The biggest concern a lot of women raise when they ask me for exercise advice and I suggest lifting weights is:
“But I don’t want to get big or bulky.”
This is generally followed by something about wanting to get “toned.”
When pressed as to what “toned” means, most say something along the lines of “Well, I want to be firm but not muscular.”
So, here’s the deal: The firm stuff that makes other people look toned is, in fact, muscle.
So, what I think women mean when they say “toned” is that they want to look trim and not have jiggle in undesired places while not gaining the muscle volume as demonstrated in the above painting. For them, they want a body probably a more in line with this:
Flickr user: rs_butner
And that’s a totally fine goal to have. In fact, it’s a fantastic goal. That girl is a National Physique Committee bikini division competitor. And I’ll bet you dollars to donuts that she got that body by lifting a weight or two. And no one is going to call her bulky or unfeminine.
So how does a lady lift weights without getting big? Should she do lots of reps with low weights or few reps with high weights or do only certain exercises? The reality is: If you are a woman, you will have to work pretty damn hard to put on muscle mass. And that isn’t just about the intensity of your work you do in gym, it’s also about the level of effort you make in the kitchen. You can’t gain muscle without the calories to grow them.
Without the advantage of testosterone, most women will have to intentionally gear their training toward muscle mass acquisition in order to gain any muscle bulk. It is not an easy feat. In fact, it is nigh impossible unless you either have some crazy genetics are you are really planning out a regiment that focuses on weight gain.
For the lady who wants to get toned, the recipe is pretty simple: combine weight lifting with HIIT cardio (what is HIIT? Article on that coming sooooon…). The weight lifting will firm and sculpt your figure while the HIIT cardio will kick fat-burning into high gear to shed excess weight. Make sure that your exercise is complemented with food intake that blends lean meats, colorful vegetables, whole grains, and whole fruits. Make sure you get adequate caloric intake for muscle repair and drink enough water (9 cups for women, according to the Institute of Medicine) so your body can function properly.
Aim for short rest periods between sets (no more than thirty seconds) to keep your heart rate elevated. At most, you should be doing 15 reps. Find a weight that challenges you once you hit the 10-12 rep range and becomes near impossible at 13-15 reps. Don’t be afraid to go to failure, and you’ll find in time that your body rises to the challenge, moving more weight then before.
Above, shoot for compounds exercises. These will give you the most bang for your body sculpting buck by engaging several muscle groups at the same time. These include squats, deadlifts, bench press, clean and jerk, and other exercises that work multiple major muscle groups at once. These will make your workouts more efficient, allowing you to fit more work into less time.
So, if you’re a lady looking to shape up without bulking up, have no fear! Your weight room is your portal to a firm figure that is strong and sexy!