Workout Routines For Toning

Workout Routines For Toning

In my personal training service, the first question I ask my prospective clients is "What are your fitness goals?" At some point in our conversation, nearly every woman will express a desire to tone up and reduce body fat. See workouts below.

What does it mean to be toned? A toned appearance is the product of low body fat levels combined with muscular definition.

To reduce body fat and achieve a toned appearance, you must:

Be in a calorie deficit by burning more calories than you consume.
Build lean muscle through the use of resistance, as adding lean muscle to your frame will speed your metabolism.
Burn calories by performing regular cardiovascular exercise.

The Truth About Body Toning Exercises For Women

You might be expecting to hear that workout routines for toning should revolve around high repetition sets with very light weights. You may have heard that lifting heavier weights will give you a bulked-up look. This is a popular misconception that has cost many women valuable time and effort. Women simply do not possess the hormones necessary to build extreme amounts of muscle.

To achieve your fitness goals in the shortest amount of time, you must first get past the fallacy that lifting heavy weights is going to immediately create freakishly large, bulging muscles. It won't. Read more about the great toning myth here.

Lifting light weights with high reps (15-20 or more) will improve your muscular endurance but does little to actually build muscle. If you want a healthy, athletic and trim look, the best toning exercises will include the use of resistance. These workout routines for toning are also workout routines for muscle building, and building muscle is the key to a toned, fit body.