What you need to know about toning your body

Fitness can be overwhelming.

You spend hours trying to find the right workout, you try all these crazy diet trends, and still, you feel like you don’t know enough to do things properly.

However, during the quarantine, there has been a surge of different information online about keeping healthy while staying indoors. Whether you’re getting information from a fitness vlogger or various articles by experts, you probably still have a lot of questions about what is really true.

For those starting their workout routines, achieving a “toned” body may be the look you’re going for (and you might not even know).

Toning means that a person has a sufficient amount of muscle mass while maintaining a low amount of body fat, just enough so muscles would show. However, according to coach Russell Tee, the harsh reality is that “no amount of exercise will get you toned if your nutrition is wrong.” 

But how exactly can we be able to properly achieve that? Coach Russell, a certified personal trainer by the American Council on Exercise (ACE) and the founder and CEO of Fit Underdog, answers some questions to help you get a toned body.

What type of cardio should you be doing, if you’re trying to tone?

First, you have to be clear on your goal. If you want to focus on getting a good physique and feel strong, coach Russell suggests doing your cardio after lifting weights.

This is because doing cardio exercises activates the muscles that do not really react to size, so if you’ve been running for quite a while, you will not see much difference in your body’s form. 

Meanwhile, doing resistance training (or lifting weights) engages the muscles that react by growing in terms of size. Therefore, if you want to have that “Dorito form” (for guys) or an hourglass shape (for women), it is best to lift weights to see faster physical changes.

“Whatever exercise you do first, that’s where the body will focus on growing because that’s where you have more energy,” said coach Russell.

How often do you have to do a certain type of workout (like cardio and strengthening) to get toned?

It is essential to be aware of your current physical state. If you have not been consistently lifting weights nor have been seeing results in the last 6 months, coach Russell suggests allotting 2-3 times a week for resistance training.

Lifting weights will help maintain and build muscle mass. Although you may see muscles initially forming, this is only your body responding to the change it is undergoing. 

Take note that lifting weights alone will not get you bulky, as getting bigger will only happen if you are consuming more energy than what your body can burn.

If you’ve been working out and seeing significant progress, you can bump things up to 3-4 times a week since your body has already adapted to the volume. Meanwhile, if you’re already in an advanced stage, you can go for 5 or more days a week since your body needs more volume to grow. 

The key is really knowing which level you’re at and what your body needs for it to grow.

Do weights make you bulky?

As mentioned above, there is a common misconception about weights. People tend to avoid lifting for fear that they’ll look like a bodybuilder.

In reality, there is no need to worry about getting bulky because this is only an initial reaction of your muscles since it was used to being inactive, and now it’s putting in some work. 

The simple answer is no. Lifting weights actually help your muscles get firm, which does not always mean big.

“There is no specific exercise that causes you to gain or lose weight, it boils down to the food you eat,” said coach Russell. 

“It would be harder to build muscle mass if our body is burning. Imagine making a Lego structure; if you want it to get bigger, you would need to add Lego bricks. To make it smaller, you would have to remove. The same works for our bodies; you will only get bulky once you eat more calories or energy than what you’re burning.” 

With the help of proper nutrition, you can decide whether to focus on burning fat or building muscle. Your body will adapt once you start lifting weights, but it’s up to you and your nutrition how far you want to push this growth. 

“Lifting weights doesn’t necessarily make you bulky, but it will help you in preserving and building muscle mass, which contributes to your goal of being toned. giving you the toned look that you want,” coach Russell added.

Last bits of advice

If your goal is to lose weight, coach Russell feels that, under the current circumstances, right now is not the best time. Because of the community restrictions, there is a limited moving capacity, confining everyone to our homes as of the moment.

Additionally, food is probably just a few steps from our reach, making resisting it even harder. These factors make putting off our work out so much easier. After all, the things around us greatly affect our motivation and mindset.

Coach Russell suggests using this quarantine period to “focus on trying to keep yourself healthy, focus on trying not to gain the extra pounds.” The goal is to keep yourself moving despite all these limitations and stay healthy during these trying times.

He suggests engaging in some resistance training but reminds us to be mindful of the amount of resistance you are putting so as not to totally burn yourself out. You must know and understand your body’s limits, and you need to make sure to listen to what your body is telling you.

In the end, there’s no black and white when it comes to fitness. We have to recognize that our bodies are different, hence you must not force yourself into mimicking what others do. Embrace your individuality and find what works best for you and your body! – Rappler.com

Purchase activewear with this Zalora voucher. 

To receive daily fitness advice, follow coach Russell on his Instagram (@ratantee) and Fit Underdog (@FitUnderdogAthletics). You can also visit www.fitunderdog.com to get your free e-book, “10 Simple Food Hacks to Help You Shed Pounds.“

Renee Ticzon is a recent graduate and a part-time contributor for Rappler. She has covered sporting events, games and athletes from all local major leagues.