I Want to Get Lean and Toned
- By Silviu Bona
- •
- 14 Feb, 2018
Do You Do Cardio?
As a gym owner and coach I get this question all the time, and yes we all want to get lean and toned. But what the heck does that even mean? You see, most people believe that running 5k a day, getting non an elliptical or another form of mundane cardio type movement is the key to getting "lean and toned". This cannot be further from the truth. Getting lean simply means losing body fat, and looking skinnier. If it's that easy, the everyone would just go for a run and have the body they want. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for running but is only one of the tools, and in my opinion not even the most effective.
What does having toned muscle mean? Simply having muscle. Muscle is dense, and getting strong will create that "hard" muscle. So if we lift weight, build muscle we should have toned muscle. Most who are overweight, or are not happy with the way they look naked do have a lot of quality muscle under all those layers of fat. It's how we choose to lose that fat that counts. If you're on a very low calorie diet, and doing a ton of "cardio" you're losing a lot of that quality muscle, therefore loosing that "toned" look one the fat melts away. But can we maintain or even build muscle and lose fat? Some would argue that we cannot, while I would argue that you can.
Step #1 Nutrition! Nutrition! Nutrition!
I can't stress this enough, as this is at least 75% of the equation. Having the right type and quantity of food at the right time is key to fat loss and muscle building. There are many approaches to this and no one approach is best. The one size fits all model is an ineffective one as each body is different and will respond differently. Some do well with Keto, others do well with various approaches to carb cycling as each body type and individual metabolizes food differently. Yes there are some core principals that can be applied but that's why you see real results when working with a nutrition coach, making tweaks throughout your journey vs. trying to do it all alone.
Step #2 TRAINING
If you want muscle you have to work it. It's really that simple. The more you work the muscle, the more efficient it becomes and in turn you get "toned". If we look at "cardio", we're just looking at a state where your heart rate is steadily working at about 70%. If we pair this principal with building muscle, we can stay in a cardio state while building lean muscle.
Here are my top 5 Types of Exercises that build muscle and burn fat:
1. Hill Sprints
Choose a hill and remember to warm up. Then perform 10, 15, 20 sets of 20sec. sprints and walk down for recovery. You should rest enough to allow your heart rate to go down to 60-70% before starting again. Here's where a heart rate monitor comes in handy, and with today's tech almost all of us have some access to one. If you're wearing a HR Monitor, you'll realize that even though you're resting between intense intervals, you're heart rate is in that "cardio" state throughout the entirety of the workout. Hill Sprints also use massive muscle groups, which will allow you to burn a lot more fat then simply jogging.
2. Sled Pushes/Pulls
These are similar to hill sprints and can be used the same way. Find a weight you can either sprint with, or more steady if you'd like to go a bit heavier. I like putting on 135lb for men and about 95lb for women on a sled, and perform 25-50m sprints with adequate rest in between.
3. Carries
There are so many variations here. Farmer Carries, Sandbag Carries, Baby Carries with sandbags, Overhead Carries, Yoke Carries, Unilateral Carries etc... this is a staple in the gym, especially during those nice summer months. Pick up 35lb DB and try doing a 4 min timed carry. You're shoulders will burn, your grip will scream, you're core is fighting to stabilize throughout the movement and you're breathing heavy. This is the most underrated movement in strength and conditioning.
4. Barbell / DB Complexes
CrossFit is fantastic at this. This takes a higher level of skill and requires mastering the Olympic lifts if using a barbell. However, if you use dum bells, you can eliminate some mobility restrictions and although good technique is key, you can get a great workout and be safe using DB's in no time. I like 10-20min EMOM's. Set your clock to beep every minute, and every minute perform a complex. For example, a squat clean, 2 front squats, and 3 jerks. This volume for most people will force you to keep the load moderate and allow for plenty of recovery time within the given minute. If you don't know where to start in terms of weight, start with a comfortable load, and increase the weight every minute or even every other minute.
5. Accessory Work in Supersets
We all ignore accessory work like rows, pulldowns, db isolation work etc.. But if we choose 4-5 movements, do the back to back at a moderate pace, you're building muscle and staying in that cardio zone in terms of your heart rate. Try it and you'll be surprised how fun that boring accessory work can be.
So there you have it. If you want to be lean and toned, eat right and train right.
