If you’re a woman, did you ever find yourself saying: “I don’t wanna get big and bulky, I just want to get toned”? Yeah? Thought so… And with that goal in mind, most women go to the gym and do some cardio on the treadmill, maybe some spinning classes and some light weights or machines. Well, guess what? Doing that will NOT get you toned. It’ll burn energy and it might eventually slim you down a few pounds if your diet is in place, but in the long run you are going to end up looking thin and weak and looking anything else than toned. I am not saying that this is wrong, because exercise is always good, but I’m saying it’s wrong if your goal is to get toned!
It is much harder for a woman to gain muscle mass than it is for a man. A woman basically have to work twice as hard as a man to even gain half the amount of muscle mass. For a woman to pack on serious mass takes years and years of dedication and extreme discipline. So what I am saying is, if you want to look toned, go to the gym and lift heavy! Lift like a man! Go hard on the dumbbells and free weights, get yourself a trainer and ask him to teach you how to lift heavy. Go all-in every session and don’t be afraid of the big weights and the heavy lifting, because I promise; You will not wake up one day and look big and bulky by accident! Gaining muscle will make you burn more fat, add more definition and most definitely make you look toned.
(The photo of Abi doing snatch was borrowed from pinterest.com)
Yeah, our bodies don’t actually know the difference between a toning and bulking exercise. It’s what we eat on top of the exercises that affects us.