How many times have you asked a trainer “I want to tone my body” or “what are best exercises for my stomach?”
How many people do you know who spend hours each week in the gym on the cardio machines, or every morning in an attempt to get a six pack? When someone says the word “tone”, what they should be saying is that they would like to have less body fat, so you can see the definition of the muscle underneath.
If you want to develop a better body shape, the definition will be coming from getting leaner, and the shape and firmness will come from building more muscle over a period of time. Have you ever found yourself losing lots of weight, yet you still don’t have a firm, “toned” shape? Well, that’s because you’ve more likely burned off a good amount of muscle too (remember its muscle that will give you shape).
READ MORE: Why quick fad diets won’t really work
Be warned though, crash weight loss diets are the quickest way to lose your shape. For those of you who think simply changing your rep ranges to higher numbers will help tone. Think again.
Whilst taking shorter rest periods can help with increase endurance of the muscle, you should really be focusing on your diet, an effective weight training programme and perhaps some level of supplementary cardio to address excess body fat levels.
So, ditch the “toning” myth we’ve been lead to believe for so long and keep focusing on getting stronger in the gym, build muscle tissue, be smart with your nutrition, and focus on reducing body fat levels if you want to get leaner and see more shape.
Would you like to know how we help our clients at Lean Body Training achieve results and change their body shape? Pick up a free copy of our popular 12 Week Transformation Ebook here.