But I Just Want to TONE

“But I Just Want to TONE”.....

Wow! I wish I could have a nickel every time I heard someone tell me this!  How many times have you heard this statement or even said it yourself?!  Does anybody even know what the word “tone” really means? Tone is actually a state of the muscle.  It is defined as the constant state of partial contraction of the muscles. So everyone is constantly experiencing muscle tone.

We probably realize what one is trying to say with the phrase, “I want to tone up.”  You want to be able to see muscle definition and by losing the fat around the muscle, right?  Well this is done by losing or burning off the layer of fat covering the muscle.  So the question is how is this best accomplished?  Many people, especially females think this is best done by lifting light weights with high repetitions.  They do this because they don't want to “bulk up” or “get big” they just want to “tone”, right?!.... WRONG!   As was stated earlier, in order to see muscle definition, the layer of fat surrounding the muscle needs to go.  Do you really think that a person is burning more calories and more fat by using those 3 lb and 5 lb dumbbells or by busting out the 10's, 15's and 20's?  And women, you are not going to get “big”!  Women do not have the high levels of testosterone like men and thus cannot put muscle mass on like they can.  This is especially if they are following a healthy diet and not over consuming calories.

So basically the best way to lean down and get muscle definition (not tone) is to burn off or lose the layer of fat surrounding the muscle.  This is best accomplished by increasing your overall calorie burn and decreasing your calorie intake with a healthier diet.  In order to burn more calories you need to increase your heart rate or work rate.  The higher your heart rate, the more calories and fat you are burning. Here are just a few tips to really rev up your workout, increase your heart rate and burn more calories, resulting in a leaner, more defined body!

·        Decrease your rest time in between exercises. 

·        Increase the ‘load’ or the weight you are lifting

·        Increase time under tension (increase your sets and repetitions)

·       Work out large muscles groups (larger muscles like legs, chest, back and abs burn more calories than your smaller muscles)

·       Do complex exercises.  Instead of just doing a squat or a lunge, include an arm curl or shoulder     press with it.

·       Include high intensity intervals in your weight lifting and cardio workouts.

 

Check out the Workouts Below that will do more than “Tone” they will get you STRONG and LEAN!

Treadmill Interval Hill Workout

This can be done outdoors on a hill as well.

1 minute Sprint at flat
       90 second Recovery
1 minute Sprint at 3% incline
       90 second Recovery
1 minute Sprint at 6% incline
       90 second Recovery

1 minute Sprint at 9% incline
       90 second Recovery
1 minute Sprint at 12% incline
       90 second Recovery

Repeat 2-5 times depending on level of conditioning

Kettlebell Inferno

Complete each exercise with zero to little rest between exercises. Rest after each circuit.  Use a kettlebell weight that will work for all of the exercises below.

30 seconds of Kettlebell Swings
30 seconds of Right Arm Kettlebell Snatch
30 seconds of Right Arm Kettlebell Push Press
30 seconds of Right Arm Overhead Walking Lunges with Kettlebell
30 second Sprint

Rest 90 seconds then repeat on left arm. Aim for completing at least two circuits on each arm (4 total rounds).