Myth busted- To lose weight and tone up- you do not have to do intense cardio 5 times per week to get results. If you don’t already have a good muscle volume- this method can leave you looking skinny-fat rather than the desired toned and fit look.
“Toned” usually refers to when you can see some muscle definition of the body. In order to achieve a toned body- you should include weight training in your regime to build lean muscle mass, and you also need to shed a layer of fat covering your muscles. A combination of the following three components will help you lose fat and tone up:
Include strength training in your training regime
Don’t be scared of lifting weight girls! Let’s bust another myth whilst we are at it- women do not become bulky by lifting weights. We simply don’t have the same hormonal profile as men to become bulky- unless we really work for it and want it! Lifting weights and building lean muscle mass is a key factor to toning up! This is the method I personally use to maintain my physique! You need to put your muscles under enough stress to reap the benefits of hypertrophy, and this is best done under a relatively heavy load for 8-12 reps.
Lifting weights will help you tone up and lose weight for these two main reasons:
- The more muscle mass you have the quicker your resting metabolism rate will be. This simply means, that you will be burning more calories (and fat) even at rest if you have more muscle on your body!
- If you include big compound movements to your training regime and keep rest periods shorter, you will elevate your heart rate and reap the fat-loss benefits you get from cardiovascular training! Including supersets and tri-sets in your training program is an effective way for fat-loss, and this is also the way my online training programs are designed.
Cardio as part of your training program- not your entire training regime
Especially if you have quite a lot of fat to lose- doing a combination of cardio and strength training is the most effective. HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training), is an effective training method to consider making part of your cardio training program component. Through this way of training, your body will continue to burn calories long after you have finished your session, and can therefore be more effective than LISS (low impact steady state) cardio, such as jogging or walking. Try doing at least three days of strength training and two days of cardio.
Your diet is the key to any transformation!
Your diet is also not to be forgotten- if you want to lose fat, you need to consume less calories than what you use in total to help shed that layer of fat off your muscles. Understanding your own body and what foods work best for you will greatly help you achieve your goal.CHECK OUT MY 12 WEEK CHALLENGE AND COMBINE MY NUTRITION PROGRAM WITH A WHOLE BODY TRAINING PLAN OF CHOICE- https://camillaakerberg.com/collections/the-12-week-challenge