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Why Workout Routines for Toning Fail | Fitness Tips

If your fitness goal is to get a ‘toned body’, you’ve probably been doing all the wrong things with your workout routine. Learn what “toned” really means and how you can achieve it.

It’s almost impossible to pick up a fitness magazine and not find a reference to “toning your abs”, “toning your butt” or “toning your legs or thighs.”

But I’m going to let you in on one of the best kept secrets in fitness: There really is no such thing as “toning” or being “toned” — at least in the sense of what people normally associate with ”toned muscle” or a ”toned body.”  

There is a concept in anatomy and physiology called residual muscle contraction or tonus, but it refers to the continuous and partial contraction of a muscle to help stabilize posture and balance. It has nothing to do with the outward appearance of your body or whether you have tight glutes and washboard abs. You can be out of shape and struggle to climb a flight of stairs and still have muscle tonus.

So what’s the story? What is this “toning” that everyone is always talking about?

How the “Toned Body” Myth Got Started

At some point years ago, fitness writers, personal trainers and people who really ought to know better started using the term “toned” to describe individuals with high muscle mass to low body fat ratios. Instead of saying that an athlete, fitness model or highly-in-shape person was “lean and muscular” they started saying the person was “toned.”

Why this happened isn’t exactly clear. My theory is that the words “muscle” and “muscular” are scary and intimidating for some people, especially to many women who have been conditioned to run as fast as they can from the dreaded “M-Word.” The seemingly endless stream of articles online and in major fitness magazines instructing women how not to ”bulk up” and avoid become “muscular” via workout routines for “toning” is a major contributor to this myth.

So fitness writers and trainers started to use “toned” as a way of describing being muscular, without actually saying the word “muscular.” It seemed innocent enough, and it allowed them to not have to get into big, long, involved and uncomfortable discussions with their clients about why they should top obsessing on becoming too “bulky.”

You Can’t Diet or Treadmill Your Way to “Toned”

The problem is, to get a body that fits most people’s definition of “toned”, you have to weight train. And you generally have to go heavy. And you need to put on muscle mass. And you’ll have to drop your body fat ratio.  That’s the secret. Those four things. And it doesn’t matter whether you are a male or a female. It applies equally regardless of gender.

This may seem like an issue of semantics and a little thing, but it’s not. The problem is that “toned” has become a euphemism for “lean and muscular”, yet most people don’t realize that. They think “toned” is something you achieve by dieting, doing endless bouts of cardio and maybe occasionally doing some pilates or high-rep, low-weight resistance training.

So by obscuring what “toning” really means, we’ve doomed all kinds of people to pursuing toning workout routines that will likely never allow them to achieve their fitness, physique or body-shaping goals. They’ll continue to avoid any kind of serious weight training, go too light on the resistance, focus on high reps that only improve muscle endurance (not size or shape),  put way too much time and attention on ”functional” exercises and try to stair-step their way to a “toned” body.

And when it doesn’t work, they’ll go seek out the newest “30 Minute Body Toning Workout” and get right back on the hamster wheel again, only to be frustrated in three weeks when nothing has changed.  Maybe that’s how you sell fitness magazines and personal training sessions, but I’d prefer to think we’re in the business of helping people succeed, not just pushing services or content.

There’s A Whole ‘Lotta Toning Going On

So how pervasive is this term or concept of “toning?”

It’s probably one of the most frequently asked questions in the Diet and Fitness section of Yahoo Answers — especially among women (although I do see some men using it.) Typically, it will come in the form of a question like: “How can I get toned without becoming bulky?” or “Does anyone have any toning exercises that won’t make me put on muscle.”

Of course, if they hadn’t been sold the “myth of toning” and understood exactly what that term really meant, their questions would be absurd.

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Getting Real with Fitness Model Amanda Carrier | Female Fitness Model Interviews

Professional fitness model and actress Amanda Carrier talks with Answer Fitness about her diet and exercise routine, why she lifts heavy, looking sexy while you’re pregnant and America’s obsession with “thin at any cost.”

Amanda Carrier has a confession to make. Actually two of them.

The Muscle & Fitness Hers cover girl, Maxim model, actress and amateur pugilist (yes, she likes to box) has a little secret to share. And it has to do with cheat meals.

“I cheat everyday!” she gushes. “Sometimes a couple of times a day!”

