Is the stairmaster right for a skinny girl?

[Raggy]

Hi!

I have tried to find info online about using the stairmaster but I can't seem to find an answer to my question.

I am 25 years old, very skinny - 5'2" & 100 lbs (actually, about 98lbs) and I want to work on my lower body. I just want to start doing something about it before gravity completely takes over my body.

The problem is that because of my job, I spend 6 months of the year in different hotels all over the country and usually their "exercise rooms" only have a stairmaster, a treadmill and a bike. I really don't want to lose any weight, I just want a toned butt and legs; would the stairmaster work for me or would it make lose weight? I was thinking maybe if I use a high, harder level it would be better than just burning what's left of my butt off using a lower level that only makes me burn calories. I don't know, I'm pretty clueless about this!

If anyone could please let me know if the stairmaster would be right for me, my butt and I would greatly appreciate it!

Thank you!

[RottenWillow]

Quote posted by Raggy Hi! I really don't want to lose any weight, I just want a toned butt and legs; would the stairmaster work for me or would it make lose weight?

Raggy I'd suggest pumping some heavy iron. Cardio will not "tone" your muscles....pumping iron will. Want an ass you can bounce a quarter off and hard, shapely thighs? Heavy squats and leg presses are the path to enlightenment sister.

And no, there is not a snowball's chance in hell you'll become really muscular like a man....because you're not a man. If you follow a higher protein diet and modestly increase your caloric intake (like maybe 200-300 more daily) you might add something like 5-7 pounds of muscle in your lower body over the course of the next 12 weeks.

Do not let the idea of weight gain scare you. Strategically placed muscle looks fantastic and it tends to make a woman look leaner, particularly in the lower body.

Any questions about how to implement a muscle building routine just ask.

Welcome

[wend]

What she said, including the welcome part.

[velvett]

Quote posted by Raggy I am 25 years old, very skinny - 5'2" & 100 lbs (actually, about 98lbs) and I want to work on my lower body. I just want to start doing something about it before gravity completely takes over my body. The problem is that because of my job, I spend 6 months of the year in different hotels all over the country and usually their "exercise rooms" only have a stairmaster, a treadmill and a bike. I really don't want to lose any weight, I just want a toned butt and legs; would the stairmaster work for me or would it make lose weight?

HI!

Welcome.

You may want to invest in resistance bands if you can't get to any free weights, universals or machines and I'd concetrate on both your lower and upper body.They will be easy to travel with and will benefit you more than straight cardio.

That said - a quick run on the treadmil will be nice for your calves.

[FitFossil]

Quote posted by Raggy ... I just want a toned butt and legs...

What about a in' upper bod to go with that toned butt & legs?!

Honestly, you really should train your WHOLE body for the best aesthetic result. It's funny, when I was an 80 lb anorexic, I hated my "pear shaped" body. As skinny as I was, my butt and thighs looked huge to me. And even at that low weight, they DID have fat on them. After weight training though, my back and shoulders grew, and training my legs heavy made them leaner and smaller (not bigger like I was afraid of). Now I have a V-taper, which accentuates my waist and makes my hips look narrow.

Nothing beats real weights, but for travelling you can pack some of those stretchy bands like this: http://www.bodytrends.com/products/resistance/

Also, jumping rope is great leg and butt toner and will fit in any suitcase.

[Raggy]

Thank you all for the warm welcome and your advice! I will get me some resistance bands next time I run into a sports authority or a similar store.

I don't really want a big muscular body, I'm so tiny and girly that I would look ridiculous! My body is pretty much like a knot, imagine a piece of rope with a knot in the middle and that's pretty much what I look like. Skinny upper body and flat chest, then I have some butt and then come the skinny chicken legs.
Actually my butt has always been the only thing I have had going on for me, but it just feels like it's getting soft and wanting to start sagging. I want to do something about it now before it sags all the way down to the ground!

Thank you again for all your replies!

[wend]

But you WON'T get a big muscular body, no matter how much you lift. Certainly not with bands. Unless she uses some significant chemical enhancement, even serious weight resistance (pumping iron) won't give a woman big muscles...just hard ones, big enough to fill up where her fat otherwise resides. (And it's fun to be strong, too.) A well-developed set of muscles will also hold your bones together better as you age (provided you train in a way that encourages symmetry), so you don't get as many aches and pains. And weight training increases bone density, to help ward of osteoporosis later.

On the contrary, rather than looking silly, a muscular you would be strong and sexy, healthy and cat-like. I hope you decide to see what you can become...having really changed my own body over the past year, I have to say that it's really worth it (I'm in my late thirties, post 2 kids, and believe me, I know what gravity can do to a body).

Good luck!