Getting An Understanding Of Muscle Tone And Muscle Definition
For one to choose the most effective way to increase muscle tone, one must first understand what muscle tone is. Muscle tone is residual tension in a relaxed muscle. What this means is that your nervous system is tensing the muscle to a certain extent while you are in a relaxed state.
Muscle Tone is a By-product of An Alert Nervous System
Essentially any part of the body with significant muscle tone has a strong mind to muscle connection in that body part. Whenever a person desire additional muscle tone in a certain body part they will have to increase the efficiency of the nerve impulses to that body part. Never forget that muscle tone is not a "muscle fiber" issue, it is a "nervous system" issue. This is the top mistake that persons make in their quest to increase muscle tone.
The Reason The "Light Weight and High Rep Approach" Isn't Effective
''Lift light weights for high reps'' is the mainstream advice that fitness trainers tell their clients to develop muscle tone. Lifting light weights gives you an illusion of increasing muscle tone. High reps generally give the muscles a great pump. When the muscles are pumped up they will look more toned, but when the pump is gone the muscle tone is gone. If you want muscle tone for the time you are spending in the gym then lifting high reps and light weights will allow you to gain this. But, if you desire to have great muscle tone 24 hours a day, then you need to take a different approach.
Lifting Heavy Weights Will Make Your Nervous System More Efficient and Increase Muscle Tone
The only way to lift heavier weights is to develop the magnitude of your muscle -or- increase the efficiency of your nervous system. If you're aiming to gain muscle tone, then you should try to get progressively stronger without getting bigger. A great way to do this is to lift for 3-5 reps for 5 sets or so. Do a basic strength workout, but then hit the cardio really hard after that workout. Keep your calories low as well.
Why Don't Most Strength Trainers Have Great Muscle Tone?
Most dudes you see in the gym who are lifting heavy are also not doing any cardio and they are consuming a ton of calories. They are trying to become as huge and strong as they can be. That should not be your goal! If you want to get amazingly defined then focus on gaining strength while reducing body fat.
Learn a Lesson from Olympic Level Athletes
Have you ever seen a middleweight boxer in person? These people are amazingly ripped. So are gymnasts. These guys focus on getting stronger while maintaining or losing weight. These athletes have unbelievable muscle tone as a byproduct of their training. They aren't even focusing on muscle tone, yet they have more muscle tone than most bodybuilders. Keep in mind that most of the pictures you see of bodybuilders are after they have pumped up and have dehydrated themselves almost to the point of heart failure.
Lift Heavy, Get Stronger and Increase Muscle Tone...What's Not to Like?
Follow a basic strength training program and hit cardio hard. Train like an elite athlete and you will create an amazing body. Leave all that "pumping up" nonsense to the Mongoloid bodybuilders.
About The Author:
Rusty Moore is an avid trainer who gives training advice geared specifically at people who want a body that attracts the opposite sex. While other trainers focus on building muscle mass, Rusty focuses on what members of the opposite sex find irresistible. Want a body like Brad Pitt -or- Matthew Mcconaughey? How about Jessica Alba -or- Jessica Biel? Click to check out his programs Visual Impact Muscle Building and Visual Impact For Women
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