This was not what I was expecting to hear from a woman who has some of the flattest female abs around and makes a living posing in barely-there bikinis.

A cheat meal once a week, I expected. A cheat day, perhaps. But daily cheat meals? And more than one of them a day?

I was waiting for Amanda to say she had “fast-metabolism” that let her eat whatever she wanted and still keep that body beach-ready for the next photo shoot or acting role.

But she didn’t.

Enter Amanda’s second confession: Until she started hitting the weights and getting serious with her training, she admits that she was the quintessential “skinny fat girl” - her scale weight said she was lean, her body fat percentage and appearance said otherwise.

“I had been inactive all of my life. I didn’t really play sports. I was always told I had a pretty face, but I wanted to also be told I had a nice body.  I never really felt like I had a womanly, sexy body,” Amanda explains. “I was thin, but ‘mushy.’ I had stick legs, a flabby belly and a square waist. I had to work really hard to put on curves.”

This was not what I was expecting to hear at all.

In a way, I was actually thrilled to hear Amanda say this, even if it seemed unimaginable based on how she looked in her swimwear portfolio.

Breaking The Myths Around Female Fitness

I’ve been wanting to run a series of interviews with female fitness models for some time now. 

Not the usual “Tell me your turn-Ons and Turn-Offs” that you often see accompanying their spreads in men’s magazines, but more honest and serious interviews around their exercise routines, diet, and philosophy for staying fit.

I thought it would be a great way to counter some of the myths around women and weight training and help inspire my female readers. I was also hoping to take some of the gloss off from fitness models and demonstrate that for many of them, getting and staying in top shape has more to do with hard work, healthy eating and good habits than with genes or metabolism.  

I decided to start this series with Amanda Carrier, partly on appearances and partly on instinct. And based on the interview she gave, I’m glad I did.

Profile: Amanda Carrier

Place of Birth: Alexandria, LA
Current Home: Los Angeles, CA
Occupation: Fitness Model & Actress
Age: 28
Height: 5 5″
Weight: 125-130
Measurements: 34C-26-37
Bodyfat: 14-16%
Marital Status: Married
Favorite Activities: Weight Training, Boxing
Amanda’s Workout Routine: 4-Day Split; Trains legs twice a week; Cardio is performed on non-weight training days, usually on a stair-stepper or elliptical trainer set to high resistance to keep her glutes hard. 
Favorite Food Indulgence: Sweets
Best Body Part: “Butt and abs”
Favorite Healthy Recipe: Pumpkin Pancakes
Latest Film Project: Featured role in “Labor Pains” with Lindsay Lohan
Website: Amanda Carrier Actress and Fitness Model (www.amandacarrier441.com)

What’s So Cool About Amanda?

I first ran across Amanda in 2007 in Muscle and Fitness Hers magazine where she did an eight page workout spread (she also graced the cover) demonstrating how to use resistance bands and an exercise ball to get a killer home workout. 

Amanda had that great combination of athleticism, feminine curves and tight, toned muscle that I think a lot of women associate with a fit, sexy, bikini-ready body. 

And she just looked so healthy, which struck me as a refreshing break from the pencil-thin role models trotted out in Hollywood or on the fashion runways.

My instincts told me this wasn’t a woman who got in that kind of shape with a bottle of Trim Spa, The Detox Diet and 90 minutes of cardio seven days a week. I’ve spent enough time in the gym to recognize a woman who lifts weights, and I was willing to bet Amanda did her fair share of hanging out in the weight room.

My instincts were right.

 I asked Amanda, who just wrapped up shooting a featured role in the upcoming movie “Labor Pains” with Lindsay Lohan, if she’d do the honors of kicking off my fitness model interview series because I suspected that she’d be able to back up some of the things I discuss regularly on Answer Fitness around female weight training, dieting and focusing on reducing body fat, instead of simply scale weight.

I also thought she would be a healthy role model for my female readers and help debunk the myth that lifting weights will make you bulky and manly. After all, there is nothing manly about Amanda Carrier. She is walking, talking proof of why more women should cut back on the endless cardio and start working in the weights.

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Free Printable Workout Log | Exercise & Training Logs

Use This Free Printable Workout Log To Keep Track of Your Exercise and Fitness Training & Progress in the Gym

Keeping a regular workout log or exercise log sheet is one of the best ways to make sure that you are constantly making progress toward your fitness and exercise goals in the gym.

