Building & Toning Muscle
12 practical fitness tips…
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OUR 1st ‘BUILDING & TONING MUSCLE‘ TIP:
First and foremost, make sure you understand the basics of exercise and nutrition.
EXPLANATION:
For detailed information, please visit both our Health & Fitness Essentials and Nutrition pages.
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OUR 2nd ‘BUILDING & TONING MUSCLE‘ TIP:
Carefully design a weight-training routine to help you achieve your specific fitness goal.
EXPLANATION:
Muscular development (whether for toning, size, or strength) occurs by consistently breaking down tiny microscopic fibres within the muscles – followed by repairing and building them up again via adequate rest and proper nutrition throughout the week. Therefore, when designing a weight-training routine, you should allow several days (or a full week) for each muscle group to recover from its last workout before exercising that particular muscle group again – otherwise you not only hinder your muscular development, but also risk attaining an over-training injury. It’s for this reason that most experts agree that a ‘split’ weight-training routine is most beneficial, whereby different muscle groups are isolated on certain days, then permitted to rest.
There’s no single, perfect weight-training routine that works for everybody, however Practical Fitness Tips believes that three weight-training workouts per week is optimal for all your muscular development needs. Nevertheless, for those wishing to weight-train:
1) once per week – you should ensure you target each of the major muscle groups (chest, back, legs, shoulders, arms, and ‘core’ – or abdominals, obliques and lower back) during each weekly full-body workout.
2) twice per week – you could consider what is commonly referred to as a ‘push-pull’ routine, where you focus solely on ‘pushing exercises’ on one day (typically for the chest, shoulders, quadriceps, triceps), and solely on ‘pulling exercises’ on the other day (typically for the back, hamstrings, biceps, and core).
3) three times per week (our recommendation) – you might consider dividing your body into 1) chest & back, 2) shoulders & arms, and 3) legs & core.
4) four times per week – you might consider dividing your body into 1) chest & triceps, 2) back & biceps, 3) shoulders, 4) legs & core.
5) five times per week – you might consider dividing your body into 1) chest, 2) back, 3) shoulders, 4) legs, 5) arms & core.
Next, if wishing to…
1) build muscle size and strength – revolve your routine around the ‘basic compound exercises’ such as bench-press and dips (chest/triceps), chin-ups (back/biceps), shoulder-press (shoulders/triceps), squats (quadriceps), and dead-lifts (hamstrings).
2) tone your muscles – focus more on ‘toning exercises’ such as, for example, cable-crossovers or pec-dec (chest), seated rows (back), dumbbell raises (shoulders), leg-extensions (quadriceps), leg-curls (hamstrings), bicep curls (biceps), and tricep cable extensions (triceps).
Whatever your routine, most experts recommend you keep weight-training workouts to about an hour.
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OUR 3rd ‘BUILDING & TONING MUSCLE‘ TIP:
Exercises done with free-weights are typically more effective than exercises done using resistance-training machines.
EXPLANATION:
While resistance-machines are great for beginners (as they help guide you through the correct range of an exercise motion), free-weights (dumbbells & barbells) are viewed by most sources as being far more effective. Free-weights use many additional ‘stabiliser muscles’ to help support your body during a lift (that are not used when doing an equivalent lift on a machine), and therefore result in a stronger muscle contraction. Additionally, free-weights help to improve balance, coordination, and provide for a much more natural movement.
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OUR 4th ‘BUILDING & TONING MUSCLE‘ TIP:
The amount of weight you lift should be dependent on your desired muscular development goal.
EXPLANATION:
If seeking to…
1) build muscle size and strength – research shows that using heavy weights which you can properly lift approximately 6 to 10 times is most effective, resting approximately 1 minute between each exercise set.
2) tone your muscles – research indicates that using lighter weights which you can properly lift approximately 15 to 20 times is most effective, resting approximately 1 minute between each exercise set.
This all said – your body needs variety! Mix things up to prevent plateaus – try ’super-sets’, ‘drop-set’s, ’21s’, ‘pyramid sets’, ’stability balls’, ‘bosu balls’, ‘tubes’, ‘kettle-balls’, etc. Need to learn a few new tricks? Hire a Personal Fitness Trainer for a few sessions!
OUR 5th ‘BUILDING & TONING MUSCLE‘ TIP:
Your last repetition should generally be the last repetition you can complete safely under control – without using gravity or momentum…unless you are an experienced weight-lifter!
EXPLANATION:
Further to Tip #4 above, regardless of the weight you use while exercising, the last repetition should generally be the last repetition you can complete safely and smoothly with proper form – especially when using very heavy weights. You might sometimes observe others in the gym arching their back, or using other methods that put their body at risk – don’t copy them! If your goal is to do 10 repetitions and you can’t do them properly, go lighter next time!
The exception to this rule, is to undertake what are sometimes referred to as ‘cheat repetitions’ – which should be reserved for experienced weight-lifters only. A ‘cheat repetition’ is done towards the end of a workout set (as the lifter approaches muscle failure), and can involve carefully using either momentum, the help of a Personal Fitness Trainer or workout partner, or even the self-assistance of your opposite arm or leg – in an effort to assist in the upward (‘positive’) movement of a weight (which would otherwise have been impossible to lift normally). Thereafter, you should use your remaining strength to resist gravity and lower the weight slowly and under control during the downward (‘negative’) part of the repetition. Remember, the objective is to ‘cheat’ in order to train your muscles a bit harder, not to make your workout easier!
