what exercise regime has changed your body shape?

[Bluebiscuits]

I really want to tone up but need inspiration. What exercise regimes have you followed which have improved your body shape and made a real difference to how you look?

Any ideas and inspirational stories welcome!

I've been told I have.

I worked on core muscle tone (a hard thing for me). Bannatynes do a class called B:conditioned, I find it a killer but really does make you work. I'm working up to their similar be core strong class

I think people say you can't really change your body shape, and this is probably true. For me it has looked like I could because the hourglass shape was always there, just hidden under a layer of fat and poor core strength.

Bodypump for me. I do a variety of classes but I definitely feel it's the bodypump class that has made a difference - particularly in my upper body, my arms and shoulders have got some proper definition to them.

I was doing one class a week for the 1st 3 months (as that's all my gym offered that I could fit into my schedule) and have been doing 2 or 3 classes a week for about 7 months now.

I felt like I was toning up after the first couple of months but it was a good 6 months before I could really see a difference.

Weights, big ones. Easiest and quickest way to 'tone'. Body pump is good but make sure you push yourself weight wise. Obviously, what's safe to start on depends on where you are fitness wise.

Can I hijack? Am gradually trying to get into the gym but am unfit and a good 1.5 stone overweight. Could I do a Bodypump class? Or do I need a step down from that?

Personally, I think anybody could do a body pump class - but I'm not a doctor; obviously, any underlying health issues may prevent it but not just being unfit and a bit overweight. You can start off with using virtually no weights and stop the reps whenever you like and just do what you can.

I have been going to the gym. Walking, using the cross trainer, bike, rower, weights, core stuff etc.
I met someone I haven't seen in a couple of years and they commented. I don't think it is a weight but a toning thing.
But it's not a quick fix!

Ok, embarrassing admission time, I am about six stone overweight and very very unfit .. What would be the best thing to get me on the road to fitness again? Any suggestions would be great. Tried jogging last week and nearly died and not helped by a group of teenage boys yelling st me and making piggy noises 😳😰😡

For the OP it depends what you mean by improving your body shape. If you want to lose weight then the focus should be on cardio, preferably in short bursts of high intensity.
If it's to get tone and definition then get a weights programme from the gym and/or see a personal trainer for a few sessions. Body pump probably works too, but depends if you enjoy it, you could get the same results in half the time in the gym.

Shiraz - There are people of all shapes at our pump class. Some lifting quite heavy weights, some lifting very light or no weights (a few exercises you can do with body weight only) and most somewhere between the 2. You don't need to have great cardio fitness either - which appealed to me when I first started and I've since gone on to do classes to improve that. Just start out with very light weights, there are a lot of reps - you'll be surprised at how soon you can up the weights and you can do it in very small increments.

Also, any exercise you enjoy is the one to do to start you on the road to getting fitter. For me (not having great cardio fitness at the start) if I'd tried jogging, spinning or a high energy class I soon would have given up. I started with pilates as it looked like a class I wouldn't need to jump around in (still hard in it's own right but another class that you can do at your own level) Body pump was on before pilates and I'd often watch the end of the class while waiting and as it looked like another class where I wouldn't need to jump around I plucked up the courage to give it a try and loved it. As I started to feel stronger I then looked into other classes like body conditioning which had a little bit of cardio to it and I've just gone on from there and now do things like spinning and insanity which I couldn't have imagined doing, let alone enjoying! Yes, cardio is good for fat loss but sometimes you need to start slowly and build up to that.

Running and Pilates.

Big weights. I started doing Crossfit, but I can't tell you that that's the best format as all Crossfit gyms do their own programming and some focus on weights (olympic lifting and low rep/ high weight on dumbbells and kettle bells) a lot more than others (which almost have a HIIT focus), so you'd have to test a few out. However, if you do find a good Crossfit gym with a barbell focus, it makes lifting free weights more accessible (I know you can theoretically teach yourself in your garage using Youtube but there are so many minor adjustments that make so much difference to results that getting some trainer input is ideal). Free weights tend to get you a better result than machine weights because they engage more muscle groups simultaneoulsy rather than isolating specific muscle groups - so for example doing a back squat with just a barbell engages core a lot more than a back squat machine- however, it's also easier to get it wrong. However, that's an ideal world scenario- machine weights will still get a good result.

I now do a mix of personal training with a heavy lifting focus and working out by myself (total: 3 sessions a week) and I also do a lot of trail running/racing so run about 40k a week - I don't think you get much aesthetic benefit from trail running but you do burn a tonne of calories so it helps with fat loss.

I've had v. good results in respect of both performance and aesthetics- body composition is best it's ever been - very sculpted arms, shoulders and back and six pack abs- shapely but "bigger" legs but that comes back to the point about not being able to fundamentally change your body shape- I've always been a pear. I'm not a very young person and I've achieved most of this since turning 40 so it's doable.

Thanks everyone for your replies! I think I will look into some sort of weight training/bodypump class, and some exercises to improve my core strength. I already do quite a bit of cardio but although I feel like I have improved my fitness, I still have a long way to go with toning up!

Good luck Bella and Shiraz if you take the plunge with a bodypump class too!

I run 2-3 times a week and lift weights at home and do core exercises (when I have time!)

I go nowhere near a gym, I like to do it in my own time/space.

I have a 'before and after' a year of running thread on this board where you can see the difference to my physique in a year. I have lost 20lbs through this and cutting down (not eradicting) my sugar intake.

I love running but don't find it does much for my body shape. Maybe a bit of toning to the butt and legs.

My main shape changer is doing dvds - such as 30 Day Shred - or any of the Jillian Michael's vids. I noticed way more difference in doing those most mornings than anything else.

Heavy weight lifting for sure.