Regardless of your goals or fitness experience, recording your workouts, cardio, and weight training in a daily exercise log can help you make sure that you are always moving forward in beating your last workout, as well as let you identify possible sticking points in your training before you hit a wall or plateau.

As I’ve mentioned before in previous articles, one of the seven habits of highly fit people is that they keep a log of their workouts and exercise to not only make sure they are always progressing, but also to hold themselves accountable. Writing down your daily exercise in a log makes you mindful of what you are doing and allows you to review your progress after each workout or training session. It also let’s you build on each subsequent workout, so that you are always pushing yourself a little harder each time you hit the gym.

Why I Created This Free Workout Log

There are a number of free printable workout and exercise logs available on the Internet, as well as some excellent exercise logs that can be purchased at your local bookstore. However, after taking a look at the dozens of free blank exercise log sheets available on the web, I generally found that they didn’t treat exercise holistically enough.

Most of the workout logs used the generic Exercise/Weight/Reps/Sets formatting, and didn’t take into account other key factors that you need to keep track of, including rest periods, pre-and-post workout nutrition, training and fitness goals, sleep, duration of exercise and mind-body factors. All of these variables can impact your training performance and progress, regardless of whether you are a beginner or an advanced bodybuilder.

I also found that the formatting and visual presentation of most free printable workout logs left something to be desired. Having kept regular exercise logs for nearly five years, I know first hand the usability factors that can impact how easy it is for a person to consistently and effectively keep an exercise or workout log in a busy gym environment. 

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Total Body Workout with Weight Machines | Workout Routines

Not ready for the free weight room? This total body workout routine uses the most common weight machines at the gym to give your entire body a great workout in under 60 minutes.

Total body workouts (also known as “full body workouts”) are a great way to build muscle, burn fat, develop core stability and strength, and cut down on your overall time in the gym. Generally, total body workouts are most effective when they are built around compound, multi-joint exercises that use free weights like dumbbells and barbells.

But not everyone feels comfortable in the free weight room, and if you are just starting a resistance or weight training routine, it can take some practice to learn how to perform free weight exercises with good form.  Weight machines can provide a way for newcomers to get a feel for basic form and movement, build a nice strength foundation, and eventually feel more comfortable transitioning into free weight exercises.

Incorporating weight training machines into your workout can also benefit advanced trainees as well, since machines allow you to go with heavier weight than you can typically use in a free weight lift. This can be useful for breaking training plateaus. And because weight machines don’t require you to swap out plates, you can typically move through your workout more quickly — a plus if you are pressed for time.

So by popular demand, I’ve created a version of my free weight full body workout that is adapted to give you a total body workout using weight machines alone. Actually, this workout uses a combination of multi station weight training machines, cable exercise machines and some body weight exercise equipment like chin/dip stations. With a few exceptions, the same rules and guidelines of that total body workout apply to this version. We’ll recap those a bit later.

But first, let’s take a quick look at the advantages and disadvantages of using weight machines, instead of free weights, as part of a total body workout routine.

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Full Body Workout Plan | Workout Routines

Full Body Workout Routine Not Only Builds Muscle But It Torches Fat  … in Less Than 60 Minutes.

Can you spare 60 minutes, three times a week?

If the answer is “yes” I have the perfect workout routine for you: A “Full Body Workout” program that will get you in-and-out of the gym in less than an hour, will amp up your metabolism for the next 48 hours and — after about a month — will give you noticeable improvements not only in your strength, but also your physique.

Oh, and expect to drop some body fat in the process.

Why A Full Body Workout?

Full body workouts are probably the single most under-utilized workout routines in the gym.

Regardless of your experience level or existing strength, working your entire body in a single session is not only challenging, but an extremely effective way to build muscle, strength and even burn fat in the process. Even experienced bodybuilders can reap the benefits of switching to a full body workout, especially if they’ve been on a split routine plan for an extended period of time.

Before we actually take a look at a full body workout routine, let’s quickly discuss some of the advantages of working your entire body in a single session and the basics you need to know about before getting started.

