What is toning?
Replies
-
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. :-)0 -
toning = pink, two pound dumbbells at 20 reps...
That's "Weight-Lifting" to me !0 -
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...
0 -
Toning = becoming less flabby and looking more firm.0
-
toning = pink, two pound dumbbells at 20 reps...
That's "Weight-Lifting" to me !
0 -
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!0 -
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.0 -
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......0 -
I think that is what they call going to the gym to socialize.0
-
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?0 -
"fat loss"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?0 -
People lose fat and still have soggy muscles
So then they have to "tone" them to tighten them up
Or they can "tone" muscles up but still have day
Yes?
No?
Toning -- Well that was the vernacular in the 60's and 70'
It's not a new word these days :-)0 -
How come toning isn't a real thing?
It involves weight loss and strength training but EVERYONE
Here obviously knows what it means.
If 2 twins,same height,same genetics,200 pounds each decide
To lose weight but one does all cardio and the other cardioid and
Strength training and they both lose thirty pounds, then who has more
Defined muscles because they didn't lose as much muscle?
Therefore looks more defined,"toned".
0 -
So for someone like me who is at goal weight and wants to "tone up" certain areas of my body (arms, stomach) what is the correct terminology I should be using and how do I go about achieving it?0
-
Who cares what people call it? You all know what they mean...
And just because someone doesn't want to lift weights does NOT make them 'lazy' or 'uninformed'.0 -
Toning = heavy lifting while eating at a deficit/maintenance?0
-
So for someone like me who is at goal weight and wants to "tone up" certain areas of my body (arms, stomach) what is the correct terminology I should be using and how do I go about achieving it?
You're technically building muscle or "bulking" and losing fat. Toning just sounds less scary to the ladies.0 -
THIS. It was terminology invented to sway women into lifting classes. Since the fitness industry KNEW that women spend more than men do to improve their physical look, they had to come up with something appealing.I'm starting to learn toning is just something the fitness industry made up.
A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition0 -
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.
So what term should they use? If I say I want muscle definition I'd get blasted for that term as well because I'll be told that there's no such thing as that. And for the record just because someone says they want to "tone" doesn't in any way mean they are lazy and don't want to lift. It IS a snobbish put down remark.
To me when a person says they want muscle tone it's the same thing as saying they want muscle definition.
Seriously I don't get what the huge controversy is over one silly word.0 -
I do think it's a woman's term, but it's a bit more subtle in terms of the look people want to achieve.
I think when people say 'toned' they mean they don't want overly visible muscles but want to look firm.0 -
Interesting. I didn't think his post was any snarkier than many of the others.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......0 -
Why doesn't anyone make fun of "shredded?"
It's not like that is a real physiological term either, and its not like people are actually using two forks to pull their Ab muscles apart like a well cooked brisket......
THIS lol.
Toning is when you want to firm up and smooth out your flabby regions. Or-- build muscle and lose fat. I know what to do to achieve this. I know it means eating at a deficit and lifting heavy. For some reason people get all pissed off over the term "toning." It's really not that serious though.0 -
In the past, I've said there's no such thing, and that really it's just a small gain in muscle mass and/or body fat reduction. You either gain muscle and/or lose fat and see a result, or you don't and you get no result.
The only in between gray area might be if you were to flex a muscle all the time...
Unfortunately, people are always going to misinterpret that because the anatomical concept of "muscle tonus" gets in the way of some people's understanding of what others mean by "toning".
Bottom line: it doesn't really exist, and is a nothing word to those of us who take this somewhat seriously. But to others who want minimal invesment and return, it does exist. There's nothing wrong with that, except for the fact that some people who don't want to gain muscle are led to believe that they can dramatically improve the look of their body without gaining muscle or losing fat.0 -
Toning: a word that, for some unknown reason, makes people quite upset.0
-
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.
And also this.0 -
I do. You don't shred away fat with just exercise alone. JM's 30 day "Shred" is a laugher to me every time I hear it. It's just that "toning" is used so often in the fitness industry and why you hear more about it. It'll take time before it's disregarded as an actual term for lifting light weights or muscular endurance exercises.Why doesn't anyone make fun of "shredded?"
It's not like that is a real physiological term either, and its not like people are actually using two forks to pull their Ab muscles apart like a well cooked brisket......
A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition0 -
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.
And also this.
This is true. Unfortunately, to some people (not most thankfully it seems) "bulky" might mean that their lean 17-inch thighs increase by two inches over the period of a year or two. Pish-tosh.
All we can do is be supportive of these types when we encounter them, and hopefully they will eventually see the light and realize weight training's benefits far outweight the negatives. (What negatives, lol????)0 -
Or as a Professional Trainer, it could be that I feel it's important to dispell BS terminology and give my clients the correct information. Nothing wrong with actual truth.
Toning is a hot button word that pisses off snobbish people on MFP who want to harp about vernacular to make themselves feel superior.
A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition0 -
"Tone up" is correct terminology. But one doesn't do "toning" exercises. That's just called lifting weights.So for someone like me who is at goal weight and wants to "tone up" certain areas of my body (arms, stomach) what is the correct terminology I should be using and how do I go about achieving it?
A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition0 -
My 17" chicken legs grew to a still small but getting better 19.5" in the past four months and I still feel super DYEL. I have no idea how some of these women think they're "bulky."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.
And also this.
This is true. Unfortunately, to some people (not most thankfully it seems) "bulky" might mean that their lean 17-inch thighs increase by two inches over the period of a year or two. Pish-tosh.
All we can do is be supportive of these types when we encounter them, and hopefully they will eventually see the light and realize weight training's benefits far outweight the negatives. (What negatives, lol????)0
Categories
- All Categories
- 1.4M Health, Wellness and Goals
- 393.6K Introduce Yourself
- 43.8K Getting Started
- 260.3K Health and Weight Loss
- 175.9K Food and Nutrition
- 47.5K Recipes
- 232.5K Fitness and Exercise
- 431 Sleep, Mindfulness and Overall Wellness
- 6.5K Goal: Maintaining Weight
- 8.6K Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
- 153K Motivation and Support
- 8K Challenges
- 1.3K Debate Club
- 96.3K Chit-Chat
- 2.5K Fun and Games
- 3.8K MyFitnessPal Information
- 24 News and Announcements
- 1.1K Feature Suggestions and Ideas
- 2.6K MyFitnessPal Tech Support Questions