Now that I have everyone’s attention…
Like moths to a flame, we swarm to this word. On nearly every initial evaluation I conduct with clients, some version of “get toned” is mentioned under goals.
It’s absolutely e-v-e-r-y-w-h-e-r-e in the magazines and advertisements for fat-loss programs and products, but I’d argue that our understanding of what it is and how it’s achieved is quite skewed. We are all guilty of diving into the latest “Tone Your Abs in 2 Weeks!” article, only to find ourselves crunching until we’re blue in the face and resenting the fact that our midsections look no different one fortnight and a strained oblique later…
So what’s the deal with toning and why does it seem to dominate the minds and goals of millions?!
Muscle tone/definition refers to a state in which muscles are visible due to a combination of muscle development and low body fat. (*It’s important to understand that muscle and fat are two separate tissues of the body. One does not turn into the other.) Thus, someone can come to me with excellent muscle development but if their body fat is too high, there will be little if any muscle tone. In contrast, someone with little to no muscle development and low body fat will also lack tone because muscle is what provides shape when fat is lost subcutaneously (just under the skin). If there is no muscle, there is nothing to see when fat is lost. It boils down to building the muscle up, and losing the fat on top.
Sounds so simple…
The problem is that we ALL look in the mirror and have that one spot we’d literally like to take a fat-vacuum to. Whether it’s our thighs, belly, arms, back,…you name it, I’ve heard it. “I want toned arms”…”I want a rock hard, perky bottom”…ah the list could go on. It becomes our focus for all the wrong reasons and a battle against ourselves for muscle definition in the very spot(s) our bodies choose to store fat like we’re headed into hibernation.
That’s right, it is truly not up to us where our bodies store fat. It is genetic. You can either thank the gene pool, or curse it. But I can empathize with you that we’ll spend countless hours trying to “fix” that area in the gym. There’s only one problem:…THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS SPOT-REDUCTION.
Read that again because it’s not opinion, its science. Want a flat stomach? Guess what, doing 1000 sit-ups will not get you there. What defined glutes? Doing lunges across your back yard will not get you there. Why? Because fat oxidation in terms of location is genetic, and the extent to which the body burns fat is more dependent on nutrition than exercise. Is this to say those exercises are not important? Absolutely not. Again, remember muscle tone starts with muscle development. Resistance training will develop those solid abs and beautiful buns of steel,…BUT to place the body in a fat-burning state, what goes in your mouth will steer that train.
My advice:…Train hard. Lift heavy. Eat right….And then allow your body to transform, knowing that your portrait of fit is unique, self-earned, and a product of your own hard work.
-Meredith Parker Falcon