The Benefits of Full Body Workouts

There are a number of benefits to performing full body workouts, including:

• Better core development
• Less overall time in the gym
• Improved recovery intervals
• Reduced risk of overtraining
• Greater training frequency per muscle group
• Increased energy expenditure during and after training
• Increases in beneficial growth hormones
• Highly customizable to different training goals, whether that is strength, muscle size (hypertrophy) , endurance or a combination of the three
• Better overall muscular development and symmetry
• Reduced risk of developing muscle imbalances, especially among smaller stabilizer muscles
• Secondary cardiovascular benefits
• Appropriate for all ages and levels of experience, from beginners to advanced trainees

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Planet Fitness Gym Review | Gym & Health Club Reviews

The Planet Fitness Health Club Chain Promises a Less Intimidating Gym Experience, But Do They Deliver? And At What Cost?

Gym/Health Club: Planet Fitness
Location Reviewed: Northville, MI
Hours: Varies by location; many locations 24 hours

Ratings (1-4 Scale: 1= poor, 2= fair, 3= good, 4= excellent)

Cleanliness: 3
Weight Training Equipment: 2
Cardio Equipment: 3
Fitness Knowledge of Staff: 1
Amenities: 1
Overall Facility: 3
Price/Value: 3
Overall Rating: 2.2

Planet Fitness Review

First, let’s be honest: gyms and health clubs can be intimidating places, especially for a beginner.  If you are overweight, out of shape and trying to live a more active and healthy lifestyle, being surrounded by really in-shape people can either be an inspiration or incredibly demotivating.

And because everyone’s goals are different, most gyms will attractive a diverse group of people, from hardcore bodybuilders, to power lifters to soccer moms and teenagers. This of course varies tremendously from gym-to-gym, but in general, gyms are a microcosms of the rest of society. And like the rest of society, we have to live with each other and get along. Period.

Gyms can also be a magnet for all kinds of stupid and annoying behavior, from high school kids loitering around the bench press and flexing in the mirror, to middle-aged “bodybuilders” in striped clown pants grunting loudly with weights that don’t really warrant that level of exertion, to rude patrons who needlessly bang weights around or leave their equipment strewn across the floor behind them after each exercise like a Tsunami of sweat, testosterone and ripped Gold’s Gym shirts.

So when Planet Fitness says it wants to change that and make gyms a little less intimidating for average people, the fitness populist in me says “it’s about time.”

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What is Whey Protein Powder and Do I Need It? | Diet and Nutrition

Find Out How Whey Protein Powder Went from Dairy Underdog to Nutritional Superstar

Whey protein seems to be everywhere. 

One of the top selling (and most heavily-marketed) nutritional and sports supplements on the market today, whey protein turns up as an ingredient in everything from smoothies to nutrition bars to high-protein cereals.  Personal trainers often include whey as part of their clients’ diet plan, smoothie bars offer it mixed with ice and fruit, and aspiring bodybuilders and soccer moms alike seem to have found a permanent place for a tub of whey protein powder in their pantries.

But what exactly is whey protein powder? Where does this stuff come from? And do you really need it?

A Brief History of Whey Protein

Whey is a natural by-product of the cheese-making process. Milk contains two primary proteins: casein and whey.  Whey composes about 20% of milk proteins, and casein comprises the remaining 80%. So when you drink a glass of milk, you are consuming both casein proteins and whey proteins.

During the cheese-making process, an enzyme called rennet is added to milk to curdle it. The curds are used to make cheese, and the remaining liquid is whey.

Historically, this liquid was considered more-or-less useless. Indeed, the dairy industry had so much excess whey that they struggled with disposing of the surplus. Some of it found its way into swine or cattle feed, where it appeared to produce larger, meatier cows or pigs, but a great deal of it also ended up in the landfill.

Which was really a shame, because the cattle farmers were on to something. It turns out that whey is extremely rich is three milk proteins – specifically beta-lactoglobulin (~65%), alpha-lactalbumin (~25%), and serum albumin (~8%) — which are more easily digested by the body than any other protein, including the holy grail of protein, eggs.

There was just one problem: Whey in its naturally occurring form is a sloppy, liquid mess.  It also has very little flavor. Trying to sell the world on a great protein source that has to be refrigerated and doesn’t have much taste would challenge even the best marketer.

Enter modern technology.  Scientists figured out a way (no pun intended) to “dry” and powder-ize whey, while still maintaining it’s basic nutritional profile.  The result was whey powder, which could be reconstituted in liquids while still preserving its protein values.

The rest, as they say, is history.

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