Tone. What is it & where can I get it?
We have had a lot of new members sign up at our gym over the last month. With the onset of Summer coming (really, it is coming!), you guys are on a mission. It’s great to see! Top of the list for many is to get ‘toned’. So I thought a little post about what this is, and some key ways to achieve it, would be something you may be interested in.
Let’s talk about what ‘toned’ really is. It is simply muscle with less body fat covering it. The problem here for some, is that they do not have enough muscle, therefore when body fat is lowered they can feel too scrawny and the look they desired isn’t achieved. The other end of the scale we have is when people lose weight, and still haven’t attained that illustrious toned look because they have not only lost fat they have also lost muscle. This can result in what is termed ‘skinny fat’.
So what can be done to address these issues? It’s clear that in both instances muscle needs to be built. Building muscle not only has its aesthetic benefits, but also many health benefits, particularly as we age. The ultimate incentive to build muscle is that it takes more energy for the body to sustain. Sorry what? It uses more calories! This means we can eat more. I know right? Awesome or what? No better reason for gaining some muscle on that bod. The beauty of having muscle mass when it comes to losing weight is that you can do it on a higher caloric intake too.
Let’s look at my previous ‘Mum bod’. At age 39, a Mum of 2, I was your typical skinny fat. I ate mostly carbs & fats. The only protein in my diet was the milk in my cappuccino & the meat in my Spaghetti Bolognese. These photos were taken as my 'Before' for Michelle Bridges 12WBT. I weighed in at 58.3kg. Body fat 39% Let me repeat that…….39%!! That actually shocks me now, but it shows how far I have come. Anyway, I digress :) Skinny fat at it’s finest. When I lost weight at this stage I really just looked sick due to my lack of muscle. I never finished the challenge. My mindset at this stage was purely on aesthetics and I didn’t like my body too thin. Ironically I didn’t like it at 39% body fat either. I was lost and clueless. NB: While many of you may have more weight to lose than I did, and see my 'before' body as one that you would be happy to achieve as your 'after', it is all relative. We all have our own goals
A typical day of food looked like this:
Breakfast: Cappuccino with either cereal or toast with jam
Lunch: Ham & Salad sandwich
Snack: Cappuccino & biscuit, chocolate etc
Dinner: Probably my best meal of the day because I was raised as a Meat n 3 vege girl. So this would be Spag Bol, or Steak & vege, Apricot Chicken, Rice & Vege, Chilli con Carne with rice etc
Snack: Tea & biscuit
Fast forward to now; age 44. Weigh approx. 60kgs Body fat 22%
And I know, before you say ‘I don’t want that much muscle’…..that pic is taken post workout with a lot of extra blood in my muscles. You may have heard the young kids say ‘Oh man, the pump was insane’ lol. Yep, that’s what they mean.
But let me show you a pic taken just a few days later at home, normal clothes on, no pump.
Can I just draw your attention once again to my stats in 2011 to now.
2011 58.3kg --> 39% body fat. I am going to guesstimate that my muscle mass was maybe 35kg. If I was lucky. Forward to 2016 60kg ---> 22% body fat Muscle Mass as per my last Dexascan with Metabolic Measures was 43kg.
58.3kg ---> 39% body fat
60kg ---> 22% body fat
Crazy. But let me just remind you.......
A typical Day of food now looks something like this:
Breakfast: Omlette = 1 whole egg, 1 egg white. Filled with mushrooms, roasted capsicum, baby spinach & cheese. 1 skinny cap.
Lunch: A protein source such as chicken, prawns, tuna, beef served with salad or vege. If my lunch is post workout then I will have my starchy carbs such as a wrap, rice, or pasta
Snack: Smoothie made with protein, cacao, chia seeds, honey, frozen banana & milk or Skinny Cap with a protein ball (I either make my own or buy the Whey Whip ones)
Dinner: Tonight I had Kangaroo Meatballs with a tomato based sauce, with vege & parmesan cheese
Snack: Tea with Lindt dark chocolate (2 squares)
A whole lot more nutrients in my diet now. Also more calories, yet I remain leaner due to the muscle I have built.
