A lot of women start going to the gym to “get toned abs/legs/arms”. If this is your case and you wonder why you’re not seeing results, keep reading.

What “Muscle Tone” Really Is

The true, scientific meaning of muscle tone is the ability of your muscles to stay slightly contracted when they are at rest. In other words, muscle tone is the slight firmness remaining in your muscles when they are relaxed.

However, women who want to get toned actually mean that they want a lean silhouette with defined (and not too big) muscles

How To “Get Toned”

By that, I mean getting lean muscle definition. This is achieved by combining two strategies:

• Body fat reduction. A thinner fat layer will make the muscles look tighter and more defined.

• Strength training. Improving muscle strength is essential to develop firm (and not necessarily bigger) muscles.

In order to develop strength and therefore get toned muscles, you need to drop those light weights and start lifting heavy. Because high reps with low resistance only develop muscular endurance, which has zero impact on making your muscles look firm and defined. Don’t be scared to get “too big”. Women are not physiologically able to build as much muscle mass as men.

So, what’s the plan of action? Simple: do less reps but use a weight that truly challenges you. You will then slowly but surely start to develop muscle strength which is the true secret to muscle tone.