The Correct Way To "Tone Up"

So you want to get tone, or "tone up"? First we have to address a few common misconceptions with that phrase. The first one; what exactly is toning? A lot of people think that toning up, is just the muscle itself...well...toning up. While this isn't necessarily false, its not the entire picture. During the process, the muscles will in fact undergo change. This includes muscle hypertrophy (growth), muscle density, and loss of intramuscular fat, just to name a few. But the main contributing factor to the toning process, is the loss of subcutaneous fat, the fat that sits around the muscle. So in order to visually see the muscle and give yourself that leaner, more toned look, you have shed some extra fat and not just focus on the muscle under it. This leads us into the last misconception; what it actually takes to get tone, and how to do it properly. Now that we know what toning is, we can address it accordingly. Unfortunately, due to faulty and unreliable resources, a lot of people have gotten the wrong information about the necessary steps to losing that outer layer of fat. It usually involves too little of weight, too much cardio, and no emphasis on caloric intake. To help with the fat burning process, one needs to focus on using heavier weights to fatigue the muscle. This helps with building muscle strength and size, muscle density, and overall efficiency of the muscular system as I mentioned earlier. Building that extra muscle increases the bodies metabolic rate, which helps to burn more calories throughout the day, thus burning more fat. Another common mistake people make is performing too much cardiovascular training. This can impede on the muscle building process by burning proteins for energy, robbing the muscle of necessary amino acids to repair and build itself. Lastly, and possibly the most important step, is finding the correct caloric intake. Too many calories, and you retain or gain excess fat. Too little calories, and the body enters starvation mode, forcing it to retain fat and burn muscle tissue as a safety net. Finding the right balance is always the key. Hopefully this information has helped you understand what it takes to achieve the body and look you are striving for.

If you still feel like you need some extra help in attaining your goals, contact me and ill be happy to set you up with a free consultation. We can discuss your goals and answer any questions you may have regarding any training.

Chris Work, CPT

850-261-6354

workfitnessllc@gmail.com

www.workfitnesstraining.com