What Does "Toning" Really Mean?

I was reading Jullian Michael's (Biggest Loser) fitness tip of the day.  This time it really made me stop!  I've actually keep meaning to post more on this, so lets use this as a warm up.

I've heard a lot of people say they don't "lose weight" with P90X.  I think totally the opposite.  I lost a lot of weight doing P90X.  But, I don't think I got nearly as "toned" as I wanted.  This article is one of many I read lately about how you need to EAT to gain muscles!  This is why I really want to focus on my diet now, so come October, I will know how to adjust it according to the X nutritional guidelines!    I think I have always help the lower end of the recommended daily calorie intake!  That has helped me lose the weight, but this round I want more toning.  That means, I believe I need to eat more!  I will only know if I start tracking what and how much I eat!

Now enjoy the article from Jullian!  I think it so fits with our P90X challenge we are going to start!

What Does "Toning" Really Mean?

Let me just give a little clarification regarding the word "toning." The word has nothing to do with the size of a particular muscle; it refers rather to making a muscle lean by burning intramuscular fat, and conditioning the muscle for better performance.

You can't actually build muscle mass unless you're eating more calories than you're burning, but you can "tone" a muscle to make it leaner. To tone your muscles, you should plan to do weight training four days a week, working each muscle group twice a week, with two days of rest after training a particular muscle group.

For example, try:

Monday: Chest, shoulders, triceps, quads, upper abs, obliques

Tuesday: Back, biceps, hamstrings, glutes, lower abs

Wednesday: Rest

Thursday: Chest, shoulders, triceps, quads, upper abs, obliques

Friday: Back, biceps, hamstrings, glutes, lower abs

Saturday: Rest

Sunday: Cardio

Remember, exercise is the architect, but recovery is the builder. You have to give your body adequate recovery time to heal itself and grow stronger. If you work out too often without resting, you'll just continue to break your muscles down.

Afraid of Bulk?

Women always tell me that they feel hesitant about toning exercises that require weights because they're afraid of building bulky muscles. Well, hear me out, ladies: It's extremely difficult for women to gain muscle mass, because we don't have testosterone like guys do. Using weights to tone your muscles will make you look trim and terrific, not big and bulky.