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I want to look toned

by Matt Elphick
23/12/2020

I want to look toned but I don’t want to look bulky.  This is a comment we get from 80% of females that come for a consultation.  Can I tone my stomach, can I tone my arms are but a few!

We want you to understand the fundamentals of what it entails to have a ‘toned look’.

To have a toned look you need to build lean muscle and reduce body fat.

Our question to you is: are you taking the RIGHT actions to get you to your goal?

The reason we want to talk about this today is because we have worked with countless women, hundreds of women even, over the years – who chase weight loss over and over again to achieve this toned look, and  just get fixated with the ONE number on the scale.

When they get to this number, they think they’re going to be so happy — but they’re not. 

The reason they’re not is because when they get to this goal weight – it’s not what they thought it would be. 

They don’t look lean, toned or have the type of physique that they imagine; the athletic body that they’re really striving for, which is one that has muscle mass, which has density, which has what a lot of people refer to as “tone”.

We know EXACTLY what you mean when you say you’re chasing that “toned” look.

You’re looking for firmness. 

You’re looking for hardness

You’re looking for muscle. 

You’re looking for an athletic and aesthetic physique.

Here’s the big issue: 

Many active women think that continuous dieting is what will make them look lean and “toned,” but it doesn’t.

While calorie deficits help shed fat, if you don’t have some muscle on your body you will likely end your fat loss phase looking skinny or maybe even “skinny fat”.

Now let’s be honest here, it’s most women’s dream to look defined, slightly muscular , lean arms, no bat wings and maybe a nice set of abs!

What we are talking about is a certain athletic look. 

It’s about feeling lean and hard. Not feeling soft, nothing squishy, not being skinny without much muscle, not being bigger and “bulkier” with lots of muscle, but being dense, being athletic, looking lean. 

Lean is a great word for it actually. We know for a fact that this is the look that most of the women we work with are going for.

But then they carry on spending their whole year dieting; which doesn’t make any sense – because if you are endlessly dieting your body will never be able to build muscle – which is part of the “toned” look you want. 

But this is not your fault, social media is confusing, the internet is confusing!

Everyone selling the magic pill, the quick fix tea, you have probably tried them too but they still didn’t get you the result you wanted. 

Then when we tell you, you need to eat more you freak out! Eating more and getting leaner can be achieved if done the right way! 

Here is where we come in – let’s cut thru all the madness!

SOLUTION:   The majority of your year should NOT be spent dieting. 

Neither should you be spending it stuffing your face, thinking it’s ok cause you are bulking; this will only cause unnecessary fat gain.    Your body has a limit as far as the calories it can put towards muscle growth.  Some time needs to be spent in at least maintenance or a small surplus to enable you to build muscle.

Whilst a calorie deficit will help you lose weight it doesn’t necessarily give you the ‘toned’ look you were looking for.

At Steelextreme we educate our clients about their nutrition requirements and why less is not always best.  We can optimize hormones in order to enhance fat loss and see some muscle growth naturally. 

Not to mention optimising pre and post workout nutrition, improving sleep, gut health, tweaking training program design along the way, and plenty more intelligent science-based strategies – which are all tools we use with our clients.

If you are looking to make some changes in 2021, improve your body composition, get fitter and stronger, whilst building your confidence along the way; we are now taking bookings for consultations.  Get in touch and take that first step!

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    Offering the best personal trainer and nutrition advice in Malta, Steel Extreme Fitness offers you private gym membership – where you will feel right at home.

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