When it comes to weight training and coaching others, a common question I get during workouts is, how do I tone “this muscle“. I want this muscle to be smaller, this muscle to be bigger, and this muscle to have an indent. Fear not, as this is more doable than you think– if you’re following the right steps.
Step 1: Get Your Nutrition Right
It sounds obvious to some, but often, people want their slim waist so bad that they spend 30 minutes of their workouts working their abs– strengthening the muscles and getting their tummy rock hard– the only problem is: you can’t see them under the layer of fat and excess weight due to poor nutrition habits.
You can strengthen & shape your body using weights as well as burn excess calories through cardiovascular training, but when it comes to decreasing both weight & inches around your waist line in order to see your toned abs — that primarily comes down to what you are eating…
Coach
A few keys to healthier nutrition:
- Make sure your caloric intake is aligned with your goals (seek help from a professional)
- Substitute for more home cooked and healthier meals (which will lead to less overall calorie consumption)
- Grain-fed leans meats & wild salmon
- Think Water Rich — hydration, fruits, and veggies
For more in depth, sustainable nutrition tips check out one of my previous posts, 5 Ways to Drastically Improve Your Nutrition
Step 2: Weight Train – Lift heavy, Lift often
Another point that may be obvious to some, but less obvious to others is this: a toned, nicely shaped muscle is the result of increased muscle density which is the result of getting stronger and resistance training.
Male or female, whether your goal is to lose weight and build a toned hour-glass figure and tone or if you’re a male looking to build bigger more muscular shoulders and arms — being consistent with weight training workouts is key for success and for sustaining your physical results…
Coach
Quick tips on: How to weight train effectively
- Workout 3-5 times per week using weights to lose inches, decrease fat, get stronger, and increase your resting metabolism
- Include compound exercises such as squats and deadlifts, to build strength, increase lean mass, and decrease total body-fat percentage
- Include isolation exercises to focus on specific areas of the body to tone and prevent injury
- Use enough weight so that you are pushing yourself to get to 12-15 reps and progressively increase the weight over time
- Hire a Coach to make sure you are on the right program and training effectively towards your goals– from the start
And if you’re worried about developing too much muscle, check out my previous article on Getting Toned Without Getting Too Big
Step 3: Play with Proportions
If you are a female looking for bigger boobs with a smaller waist or a male looking to impress your counterpart– both shooting for that hour-glass figure — knowing what areas to put more focus towards is just as important as how hard you work
Hour glass tips for females:
- Focus more on incline bench than on flat
- Build up your glutes and hamstrings, which will help make the waist appear smaller
- Do not neglect working upper body — shoulders, delts, and lots of pulling exercises
For Males:
- When benching, utilize flat bench press, incline bench, as well as high incline benching
- Make back and shoulders a primary focus point for your weight training
- Do not neglect working lower body — women also love a nice butt!
Step 4: Increase Your Workout Frequency
The next step when looking for further progress towards your fitness goals also happens to be the first step: prioritize further frequency of your workouts.
By increasing frequency to 4 or more workouts per week, you will have more days where you are weight training which means you can use different variations of split routine more effectively
Increasing your workout frequency allows you to:
- Have more time to focus on specific muscle groups per workout
- Keep workouts under 60 minutes
- Focus more on key areas, while allowing other muscle groups to rest
- Utilize a variety of split routines– which are key for building muscle and toning once you get past the beginner stage and initial 6-12 weeks of your workouts
- Focus more often on areas you are looking to build
- Develop the feeling of being active into a part of your ongoing lifestyle
- Incorporate different methods of exercise while still effectively training towards your goals (i.e. yoga, running, boxing, and other exciting forms of exercise)
The Real Final Step : Relax and accept
Your body is never going to be perfect and that’s okay. And even if you put in the work to get it exactly where you want it to physically look– it’s not going to stay that way forever…
If you workout for achievement of physical goals only– at some point you will be disappointed, because you’ve created emotional attachment to your body image. It’s part of the reason why I’m not as much an advocate for the bodybuilding world as some others in my industry (but we’ll save that conversation for another day…).
So, the final words I leave you with today are this:
“It’s good to have physical goals to shoot for and be proud of yourself when you hit them– at the same time, learn to enjoy the process, and maintain focus on the way working out and exercise make you feel, rather then only on how they make you look. That is the mindset necessary for sustainable workouts as a part of your lifestyle “
Coach
If you enjoyed today’s article, check out past articles such as: 10 Lifestyle Add-ins for a Healthier, Happier You, or Getting Toned Without Getting Too Big
Rooting for your success, happiness, and personal growth & discovery always.