The Myth of Toning

Of all the fitness jargon that’s used on a daily basis,there’s one word I absolutely CANNOT stand. Nope, it’s not “Crossfit,” nor is it “cardio.”  Today, I’ve got my crosshairs on the word “toned.”

Getting toned is a myth. Plain and simple. In fact, the best way to break down this word is tolook at what it actually means: building muscle and losing fat.

Let’s begin by looking at the latter part of thatequation, that is, losing fat.  I thinkwe can all agree that you can build a pretty good set of muscles, but they won’tbe seen if you have layers of fat on top of them.  In fact, Mike Boyle has a great quote wherehe talks about suggesting the “push away” diet for all those people who wantsix pack abzzzz.  It’s a pretty simplyconcept - see that food you’re about to consume? Now push it away.

The problems lie when people believe they’re eatingcorrectly, when they could be doing a better job.  There’s a reason why my dietary advice topeople is simple and straightforward – if man made it, don’t eat it.  And if the product is making healthclaims?  Don’t buy it.

The other component to getting “toned” is buildingmuscle, and unfortunately, there tends to be some irrational fear that evensniffing a weight will automatically transform some people into ArnoldSchwarzenegger.  In fact, I find thatthere’s a peculiar irony when the same person tells me they want to “get toned”but don’t want to necessarily build muscle.

But, that’s simply what “getting toned” is all about!  As I see it, what people mean when they talkabout toning is muscle definition.  Howdoes one get better definition?  Throughactually putting on muscle!  It’sscience.

You can absolutely disagree with what I’ve writtenabove, but, the proof is in the pudding. If you’d like to get “toned,” look at your current routine and askyourself if what you’re doing is working. If it is, that’s terrific.  But ifnot, maybe it’s time to try something different, and switch your focus togetting a lot stronger.