"I don't want to look big and bulky or muscular or manly"
While I can certainly understand this concern, I am here to tell you - THIS WILL NOT HAPPEN and I am going to explain a few of the reasons why....
MYTH 1 - I just want to get "Toned" and in better shape, not big and muscular
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The word "tone" is only appropriate when referring to music or possibly if you have a friend called Tony.
But what is muscle tone? why do people talk about "getting toned" and can you achieve muscle tone without getting big muscles?
Muscle tone is residual muscle tension - essentially, what that means is that your muscles are always in a "toned" state.
In simple terms, your muscles require a certain amount of tension or "tone" constantly in order to support your skeletal structure and posture..etc. otherwise you would not be able to move.
Muscle tone by definition, has absolutely nothing to do with the appearance, size or look of the muscle or your overall shape.
Rather than waffle on over the semantics of the terminology, we'll assume here that, by "get toned," we mean that you would like to achieve the popular, conventional definition of muscle tone, rather than the actual definition.
To be more specific, you would like your muscles to be clearly defined and to have a firm appearance to show off your shape and curves.
You also probably want to ensure that your muscles "don't get too big" in the process.
There are two things that must happen in order to acquire muscle tone.
1) The first thing that you must to do is reduce your overall body fat level.
Reducing body fat thins out the fat layer under your skin, bringing it closer to, and pulling it tight around the contours of your muscle tissue.
2) The second thing that can be done to develop muscle tone is.....strength training.
For most people a strength training program, in addition to body fat reduction, is necessary to develop muscle tone.
The optimal training program for developing muscle tone must focus on improving muscle strength, as opposed to muscle endurance.
That means lifting heavier weights for fewer repetitions (typically 5-10).
MYTH 2 - Women should lift light weights for high reps 1) The first thing that you must to do is reduce your overall body fat level.
Reducing body fat thins out the fat layer under your skin, bringing it closer to, and pulling it tight around the contours of your muscle tissue.
2) The second thing that can be done to develop muscle tone is.....strength training.
For most people a strength training program, in addition to body fat reduction, is necessary to develop muscle tone.
The optimal training program for developing muscle tone must focus on improving muscle strength, as opposed to muscle endurance.
That means lifting heavier weights for fewer repetitions (typically 5-10).
This is not the correct approach for those who want to improve their shape/figure.
Your fears of getting too big are unfounded and without substance (more on that in a moment).
Lifting light weights for a high number of repetitions builds muscular endurance, not strength, and a very limited improvement in muscle tone, if any at all, can be achieved through muscular endurance training alone.
In a nutshell - You must increase muscle strength in order to develop muscle tone. This cannot be accomplished with light weights alone, no matter how many repetitions you perform.
MYTH 3 - I don't want to lift heavier weights because I just want to develop long, lean muscles and get into better shape
The shape of your muscular system is genetic and based on your DNA.
A muscle cell can grow or shrink.
Your muscles cannot change shape based on the type of exercise you do.
The shape of your muscles are pre-determined by your genetics.
If you're a women who wishes to improve her "shape" or curves, then the only way to do that is to actually develop or build some muscle whilst reducing your body fat.
This combination will dramatically change the overall look, firmness, curvature and "tone" of your body.
MYTH 4 - I don't want to look manly or like a bodybuilder
Now you might be saying "I have seen some female bodybuilders lift heavy weights who are very muscular and look similar to men in their build" and perhaps you've even seen some TV programs/media that projects that image or stereotype.
The truth is, most of these individuals you see are using exogenous testosterone and a host of other performance enhancers/hormones.
In fact, many of these women are supplementing with exogenous testosterone to the level of twice that of an average male!....Think about that for a second.
That is not a judgement or disrespect on those women who choose to pursue bodybuilding (many of whom are incredible dedicated and disciplined) - it is a simple fact.
The hormone testosterone is responsible for the large increases in muscle mass seen when men lift weights.
A women’s natural testosterone levels are a fraction of men’s testosterone levels.
To put this into context for you....
Normal testosterone levels in men range from 200-1200ng/dl while 15-70 ng/dl are normal in women.
As you can see, men’s testosterone levels are SIGNIFICANTLY higher than women’s.
Even if a man is at the LOW end of the men’s normal testosterone range (200 ng/dl), he still has more than twice the amount of testosterone as a woman at the HIGH end of the women’s normal testosterone range.
On average, men have 16 times more testosterone than women!
It is clear that women simply do not have the hormonal support (testosterone) to gain muscle mass the same way as men do.
Therefore, the fear of becoming big and bulky and looking like the incredible hulk with a ponytail just from lifting some weights is unwarranted.
This is not to say you won't gain any muscle from lifting weights because that would contradict the goal (see point 3) - but you will certainly not get "big or bulky" or build muscle the same way as a man.
Instead, strength training will help you become toned and shapely as well as a host of other benefits (increased metabolic rate, improved posture, stronger bones..etc.).
Summary
If you are a women who wants to improve her shape and curves, then the message here is simple - you are going to have to lift some weights that challenge you and focus on reducing body fat levels via correct nutrition.
There is really no reason to train any differently than a man.
Doing endless amount of endurance based training is not the correct way to achieve the often desired "toned" look many people seek.
This is a common mistake many ladies make and unfortunately it is something that is largely embedded into their psyche in order to mislead them to buying into popular fads and exercise trends.
There is really no reason to train any differently than a man.
Doing endless amount of endurance based training is not the correct way to achieve the often desired "toned" look many people seek.
This is a common mistake many ladies make and unfortunately it is something that is largely embedded into their psyche in order to mislead them to buying into popular fads and exercise trends.
As a trainer, I like to encourage ALL my clients - male or female - to build a base level of strength and discover what their bodies are capable of.
This cannot be accomplished with tricep kickbacks with soup cans, vibro stations, endless repetitions of bodyweight squats, shake weights, exercise gimmicks, aerobics, crazy crash diets or any other fitness fad that proclaim to get you "toned" or in shape in 30 days.
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