So you want to know how to get toned, huh?

You probably envision a body for yourself where your abs are poppin’ like fireworks, your legs are more defined, and your arms look lean and mean. 

Guess what?

In this post, you’ll learn everything there is to know about getting toned and how you can make your dream physique come to life.  

The first step on your how to get toned agenda is defining what being “toned” even means.

What does it mean when someone says “toned”?

 

In a nutshell, getting toned is this:

1. You build muscle

2. Get rid of the layer of fat on top to reveal it

It’s no more complicated than that.

Now that you have a definition to work off of, there are a couple myths I want to clear up about getting toned. 

Myth # 1 – You can “tone up” specific areas  

 

Spot-reducing body fat is not a real thing.

Any workout with a specific set of exercises claiming to help you:

• “Torch stubborn belly fat” 

• “Get more defined legs”

• “Tone up your arms”

… Is just flat-out misleading. 

You can, however, target specific areas to build muscle.

But when it comes to stripping off the fat on top, your genetics dictate where that happens first. 

Myth #2 – You get more toned by lifting exclusively “lighter weight for reps” 

There is no such thing as a “muscle toning workout” nor are there specific exercises or a set and rep range that means you’re toning your muscles. 

In reality, you’ll get the best results when your strength training program has a mix of:  

• Heavier weight for lower reps
• Medium weight for medium reps
• Lighter weight for higher reps

Myth #3 – There is such thing as “lean” muscle

There isn’t some special workout routine or set of exercises that makes muscle “lean.” 

Muscle is muscle and there are only two things you can do with it:

1.) Build it

2.) Lose it

“Lean muscle” is just a fitness marketing buzzword people use to prey on the fact some consumers (most of which are women) are afraid of becoming big and bulky by lifting weights or by doing certain workouts or exercises.

They position their product, program, or whatever it is as the ultimate way to “sculpt lean muscle” and give you that toned look you’re after. 

It’s nonsense. 

There are no gimmicks to getting toned.

You get toned and lean by, again, building muscle and losing the layer of fat on top.

What does it mean to build muscle?

 

Building muscle comes down to:

A.) Being in a calorie surplus (consuming more calories than you burn): You need these extra calories to fuel muscle growth. 

B.) Strength training your butt off: Random workouts you switch up every day from social media won’t get the job done. You want to be on an actual program and take advantage of progressive overload. This is the strength training concept of all strength training concepts. I can’t stress just how important progressive overload is. You won’t achieve the results you’re after without it so make sure you’re applying it during your workouts!   

I want to address something and this is mainly a problem I see with you ladies out there.

Sorry, I have to call you out!

But you’ve probably seen B.S. out there like…

“Lower weight for higher reps is how you get toned. You don’t want to lift too heavy and end up big and bulky like a man!” 

Well, I have some news for you.

Ladies, you aren’t some fragile piece of glass that’ll break from lifting heavy weights.

And if you want to get toned, that’s exactly what you’ll have to do – get in the gym and lift some heavy things.

You won’t become big and bulky like a man, I promise.

Now, men and women may have different areas they want to target and build muscle in.

Sure, women tend to focus more on legs and glutes whereas guys place more emphasis on upper body. 

But in terms of the actual workouts themselves, it’s not like women should be lifting exclusively “lighter weight for reps” if they want to get toned and only men should be lifting heavy.

So ladies, please, for your own sake, ditch the 2.5 pound pink dumbbells and load up that bar with weight that challenges you.

What does it mean to lose fat?

If “fat-burning workouts” are a real thing then so are Bigfoot and The Loch Ness Monster. 

There isn’t a specific combo of exercises or a certain number of sets and reps that hold the key to fat loss.

You lose fat by being in a calorie deficit (consuming fewer calories than you burn). 

In other words, calories in < calories out. 

Basically, you eat a little less than you normally would to lose fat.

Naturally, you do lose a little bit of muscle while in a deficit but the lifting weights piece will help you preserve as much as possible.

The more muscle you can hold onto, the higher your metabolism and the more fat you’ll lose. 

Same rules apply in a fat loss phase regarding your workouts:  

Keep aiming to progressively lift heavier and heavier weights on a strength training program.