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OUR 6th ‘BUILDING & TONING MUSCLE‘ TIP:
Drink a cup of coffee (without sugar) one hour before your weight-training session.
EXPLANATION:
Coffee contains caffeine, which, if drank about one hour before your weight-training session, will give you more adrenaline and energy to train more intensely.
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OUR 7th ‘BUILDING & TONING MUSCLE‘ TIP:
Listen to your favourite music while exercising.
EXPLANATION:
Not that we needed science to state the obvious, however, it has been proven that listening to music while exercising motivates people to train both longer and harder! Turn up the volume!
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OUR 8th ‘BUILDING & TONING MUSCLE‘ TIP:
After exercising, eat a well-balanced, nutritious meal within one hour to promote recovery.
EXPLANATION:
Many sources suggest that after any kind of exercise, there is an important one-hour ‘window of opportunity’ where the body should be fed a well-balanced, nutritious meal. This helps to promote recovery, build stronger muscles, reduce fatigue and boost your metabolism.
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OUR 9th ‘BUILDING & TONING MUSCLE‘ TIP:
Select a workout partner carefully.
EXPLANATION:
Exercising with a partner has its pros and cons. If you decide to workout with somebody, select that person wisely. A good partner will have similar goals to you, be committed and on time, and have a similar level of fitness – so that they neither pressure you to do more than you’re currently capable of, nor hinder you from progressing. A little bit of close healthy competition however can go a long way. However, it’s good to workout alone sometimes too.
Hiring a Personal Fitness Trainer can be a great decision too, especially when starting out – yet also for ’shaking up’ your routine once in a while, and for providing timely feedback and assessments. Studies suggest that those who have a Personal Fitness Trainer achieve results 80% faster than those who don’t. A good Personal Fitness Trainer will provide expert advice on exercise programmes and technique (and general nutrition), as well as ongoing motivation, accountability, and flexibility to suit your changing needs. If you live near Vancouver, BC and are interested in Craig’s low-fee Personal Fitness Training services ($50 per one-hour session), send an email to info@PracticalFitnessTips.com.
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OUR 10th ‘BUILDING & TONING MUSCLE‘ TIP:
Don’t forget to do cardio too!
EXPLANATION:
If looking to…
1) build muscle size and strength – you want to minimise (but not eliminate) cardio to keep your cardio-respiratory system (heart & lungs) in peak condition. Do cardio at least once per week, even if you’re trying to gain weight.
2) tone your muscles – ensure you do cardio two or three times per week to maintain (or reduce) your current level of body fat.
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OUR 11th ‘BUILDING & TONING MUSCLE‘ TIP:
Vary your workout routine periodically.
EXPLANATION:
In order to ensure your body doesn’t adapt to your workout routine, you should make changes every two to four weeks (unless your existing routine is really working well)! Giving the muscles new stimuli to adjust to promotes further development. Examples of variation could include:
1) changing the types of exercises you do, or the order in which you do them.
2) varying between dumbbells, barbells, cables, and machines for similar exercises.
3) varying your handgrip between wide, close, underhand, overhand, v-grip, rope-grip, etc.
4) varying the number of repetitions (and therefore weight).
5) reducing/increasing the amount of rest in-between sets.
6) altering the tempo – for example, trying super slow repetitions.
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OUR 12th ‘BUILDING & TONING MUSCLE‘ TIP:
Further to Tip #11 above, we’ve provided a list of specific exercises below to help you vary your routine. If you aren’t sure what they are, ask your gym attendant (or Personal Fitness Trainer) to show you, or view these online demonstrations.
EXPLANATION:
Biceps: hammer curls, concentration curls, seated/standing dumbbell/barbell/cable/tube preacher curls, reverse grip barbell curls, alternating curls, etc.
Triceps: seated dumbbell extensions, straight-bar/rope-grip cable push-downs, skull crushers, kickbacks, close-grip bench press, dips, incline/decline/normal/Bosu push-ups, etc.
Chest: barbell/dumbbell incline/decline/flat bench press, pec-dec, flat/incline/decline/medicine-ball flies, cable-crossovers, dips, incline/decline/regular/Bosu push-ups, etc.
Back: chin-ups, pull-ups, lateral pull-downs, one-arm kettle-bell/dumbbell-row, seated cable/tube rows, t-bar rows, back extensions, dumbbell/barbell pull-overs, dumbbell/barbell shrugs, etc.
Shoulders: dumbbell/barbell/machine/tube shoulder press, ‘Arnold press’, reverse pec-dec, side/front/rear dumbbell/cable/tube raises, cable/tube rotator cuff, etc.
Legs: squats, stability ball squats, dead-lifts, lunges, leg press machine, leg extension machine, leg curl machine, calf-raise machine, etc.
Core (abs, obliques, lower back): crunches, incline crunches, hanging leg raises, hanging knee raises, cable crunches, oblique crunches, cobras (arm-assisted back extensions), super-mans, oblique crunches, etc.
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Resources on Building & Toning Muscle:
1) Creatine Information Center. Learn how to most effectively combine exercise, nutrition and smart creatine use for explosive muscle growth.
2) Muscle Building Coach. Effective exercise and eating strategies to help pack on muscle mass fast.
3) 101 Workouts for Women. Everything you need to get a lean, strong, and fit physique.
4) Men’s Fitness Magazine. Improve strength, endurance, health and style with expert fitness and lifestyle tips.
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