What is toning?

MisterDerpington

Some made up thing that the fitness industry likes to throw at women to scare them away from real strength training.

abbylg1983

I take it as someone who's not necessarily trying to decrease their weight or reduce the overall mass of their body, but rather is trying to firm themselves up. You can be thin and at a healthy BMI and still have lots of jiggly fat.

LiftAllThePizzas

its not like people are actually using two forks to pull their Ab muscles apart

isn't toning something you do to a musical instrument..?

Unfortunately I have been unable to find any toning forks for sale, for either purpose.

Did you try ebay?

ebay, ibey, obey, all the vowels. And all the rivers and lists.

AnvilHead

"Toning" is fully explained here:

http://www.aworkoutroutine.com/muscle-tone/

RedfishGuy

I don't think it's right to assume that people who aspire to "tone up" are people who don't want to exercise. If someone said "Hey I lost x amount of pounds and now I want to tone up" I certainly wouldn't put them down for using the "wrong" term. I can get what they're saying without being a snob anout it.

Not being a snob. Not putting anyone down.

I've just never been inspired, prior to my workout, with the statement, "I'm going to tone hard today!"

"Toning" just doesn't sound like hard work to me. I can get what they are saying also. They are saying, "I'd really like to have some muscle definition, I just don't want to work real hard at it." Not a put down, or a snobbish remark, that's just what I hear them saying. Your mileage may vary.

Whenever you hear someone use the term "toning," its a teachable moment.

ndj1979

toning = ten pound dumbbells at 20 reps...

jimmmer

Whenever you hear someone use the term "toning," its a teachable moment.

I genuinely hate the word.

It's only really used by people who have no idea what they mean by it. Or they know what the "look" they want is, but think it has to do with isolation exercises rather than bf%. Or whatever. I've seen it abused myriad ways.......

....strictly speaking "muscle tone (residual muscle tension or tonus) is the continuous and passive partial contraction of the muscles"

- it's what provides the constant background muscular tension necessary to stop you continuously falling over.

Cherry_T

I think its just the female verion of getting``ripped.`` Most girls don`t wanna be ``ripped,`` it`s just not feminine...

EmmieBaby

It's a nonsense word designed to appeal to uninformed people.

With respect to weight training..there is a pervasive MYTH that somehow there is a different lifting strategy for getting huge muscles or just a little gain or "muscle tone".

For women, especially those new to weight training, have no chance whatsoever of getting "big" or "bulky" by lifting too heavy of weights or too intense training. This is one of those silly myths that women can get "big" by weight training.

All you get by weight training is a smokin body lol. And the ability to do more stuff in life.

ding! I can deadlift around 100lbs, coworkers (all women) look at me and always say "careful or you will bulk up"

*sigh*

AnvilHead

toning = pink, two pound dumbbells at 20 reps...

Fixed it for you.

Liz_Mfp

It's a nonsense word designed to appeal to uninformed people.

<Raising my hand> that's me !

Is there really no definition to this?
We've been saying this word for 40 years or so.
Too funny. :-)

Liz_Mfp

toning = pink, two pound dumbbells at 20 reps...

That's "Weight-Lifting" to me !

cwolfman13

I think toning is a word the fitness industry made up so that women wouldn't be so afraid to pick up heavy things and bulk ('course they ****ed that up by insisting on a bazillion reps of no weight). Toning = bulking = building muscle and having that muscle show with reduced BF%. Otherwise...

jennifershoo

Toning = becoming less flabby and looking more firm.

RGv2

toning = pink, two pound dumbbells at 20 reps...

That's "Weight-Lifting" to me !

jennifershoo

Toning is what people do when they are too scared or too lazy to lift heavy or too ill-informed know that this is what they should do.

A buzz word that has been created by the fitness industry to convince women to do low weights for high reps. I don't blame the women using it I blame the industry and every single trainer that has every given this type of advice for allowing it to be perpetuated.

I blame Tracy Anderson!

soldier4242

It's a nonsense word designed to appeal to uninformed people.

With respect to weight training..there is a pervasive MYTH that somehow there is a different lifting strategy for getting huge muscles or just a little gain or "muscle tone".

For women, especially those new to weight training, have no chance whatsoever of getting "big" or "bulky" by lifting too heavy of weights or too intense training. This is one of those silly myths that women can get "big" by weight training.

All you get by weight training is a smokin body lol. And the ability to do more stuff in life.

Toning is a hot button word that pisses off snobbish people on MFP who want to harp about vernacular to make themselves feel superior.

Terminology be damned if you want to look good get your but to the gym consistently. Eat a nutritious diet and lift heavy. Constantly push yourself to the next level and never give up. Then if you want to call yourself ripped, shredded, toned or anything else who cares you'll still look good.

nomeejerome

It's a nonsense word designed to appeal to uninformed people.

With respect to weight training..there is a pervasive MYTH that somehow there is a different lifting strategy for getting huge muscles or just a little gain or "muscle tone".

For women, especially those new to weight training, have no chance whatsoever of getting "big" or "bulky" by lifting too heavy of weights or too intense training. This is one of those silly myths that women can get "big" by weight training.

All you get by weight training is a smokin body lol. And the ability to do more stuff in life.

Toning is a hot button word that pisses off snobbish people on MFP who want to harp about vernacular to make themselves feel superior.

Terminology be damned if you want to look good get your but to the gym consistently. Eat a nutritious diet and lift heavy. Constantly push yourself to the next level and never give up. Then if you want to call yourself ripped, shredded, toned or anything else who cares you'll still look good.

Well aren't you a ball of joy on this Friday afternoon......

Showcase_Brodown

I think that is what they call going to the gym to socialize.

Liz_Mfp

Toning = becoming less flabby and looking more firm.

That's what I've always thought for the past few decades.
If not "toning" what word fits that definition?