Today I’m going to debunk the myth of “toning exercises.”
There’s this idea out, this thing that we call a TONED BODY. And we all know what this means. We all know what a “toned” body looks like.
It’s a body that’s fit, lean, strong… It’s athletic, but not overly muscular… And it has this tight appearance to it. Not flabby, but firm. It’s a healthy, attractive look.
Now, it’s totally possible to have a toned appearance. Obviously, right? You can look toned…and you can even GET toned… So if you want to get toned, you can.
But what’s NOT possible…the myth…is that there’s a certain kind of exercise you can do to GET toned.
A lot of people are misled into thinking that certain types of exercises will get you toned.
Some people think that doing sit-ups or crunches will give you toned abs. Some people think doing a lot of bodyweight squats will give you toned legs and a toned butt. Some people think doing a lot of push-ups or dips will give you a toned chest and toned arms.
Usually the exercises that people associate with getting toned include some kind of bodyweight exercise or lightweight strength training.
For example, a lot of people think that doing 100 air squats will get you toned. But doing 1 single squat with 400 pounds on a bar will NOT get you toned: that will get you big and bulk.
Well, this is simply not true.
The whole idea that there is a specific type of workout that can “get you toned” is something that is pretty much made up by marketing. Health and fitness companies like to claim that their product will get you toned because they know there are a lot of people who want to get toned.
There’s nothing special about those exercises, though. Doing 100 air squats will NOT get you toned any more than doing 1 heavy squat will.
Let me explain.
There Are Only 2 Ways To Change Your Body
When it comes to changing your body, what we call your body composition, there are really only 2 things you CAN do:
You can gain or lose fat, and you can gain or lose muscle.
That’s it.
When people talk about a “toned” body, what they mean is a body that has a decent amount of muscle mass, but not too much, with relatively low bodyfat.
That’s it. All you need to do to get toned…is to build a decent amount of muscle mass. (You might already have enough muscle for this.) And then reduce your bodyfat. If you’re a man, you’ll want a bodyfat level of around 10-12% to look toned. And if you’re a woman, you’ll want a bodyfat level of around 18-22% or so to look toned.
How To Get A Toned Body
So how do you do that? How do you get a toned body?
Well, it’s very simple. Not to say it’s easy, but it’s simple: you have to burn fat. Lose weight, basically.
If you lose fat, and you reach the bodyfat levels I just mentioned…that is how you get a toned body. Not by doing any specific type of exercise. Getting toned actually has very little to do with exercise. Exercise can help, but you mainly need to focus on your diet to lose weight and reach that low bodyfat level.
And if you are going to exercise, what kind should you do? What’s the best type of exercise for getting toned?
I’ll give you 2 possibilities. First, strength training. I’m talking about lifting weights or doing bodyweight exercises to build up a little muscle mass. Don’t do 100 air squats. That is NOT going really help you at all. Instead, it’s better do squats with a bar, and some added weight. Because that will actually help you build some new muscle.
And your second possibility is cardio. Either steady-state cardio or HIIT (high-intensity interval training). This type of exercise will help you burn some extra calories, to help you reach that low bodyfat level.
I just want to caution you NOT to put too much emphasis on exercise. Exercise is great, but if you want to get toned, you need to focus on your diet first and foremost.
To learn more about what that’s the case, click here…or click the link below this video if you’re on a phone…to learn why nutrition is 90% of your physique.