Posted on July 29, 2014 by Jenny Cromack

How do I tone my thighs, how do I tone up my stomach, how do I tone my muscles? These are all questions I am asked daily. It’s a tough one to talk to people about, unfortunately people want to hear that lifting a 3kg dumbbell for millions of reps is going to turn the fat to muscle. You can’t listen to magazines that give you toning workouts, because in truth no such workout exists, looking toned is the by-product of a low body fat percentage and a well muscled frame. Here are the facts about achieving that toned look and how you can tone your muscles.  how you

If you are a female and would like to improve your muscle tone have a read of these stats….

• Body fat should be around 16% (any lower it becomes detrimental to health, and the ability to build more muscle), you can look toned above this body fat level, but the closer you are to 16% the more toned you will look.
• Able to squat 1.5x bodyweight
• Able to bench press 1x bodyweight
• The triceps skin fold reading should be below 6mm
• The iliac crest skin fold reading should be below 6mm
• Again your measurements may differ from these and you still may look toned, these are the optimum amounts to look really toned!

If you’re a male and want to look more toned then read on for what you need to achieve…..

• Body fat should be around 8-12%
• Able to squat 2x bodyweight
• Able to bench press 1.25x bodyweight
• The triceps skin fold reading is below 4mm
• The iliac crest skin fold reading is below 4mm
• Your readings may be different from these above, but to achieve optimal results these are the targets we would recommend.

Now getting a client to these figures doesn’t come from lifting light 1kg dumbbells for hundreds of reps or following a ‘workout you’ve found in a magazine. It’s the by product of gruelling HIIT workouts, hypertrophy sessions and improving strength. The picture of the two men above illustrates the point very well, both are at 10% one individual strength trains, the other does not.

Now, I’m not saying everyone has to lift heavy weights all the time, but you must understand if you want to improve your “muscle tone” your going to have to venture into the weights room at some point. Toning workouts are a myth in our industry. Drop the body fat, build some lean mass…simple!

The last and most important point, don’t be fooled into thinking you can tone one body part, improved tone is the by product of whole body fat loss, unless you’re getting lyposuction you can’t spot reduce fat.

Drop one of the Leeds Personal Trainers a line at Motive8 North for your own personalised programme to achieve you goals.