Last updated on October 2nd, 2019 at 01:14 pm
Written by female personal trainer, London based, Justina Triasovaite.
How do I get toned up? This is probably one the most frequently asked questions I hear from new clients. But what does it mean? It is important to understand the limits and the capabilities of your body if you are looking to get fit.
In this article I'm going to discuss how to tone up if you are overweight, underweight or just average size. I will discuss exercise, nutrition and attitude.
Wikipedia say that “the term toned implies leanness in the body (low levels of body fat), noticeable muscle definition and shape, but not significant muscle size”.
As a personal trainer I agree that a toned body means having low body fat percentage so your muscles become visible. It does not mean you need to have pumped, big arms or muscly thighs. It just means that you don't have any excess body fat on your stomach or hanging from your arms.
When it comes to being toned there is not a lot of room for variance. In many ways becoming toned up is a one-size-fits-all process.
Think about it:
You need to lose body fat to get toned. The three different body types described above will all need to lose different amounts of fat. Fat loss is going to be your primary goal.
I do not usually like saying eat less and exercise more. I have been a female personal trainer for over 7 years. I have worked with a lot of people and I can firmly say that the ‘eat less, exercise more’ approach does not always work. As a matter of fact, it can lead some people in to bigger weight issues instead of teaching them how to make long term change.
There are a few key things to understand if you want to get toned up:
There is an old saying: eat less and exercise more. Or in other words: calories in and calories out. A golden rule of less calories in and more caloric burn. But honestly how many of you have tried this ‘golden method’ and failed, or how long have you managed to keep this approach?
At the moment there are two dominant schools of thought on the issue. One group say that it “doesn't matter how much or what you eat, as long as you are in caloric deficit you are going to lose weight”. Another group says, “you can eat as many calories as you want as long as your hormonal system is balanced”. Both statements can be backed up with evidence and they are legitimate.
But weight loss is not going to come only from one of those statements. You need to understand that caloric intake is as important as balanced hormones and vice versa. There are a limited amount of people who can maintain an amazing body while following a strict caloric or hormonal approach.
So start experimenting with your body and see what happens. You must treat your body like a complex mechanism. Nothing is straightforward when you try to change. You must account for all variables.
My ultimate advice on calorie counting is - get to know your food. Understanding nutritional value is going to give you an idea about serving size. It is important to understand how much sugar your food contains. If you want to get in shape quickly I suggest you stay away from refined sugar.
There is no need to analyse your daily food caloric intake if you don't know your basal metabolic rate. That means how many calories you are burning daily. You can check it out quite easily HERE.
It is the amount of calories you are burning without any extra physical activities. It is the amount of calories you are using to maintain your body. In order to get a more accurate reading of your daily caloric expenditure you need to understand your daily activity level.
Your next steps depend on your goals. If you are looking for fat loss you need to create caloric deficit. For muscle gain you need to create caloric surplus.
In the first stage of your toning journey all calories are the same. If your goal is to lose fat, once you have decreased your caloric intake you will see some results. If your goal is to become bigger and gain more muscle you will see a results after increasing caloric intake.
These results will not last long. Calories are not the same. If you bought the most expensive car in the world which petrol are you going to use to maintain its performance? No doubt, you will go for the best option available. So why when it comes to fitness do so many people choose to fill their body with poor nutrition and unhealthy calories?
Being in calorie deficit while eating sugar is going to make you tired very quickly. Your performance at the gym and at work is going to decrease. You are going to start losing muscle and not fat. Think wise!
This is the same if you are trying to gain muscle and eating takeaways which have low nutritional value. You will struggle to get toned and build muscle. Your bad habits will lead to muscle loss, low energy, poor performance and bloating.
Exercising
The best way to tone up is to work your full body in every single workout. Compound or multi-joint exercises are the best for toning your body.
Make sure you are working every large muscle group in every workout. If you are a beginner start with learning and exploring. Below are the 10 best exercises for toning your body:
Most of the exercises you can do at home with resistance bands to start with and move to the gym when you are ready to add some weights.
It is extremely important to perform these exercises with perfect form. If you have bad form you will be risking injury. Be very mindful with the weights. Whilst progressive overload is a must, your body has to be ready.
How many times a week I should train?
You should understand that 40 min of exercise and 12 hours of sitting down is not going to give you results.
What is going to give you results :
This will give you results. You have to be active throughout the day. Sometimes people go to the gym and use it as an excuse not to move during the day. It has been scientifically proven that being active during the day has a more positive effect on body composition than a 30 minute high intensity workout. So keep moving.
Getting Toned
Hopefully, the above tips have given you a good idea of how to get toned up. A good combination of measured nutrition and thorough exercise will get you there. Throughout your fitness journey you must have a good attitude to setbacks and be persistent if you want your toned body to stay!
Please feel free to get in contact if you would like more information or if you are interested in booking a session.
Need more info?
Email: [email protected]
Mobile (text or call): 07944 916 9906
Say hello on Facebook!: facebook.com/justinatraining
Contact Justina: justinatraining.com/contact