So, what steps can you take to get toned? 

There’s a lot of jibber-jabber out there about getting toned but I’m going to lay out the truth for you right now.

I’m a fan of keeping things simple and there are really only two main steps you need to achieve the muscle tone and physique you want. 

Step #1 – Find your starting point

Is lacking muscle your problem?

Do you have excess body fat you need to get rid of? 

Or maybe you’re somewhere in the middle?

Identify where you should start.

You have three options (one of which is only available to you if you belong in a certain category).

You can either:

A.) Go on a bulk (calorie surplus) to build muscle

B.) Go on a cut (calorie deficit) to get rid of extra body fat

C.) Build muscle and lose fat at the same time: This option is only available to you if you’re a complete beginner to strength training and working out, or you’ve taken significant time away from the gym.

I’ll explain below what you should do depending on which camp you fall into.

Step #2 – Get to work!

Once you determine where you need to start, it’s time to put your plan into motion. 

If you’re in groups A or B, you’ll simply alternate between bulking and cutting phases until you achieve that ultimate, more toned look you want.

Make sure you read this post – It walks you through the ins and outs of each of these two phases from both a diet (i.e. how many calories you should eat) and workout perspective. 

Group C folks, keep reading below.

First, I just want to say you’re in luck, my friend!

For at least a little bit, you’ll be living at the peak of fitness perfection–building muscle and losing fat simultaneously.

You’ll want to be in a calorie deficit for the fat loss side of things.

And to make sure you’re building the necessary muscle for a toned look, focus especially on getting good at compound movements like squat, deadlift, and bench press. 

Notice how I said “for a little bit” though.

That’s because your fitness superpower won’t last forever.

Eventually you’ll have to alternate between periods of bulking and cutting like the rest of us if you want to continue seeing results. 

How to get toned wrap up

 

Remember what getting “toned” actually means.

It just equals muscle + getting rid of the body fat on top. 

There are no specialized “toning” exercises, workouts, sets, or reps to do to help you achieve that look.  

You get that look by jumping back and forth between periods where you’re bulking (to build muscle) and cutting (to lose body fat). 

Pick one goal to start with and then after a little while switch to the other one.

Repeat that process until you achieve the toned body you’re looking for 💪🏾

FAQs about getting toned

How long does it realistically take to get toned?

Being toned isn’t a one-size-fits-all formula.

Your definition of toned might be different than someone else’s. 

But I can tell you this…

No matter what your definition is, getting toned is probably going to take a lot longer than you think it will or want it to.

You can’t go into this thinking you’re going to achieve your ultimate goal in some short time frame.  

It’s not like you’ll workout for a few weeks, eat super healthy, and then ta-da, all of a sudden you have your dream physique. 

The reality is it’s probably going to take months, sometimes years, of being consistent with counting calories or tracking macros, lifting weights, and hitting your daily steps goal.   

Does that mean you just won’t see ANY sort of results until waaaay later down the line?

Absolutely not.

If you stay on top of your workouts, nutrition, and steps you WILL see results in the short term.

I just want you to understand that your ideal physique, the one that has all the muscle tone you’re envisioning, takes time. 

So you have to be patient.

Should men and women train differently to get toned?

Men may focus on upper body more while women might lean toward more lower body workouts and developing their glutes.

But training will look pretty much the same in terms of exercises, sets, reps and all that good stuff.

So it’s not like women should be lifting exclusively “lighter weight for reps” if they want to get toned and only men should be lifting heavy. 

I said it before and I’ll say it again, your workouts (that goes for BOTH men and women) should have a blend of lifting:

• Low reps using a heavier weight
• Medium reps for medium weight
• Higher reps with a lighter weight.

Getting toned vs. building muscle – What’s the difference?

Building muscle is only one side of the equation. 

You can build all the muscle you want but no one will see it if it’s just buried underneath a layer of fat!

Getting toned, on the other hand, is the combination of building muscle and losing fat.

When you’re toned, you’ve gone through the process of stripping off body fat to reveal the hard-earned muscle you’ve built underneath. 

Building Muscle + Fat Loss = That toned look you’re after.