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What is toning?

LiftAllThePizzas
LiftAllThePizzas Posts: 17,857 Member
edited January 27 in Fitness and Exercise
I see this term used all the time, can someone explain what it's supposed to mean?
«13

Replies

  • AllonsYtotheTardis
    AllonsYtotheTardis Posts: 16,947 Member
    is it like when you check the tuning on the piano?
  • SteveStedge
    SteveStedge Posts: 37
    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.
  • caitlynah12
    caitlynah12 Posts: 34
    I'm starting to learn toning is just something the fitness industry made up.
  • Brad805
    Brad805 Posts: 289 Member
    toning = fat loss. If you talk to people who use the word you will usually figure out they are not particularly well informed.
  • LiftAllThePizzas
    LiftAllThePizzas Posts: 17,857 Member
    is it like when you check the tuning on the piano?
    Or maybe when you pick up the phone to see if the line's connected?
  • RedfishGuy
    RedfishGuy Posts: 47 Member
    Toning is what you do when you don't want to exercise
  • _SABOTEUR_
    _SABOTEUR_ Posts: 6,833 Member
    The dictionary says: to give firmness to the desired area of your body.

    Is viagra for toning then?
  • BarackMeLikeAHurricane
    BarackMeLikeAHurricane Posts: 3,400 Member
    Muscle tone refers to a muscle's tension at rest.
  • LiftAllThePizzas
    LiftAllThePizzas Posts: 17,857 Member
    The dictionary says: to give firmness to the desired area of your body.

    Is viagra for toning then?
    Ahthankyou.
  • sc10985
    sc10985 Posts: 347 Member
    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.
  • metacognition
    metacognition Posts: 626 Member
    It's a marketing ploy used by exercise fads that claim to lengthen muscles by using low resistance high rep exercises - or stretching.
  • CoachDreesTraining
    CoachDreesTraining Posts: 223 Member
    I see this term used all the time, can someone explain what it's supposed to mean?

    Something for your printer (I think).
  • Morninglory81
    Morninglory81 Posts: 1,190 Member
    I think it is supposed to be maintaining and conditioning the muscle you have while still on a cal deficit to strip fat away.
  • gmallan
    gmallan Posts: 2,099 Member
    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.
  • cheesyrunner
    cheesyrunner Posts: 84 Member
    It's a word some people like to use to describe decreasing body fat percentage.
  • savithny
    savithny Posts: 1,200 Member
    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......
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    isn't toning something you do to a musical instrument..?
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    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......

    because if you are shredded you are a bad as$ ....who wants to be toned when you can be shredded?
  • LiftAllThePizzas
    LiftAllThePizzas Posts: 17,857 Member
    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.
  • AllonsYtotheTardis
    AllonsYtotheTardis Posts: 16,947 Member
    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?
  • MisterDerpington
    MisterDerpington Posts: 604 Member
    Some made up thing that the fitness industry likes to throw at women to scare them away from real strength training.
  • abbylg1983
    abbylg1983 Posts: 177 Member
    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
    LiftAllThePizzas Posts: 17,857 Member
    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
    AnvilHead Posts: 18,343 Member
    "Toning" is fully explained here:

    http://www.aworkoutroutine.com/muscle-tone/
  • RedfishGuy
    RedfishGuy Posts: 47 Member
    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
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    toning = ten pound dumbbells at 20 reps...
  • jimmmer
    jimmmer Posts: 3,515 Member
    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
    Cherry_T Posts: 62 Member
    I think its just the female verion of getting``ripped.`` Most girls don`t wanna be ``ripped,`` it`s just not feminine...
  • EmmieBaby
    EmmieBaby Posts: 1,235 Member
    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
    AnvilHead Posts: 18,343 Member
    toning = pink, two pound dumbbells at 20 reps...
    Fixed it for you.
This discussion has been closed.

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