So, you want to get toned, don’t you?
Well, I have made life easier for you and have simplified it all for you. Enjoy!
So here are some bullet points explaining why muscle mass is KEY especially for women who seek that toned look. Before I go on, I must dish out a harsh truth. It is physically impossible to “tone” a specific body part. The “toned” appearance will show when you have some lean muscle mass and decent body fat levels. Any time you hear about workouts or programmes that promise “toning” please look the other way. People tell people what they want to hear because we, as humans, always seek the reward that comes quickly. A rule of thumb – If it’s too good to be true, then it almost certainly is.
“Toning” and The Benefits of Resistance Training
- Body Fat Levels. Unfortunately the main aspect. Women tend to shy away because it’s too much effort. I’m sorry, but if you are serious about it, you may need to lose a little body fat.
- Muscle mass. In my previous posts, I spoke about female physiology. You guys do not have enough testosterone to build muscle, so it is extremely difficult to gain lean muscle. Which is why you MUST really put a lot of effort into weight training, eating sufficient protein and resting adequately. Muscle can only get bigger or smaller, it can’t tone. The toned look will come when your body fat levels are low enough and you have enough lean muscle. The phrase “hypertrophy” might pop up in magazines and books. This is your goal. Again, this is your goal!
- Cardio? Only to be used to expend calories or to keep your heart healthy. Cardio burns calories, so use it for this purpose only.
- Weight-Training, over time, increases your metabolism. How? Well, lean body mass is more “metabolically active” than fat, meaning that muscle burns more calories at rest than fat. So, two people that are the same height and weight can have very different metabolic rates, based on their lean body mass (lean muscle mass).
- Also, the more muscle mass you have, the more you burn during workouts. This is why Men burn more during workouts because they are naturally bigger and have more muscle mass. No other reason. So, ladies, this is how you burn way more calories. Don’t be that woman who always jogs on the treadmill.
- Better blood glucose control. Strength training will make your body a little more sensitive to insulin. When you lift weights, glucose is used by the body to power your training, as well as excess sugar leaving the body. In doing so, your muscle cells can absorb the fuel more efficiently thus making you a little more insulin sensitive as opposed to insulin resistant.
- More muscle mass equals higher carbohydrate tolerance. When you eat carbohydrates, once digested, it can be stored in muscle, the liver or body fat. Muscle has the highest capacity which is good. However, if you gain more lean mass, your capacity goes up – why the heck would you NOT want this?! How awesome does that sound? Lift heavy, eat more carbohydrates over time.
The End!
Please don’t over-think it. There is NO specific “toning” exercise. Work hard, and most of all – enjoy the freaking process! Otherwise, you will get nowhere. Sorry to be so harsh, but there are times that people NEED to hear the truth. You will thank me later.