As we have now established that the toned look is simply a case of more muscle and less fat, I want to introduce you to the fact that this does not happen overnight. Particularly if you are female. Building muscle takes a lot of blood, sweat & tears. Not only do you need to put in the hard yards in the gym, but also in the kitchen. Your nutrition needs to support your workouts. Essentially by lifting weights you are breaking down the muscles, and the fuel you supply your body are the building blocks for the repair.
First of all let’s cover the training side of things. For beginners, whether male or female, you can benefit by focusing on full body routines. No bodybuilding body part splits are required at this stage. Spend your time learning how to do the big compound moves such as Squats, Deadlift, Presses, Rows etc.
If you are completely new to these then it is not only a case of training your muscles, but your nervous system will be taxed too as the wiring for these movements is cemented. I always train people to create good habits from the very beginning. High reps in the range of 10-15 help facilitate motor learning. The more you do a movement the easier you learn it. 2-3 full body lifting sessions per week will probably be enough for most just starting out. If you have extra fat to lose you could do 2-3 full body strength sessions and add in 2 metabolic sessions such as Metafit and Boxing. Or you could do 4 full body sessions where you are continually keeping your heart rate up by adding cardio exercises in between sets. Finding what you enjoy doing will be the most effective way of sticking to it.
As you can see, it has taken 5 years to build the muscle that I have, so don’t fear getting bulky ladies. We simply do not have the testosterone required to build muscle as efficiently as our male counterparts.
Alan Aragon, a well known Nutritionist in the Bodybuilding world, has stated these rates of muscle growth stats for men. Half these for women, yes half!
Beginner: 1-1.5% of total bodyweight per month ie 70kg male = 700g-1.05kg per month / 58kg woman = 290g - 435g
Intermediate: 0.5%-1% of total bodyweight per month ie 70kg male = 350g - 700g / 58kg female = 145g-290g
Advanced: 0.25% - 0.5% of total body weight per month ie 70kg male = 175g-350g / 58kg female = 72.5g - 145g
These results will vary based on age and genetics too, however age is no excuse and genetics can just make you have to work harder for it.
As you can see beginners grow muscle at a much faster rate. These are what are known in the business as ‘Newbie Gains’. If you have not lifted weights properly before, to your full capacity, then I suggest taking advantage of this situation. This is THE ideal time to employ a trainer. Learn the biomechanics of lifting correctly whilst making the most of strength and muscle gains.
You are training hard, kicking ass in the gym, so the follow up now is to nail your nutrition. There is no need to go crazy. You don’t need to go Paleo, Keto, Cheetos lol :) But most of you will need more protein & less starchy carbs. Really. Listen to me when I say you are probably not eating enough protein! And when it comes to starchy carbs, well they have their place, but it’s not the place of my old diet, 5 times per day.
I have written on Protein before, if you haven’t read it then head on over here & have a look. But to cut it short, if you are lifting & looking to transform your body you need to consume approximately 1.8gms per kg of body weight as a starting place. If your protein intake is low, then the body will catabolise. In simple terms this means that the body will start to break down muscle and other tissues for energy.
When it comes to carbs, I prefer the method of timing them around my workouts, particularly post workout when I am replenishing my body and giving it the energy to repair. Carbs also are the source of fibre, an important nutrient to take into consideration. If you are not a fan of carbs then a) we can’t be friends, and b) that’s ok but make sure you are still getting your daily intake of fruit n vege, and you need to eat your good fats too.
It is a myth that eating every few hours will stoke your metabolism, but eating every few hours may help control any ‘I’m bloody starving feed me now’ junk food binges. My advice, eat your 3 main meals, focusing on having protein in each of them, then add in healthy snacks as required. If you need to lose weight then there will be an element of hunger, but it shouldn’t be an overwhelming ‘I’m gonna die’ feeling. If you lack energy, aren’t sleeping well & are generally an all ‘round grouchy person, then these are good signs that you need to eat more.
That's it in a nutshell. It's not particularly complicated, but it most certainly takes commitment, focus and dedication both in and out of the gym. Most of all it takes time. Forget about 8 week transformations. Sure change happens in 8 weeks, but it doesn't end then, that's just the beginning.