Some of you may be asking, will I build "bulky muscle"? I don't want to get big. You won't get big. It takes a lot of work and effort to gain muscle, and you have to try very hard to eat enough, and often enough to gain muscle. If you're eating the right amount of food for fat loss you cannot get big. Weights don't make girls big, cupcakes do.
Love,
Coach Sil
What does having toned muscle mean? Simply having muscle. Muscle is dense, and getting strong will create that "hard" muscle. So if we lift weight, build muscle we should have toned muscle. Most who are overweight, or are not happy with the way they look naked do have a lot of quality muscle under all those layers of fat. It's how we choose to lose that fat that counts. If you're on a very low calorie diet, and doing a ton of "cardio" you're losing a lot of that quality muscle, therefore loosing that "toned" look one the fat melts away. But can we maintain or even build muscle and lose fat? Some would argue that we cannot, while I would argue that you can.
Step #1 Nutrition! Nutrition! Nutrition!
I can't stress this enough, as this is at least 75% of the equation. Having the right type and quantity of food at the right time is key to fat loss and muscle building. There are many approaches to this and no one approach is best. The one size fits all model is an ineffective one as each body is different and will respond differently. Some do well with Keto, others do well with various approaches to carb cycling as each body type and individual metabolizes food differently. Yes there are some core principals that can be applied but that's why you see real results when working with a nutrition coach, making tweaks throughout your journey vs. trying to do it all alone.
Step #2 TRAINING
If you want muscle you have to work it. It's really that simple. The more you work the muscle, the more efficient it becomes and in turn you get "toned". If we look at "cardio", we're just looking at a state where your heart rate is steadily working at about 70%. If we pair this principal with building muscle, we can stay in a cardio state while building lean muscle.
Here are my top 5 Types of Exercises that build muscle and burn fat:
1. Hill Sprints
Choose a hill and remember to warm up. Then perform 10, 15, 20 sets of 20sec. sprints and walk down for recovery. You should rest enough to allow your heart rate to go down to 60-70% before starting again. Here's where a heart rate monitor comes in handy, and with today's tech almost all of us have some access to one. If you're wearing a HR Monitor, you'll realize that even though you're resting between intense intervals, you're heart rate is in that "cardio" state throughout the entirety of the workout. Hill Sprints also use massive muscle groups, which will allow you to burn a lot more fat then simply jogging.
2. Sled Pushes/Pulls
These are similar to hill sprints and can be used the same way. Find a weight you can either sprint with, or more steady if you'd like to go a bit heavier. I like putting on 135lb for men and about 95lb for women on a sled, and perform 25-50m sprints with adequate rest in between.
3. Carries
There are so many variations here. Farmer Carries, Sandbag Carries, Baby Carries with sandbags, Overhead Carries, Yoke Carries, Unilateral Carries etc... this is a staple in the gym, especially during those nice summer months. Pick up 35lb DB and try doing a 4 min timed carry. You're shoulders will burn, your grip will scream, you're core is fighting to stabilize throughout the movement and you're breathing heavy. This is the most underrated movement in strength and conditioning.
4. Barbell / DB Complexes
CrossFit is fantastic at this. This takes a higher level of skill and requires mastering the Olympic lifts if using a barbell. However, if you use dum bells, you can eliminate some mobility restrictions and although good technique is key, you can get a great workout and be safe using DB's in no time. I like 10-20min EMOM's. Set your clock to beep every minute, and every minute perform a complex. For example, a squat clean, 2 front squats, and 3 jerks. This volume for most people will force you to keep the load moderate and allow for plenty of recovery time within the given minute. If you don't know where to start in terms of weight, start with a comfortable load, and increase the weight every minute or even every other minute.
5. Accessory Work in Supersets
We all ignore accessory work like rows, pulldowns, db isolation work etc.. But if we choose 4-5 movements, do the back to back at a moderate pace, you're building muscle and staying in that cardio zone in terms of your heart rate. Try it and you'll be surprised how fun that boring accessory work can be.
So there you have it. If you want to be lean and toned, eat right and train right.
Some of you may be asking, will I build "bulky muscle"? I don't want to get big. You won't get big. It takes a lot of work and effort to gain muscle, and you have to try very hard to eat enough, and often enough to gain muscle. If you're eating the right amount of food for fat loss you cannot get big. Weights don't make girls big, cupcakes do.
Love,
Coach Sil
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