SuperGlucose

[superglucose]

RAAARGH!

age, starting weight, goal weight, height and objective.

Lessee, i'm 20, I weigh 149 and want to lower that to about 130-135 and I'm 5'8".

I used to be a huge skiier and I just haven't had the ability to ski since graduating from high school (lack of $$$), which brings me to my next point:

My real problem isn't that I eat poorly, it's that I don't exercise enough. Does anyone have access to an easy exercise plan that will reinforce muscle tone (over mass, I don't want to be "body builder" I want to be "firm") but requires no $$$? That's what I'm really looking for, and just wanted to post in here to find tips.

Thanks!

[bbq]

I'm pretty sure whether you bulk up or not depends more on your diet than your exercise plan, when it comes to weightlifting.

[TheSkyMovesSideways]

age, starting weight, goal weight, height and objective.

You forgot sex, but previous posts indicate that you're male, so we'll go with that.

Lessee, i'm 20, I weigh 149 and want to lower that to about 130-135 and I'm 5'8".

At your height, 149lbs is in the middle of the "normal" range of the BMI, and dropping to 130lbs would make you almost underweight. Are you really sure about those goals? If excess flab is your concern, then consider that gaining some muscle and losing some fat (either staying the same weight or dropping only a few pounds) may be a better solution.

Does anyone have access to an easy exercise plan that will reinforce muscle tone (over mass, I don't want to be "body builder" I want to be "firm") but requires no $$$? That's what I'm really looking for, and just wanted to post in here to find tips.

Ok, first of all there is no such thing as "toning" muscles, that's just a lie made up by the unscrupulous fitness industry in order to extract large amounts of money from women who are concerned that exercise will make them bulky and unfeminine. You are not going to look like a bodybuilder unless you use steroids (and a shitload of fake-tan), whether you're male or female, and that's pretty difficult to do accidentally. So don't worry about it, and don't be afraid of gaining muscle.

As for exercise references, if you can afford to part with $27 (assuming you're in the US), then the book Never Gymless by Ross Enamait is an extremely good reference for bodyweight and DIY equipment exercises.

[superglucose]

The chart I saw had 149 at the upper end, but w/e. I don't want to drop 20 lbs, I want to drop ~10.

[TheSkyMovesSideways]

Then I'd probably just recommend a combination of bodyweight exercises (such as those described in the book I linked above) and running. If you're not really a runner, then the Couch-to-5K program is a good place to start, and you could then maybe add 3 bodyweight strength training sessions per week to that.