Hey, hey, STRONG friend!
I know what you mean when you say you want to tone up, but I want you to understand the full scope of what that really means.
It's not light weights and high repetitions. That won't actually make you toned.
Dictionary Definition: Having firm and well-defined muscles.
Without building muscle, you can't have well-defined arms,
shoulders, or back muscles!
Toning is building muscle. We can't tone a muscle. Muscle either shrinks or grows. We don't want it to shrink. Well, at least I don't, lol!
Another way to put it...Toning up is building muscle and losing body fat.
We have to build muscle using heavy for you/challenging weights, then lose enough fat through a calorie deficit. That's how you create the toned look!
So we must build it first and then
cut body fat if your body fat is too high to see muscular definition.
And, STRONG friend, you'll need to build more muscle than you think to look toned! Also, if you have a "goal weight" in mind you might want to rethink it, especially if you want muscle tone.
Little tangent for ya:
Muscle weighs something. It weighs because it holds water, about 76% percent! So, if
you are gaining muscle, you are definitely gaining water. Each pound of muscle hold approx. 3 pounds of water.
Our muscle mass includes the smooth muscles, skeletal muscle and cardiac muscles, btw. And this contributes to our total body composition, to include our bone mass and fat mass.
So, if you have wondered how you can weigh the same or more, it's because of the above. Plus, during the losing of body weight, you lost
the right weight, which was body fat. << We want this!!
- Toned = Muscles + Lower Body fat. Firmer & tighter overall. May weigh more, slightly less, or the same.
- Skinny/skinner (Smaller version of your previous body) = Lower Body Fat, no muscles - no muscle tone! Not firm, nor tight, may have loose skin. Will weigh less and still have the same level of body fat, possibly more due to lack of
muscle.
What is needed for the desired look is structured, consistent programming that will get you that "toned" look that you want, aka muscle building. Which ultimately means building muscle!
The best way of doing that is under load (using resistance - the weights) & creating tension on our lovely muscles while progressively overloading them over time as you get STRONGER!
If you are getting STRONGER, then you are building
muscle!
Put it this way...
If you are:
- Using more weight over time.
- Performing more repetitions over time.
Then you are gaining muscle!
If you are doing more reps and/or weights on your squats, deadlifts, bench press, push-ups, etc.
Then you are gaining muscle!
Are you able to increase 5 -10 lbs on big lifts?! This is how you know that you are gaining muscle and
strength.
If you're not making gainz, aka increasing in strength, then you're probably not building muscle.
If your overall strength performance is not increasing, then something has to change in your training.
Plus, you'll need to eat in a way that signals to the body to build muscle. Enough calories and protein! Eating too few calories won't help you in the muscle building department. The constant pursuit of weight loss hurts the
muscle building process for many women.
You know I got you if you're not getting the desired results. I am one click away! Don't hesitate to reach out. Would love to help you on your muscle building journey!
In Strength and to Your Success,
Much Love
Coach Candace
