How To Gain Maximum Muscle Tone By Lifting Heavy Weights

Getting An Understanding Of Muscle Tone And Muscle Definition

In order for one to choose the most effective way to increase muscle tone, you 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.

Six Pack Abs - Get Six Pack Abs And You Will Have A Rare Possession

Why Are Six Pack Abs So Rare?

A shredded middle section is a rare thing people possess these days. You may see lots of models and actors in magazines and movies with a six pack, but you don't often see a regular man or woman with a six pack walking around.

Most people after awhile give up on their efforts to get a six pack. They believe that it is something only movie stars or super models should have. I'm telling you to drop that way of thinking!

Lifting a Large Amount of Weights is Not As Impressive as Toned Abs

There are many more guys who can bench 315 pounds, than there are guys with a defined midsection. Lots of women can go jogging over 6 miles, but not many women have a 6 pack abs.

If you desire to be exceptional, then you should aim to get a six pack abs. If you are already spending time in the gym trying  and you don't have a 6 pack, then you are spending your time doing the wrong things.

You will need to change your focus if you want nice muscle tone in this part of your body.

When Your Abs Are Defined, Your Whole Body Will Look Great

When losing body fat stomach fat is usually the last to go. If you reach the point where your abs are visible, then I guarantee you that the rest of your body will look great as well.

I think this is the reason that people find a toned midsection so sexy. They are aware that the rest of the body must be toned as well! So if you focus on getting a 6 pack, everything else will fall into place.

Getting a Six Pack is Mainly About Diet and Cardio

I promise you that you could leave out all those crunching and sit up movements and get amazing abs. How do I know this?

Well, I haven't done a crunch in over 5 years and my abs are more defined then ever. Have you ever seen the TV show "Survivor".

By the end of the show almost every person has really defined six pack abs and I know that none of them got there by ab exercises. You do not have to go to that extreme, but it does show you that low body fat will give you a six pack.

Ab Exercises Probably Account for Only 10% of the Results

I don't think you need to directly workout the abdominal area to get a great six pack, but if you want pick one and hit it for 4-5 sets.

The majority of your time should be spent on a bit of lifting for the rest of your body and intense cardio. As far as choices of cardio go, running on a treadmill or running outside is the way to go.

Your abs work harder with running, because there is a certain amount of balancing involves between your legs and upper body. If you are on an exercise bike, your abs don't have to work at all. Your body is being stabilized by the seat.

Conclusion: You probably just need to increase the cardio and decrease the calories if you don't have six pack abs. I know it sounds almost too simple, but believe me it will work for you.

How To Build Just The Right Amount Of Muscle On Your Body To Look Attractive

Adding just the ideal amount of muscle mass to your body and not becoming overly muscular is a great way to get fit and strong while looking attractive.

If you're young and just starting out it will be easy to gain your first 10-20 pounds of muscle which is considered to be natural muscle that your body needs, and soon after that muscle gain may become harder.

When it becomes excessively difficult to put on additional muscle, this is when you should focus on strength and performance. 

After you put on that natural amount of muscle mass, from this point forward try to gain strength without getting bigger. 

By doing this you will refine those muscles and get the really sharp and defined look. You may also want to focus more on cardio as well. As time progress and you become stronger, you will start seeing more muscle tone.

Training To Increase Muscle Mass

When your aim is to train to increase muscle mass, you must train with heavy weights you have to keep your reps in the 6-12 range for the most part.

So to train for mass, you want to get stronger and more proficient in the 6-12 reps range. Reps below 6 is great for tone and muscle density, once you have achieved the level of muscle mass you desire.

Eating To Build Muscle

Eating a lot will help you gain muscle mass quickly but it's important to remember that you don't want to gain too much fat in the process.

The recommended calorie intake is 18 calories per pound of your bodyweight if you want to gain muscle mass without gaining excess fat.

The specific intake may vary according to your body type, but consider this to be the average. The idea is to keep adjusting your quantity of intake until you get it just right to build muscle without gaining excess fat.

The most important meal should be right after you workout. You want to get a quick digesting protein and carbohydrate source for nutrients into your body as quickly as possible after you workout.

Your muscles will absorb a lot more nutrients than normal during this period of time. This will really help ensure that your muscles recover quickly and help you during your upcoming workouts.

Avoid any form of fat during this post-workout meal as it will slow down the absorption of the nutrients into your bloodstream.

Apart from eating a large amount of quick digesting protein and carbs after your workout you also want to start your day off strong with a decent amount of calories and protein.

You will need to eat less calories and protein with other meals during the day. Also, ensure your blood sugar level is balanced throughout the day by eating fibrous and starchy carbs and healthy fats along with every meal.