If you want to look more toned, more beefy and have a radically ripped abs for life then read this article.

People (largely women) say that they want to be more “toned”. In other words, they don’t necessarily want to build extra muscle mass, yet they want the muscle that already have to look more in shape, toned, and defined.

How most people screw up attempting to get “toned”

A number of people completely screw this up. They make an effort to get in shape by “going for the burn” when training. They do this for the reason that

1. Someone told them heavy weights make you big

2. Their muscles feel and look toned after they “Feel the burn” when working out with high reps.

Here’s why you shouldn’t “go for the burn” when exercising if you want to get in shape

The Burn is lactic acid buildup

The reason you feel hard during and after the ‘burn’ is the same reason a corpse is stiff. Your muscle fibers are like mouse traps-they go off by themselves, but need energy to be reset to contract again. A dead body is out of ATP, the energy compound that relaxes the muscles, that’s why their muscles are permanently contracted.

An extreme rep exercise session weakens ATP in your muscle and leads to a brief hardness very much like what happens to a dead body. But you probably don’t want to be dead, and yet you still want to be toned. The solution?

Real Muscle Tone - Tension

To get lasting tone, you need to exercise your nervous system to keep your muscles half flexed when you are calm. This is what muscle tone is-residual tension in a relaxed muscle! The kind of tension that comes from neurological activity, and not energy fatigue.

Increased muscle tone is not a physical change of your muscle. It is the result of the nervous system being more on the ball. It keeps the muscles somewhat contracted the whole time.

Strength / Tension / Tone

Strength and tone training is the same thing. If you learn to produce tension to achieve strength, instead of building more muscle, then the stronger you are, the harder you will be. This means you need to concentrate on strength training to get that the body of your dreams. Max tension - max strength.

For Females

* Want buns of steel? Intense, high-tension deadlifts work your butt WAY more than butt squeezes, ‘fire hydrants’, or similar silly moves popular in ‘muscle sculpting’ classes

* Want toned abs? Heavy, high-tension deadlifts, squats, overhead presses, ab wheel routines, planks, etc force your abs to generate high tension

* Want toned, sleek, sexy hips and thighs? Deadlifts, squats, and other full body movements done with high tension, heavy weights are the ticket.

For guys:

* Want a Thick Chest and Broad Shoulders? Extreme, High Tension Overhead Presses and Bench Presses will get you there

* Desire for a barnyard back? Weight Pullups and Bent over Rows to build those lats

* Sculpt a killer six-pack? Squats, Deads, Overhead Squats, Overhead presses, Ab Wheels and planks like the ladies

* Want big arms? Heavy presses and other overhead work.

You Can Go Into Strength Training Without Getting “Huge”

Here’s how you strength train without getting huge: keep the volume down. After that you will get stronger, harder, and more toned without getting any bigger. Keep the total number of reps at a low level each workout. A general rule is 10 reps or less. So two heavy sets of 5 would work with the major exercises.

If you desire to build bigger, more robust muscles: Lift extra volume during your training. Keep the reps low though so you’re still able to lift with maximum tension and build more strength. 5 sets x 5 reps as an example for every major exercise.

So there you go. If you want to get more toned, more ripped, more “hard” then you need to build strength.