“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).
