The Best Body Toning Exercises for Females
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Let's clarify something before we begin: "Toning," as commonly used in fitness, isn't a precise term. When women say they want to "tone," they usually mean they want to build muscle.
I always hear the same comment: “But I don’t want to get bulky! I just want to tone!”
Building significant muscle mass ("getting bulky") is unlikely for women due to lower testosterone levels. Heavy weightlifting, however, builds lean muscle, creating a toned and strong physique. This is achieved through a combination of the right diet and effective exercises. The exercises beneficial for men are equally effective for women; the body responds similarly to resistance training regardless of sex.
The term "toning" is misleading marketing. It refers to building lean muscle without excessive bulk, a goal achievable without worrying about becoming overly muscular. The exercises below are suitable for anyone aiming to improve fitness and build lean muscle mass.
1. Squats
It doesn’t matter if their with dumbbells, a kettle-bell, a barbell. Squats are one of the most efficient exercises you can do because they hit a lot of muscles in the lower body therefore burning a lot of calories. Check out my 5 favorite squat variations here.
2. Deadlifts
Again, working the lower body is going to be the most beneficial if you are looking to lose fat. Deadlifts are a fantastic exercise because not only do they work the hamstrings and glutes, but holding that weight in front of you and staying tight is going to engage your core, arms and back as well. Check out my favorite variation of the deadlift, the sumo squat.
3. Pull-ups
One of the most beneficial (and difficult) upper body movements you can master. No matter who you are, being able to do unassisted pull-ups is one of the best ways to get into shape and build muscle. It can take some time to be able to actually do an unassisted pull-up- and that is ok! Try learning on an assisted machine or using a band to help you hold negatives at the top of the movement. As you become stronger, you can make your way down to less and less assistance until you are eventually pulling up your body by yourself. Pull-ups work various upper body muscles such as your lats, shoulders, arms, back and core.
4. Pushups
Pushups are one of those exercises that, like pull ups, hit a lot of your upper body muscles which allows you to burn a lot of calories while helping to build lean muscle. If you can’t master the push up quite yet on the ground, start on a wall and slowly change the angle of your body to add more resistance lowering yourself down to a bench and then eventually the floor.
5. Lunges
There are tons of lunge variations and almost all are great. Lunges work many lower body muscles depending on what variation you are doing. Increasing the difficulty of a lunge by doing a walking lunge for example, incorporates more balance and stability which forces your abdominals to fire which in turn burns more calories. Even if you are not looking to change the appearance of your legs, it’s important to still work them in order to build muscle and burn fat.
6. KB Swings
When done properly, kettlebell swings work may different muscles in the body including the glutes, hamstrings, back, core, shoulder and quads. It’s an explosive movement and combines cardiovascular training with strength which is fantastic for calorie torching and muscle building. The explosively of the movement is a sure way to get the heart rate up and break a sweat.
7. Bulgarian split squats
Bulgarian split squats are great for adding muscle tone to the quads, hammys and glutes. They help to build single leg strength which decreases asymmetries in the body and help to increase overall stability. Start doing these with just your body weight and try to get the full range of motion. As they become easier, add weight and focus on the contraction in your core and butt as you come up and down in the movement.
8. Compound exercises
Compound exercises are an awesome way to torch calories and burn fat because they use more than one muscle group to complete the movement. Technically then, you can say any of the above movements are “compound exercises.” Yes. But I personally like to think of a compound exercise as combining two big exercises into one. Some examples of this would be:
Squat thrusts
Mountain climber into pushup
Pike into pushup
Clean to press
Snatch
Squat to row
9. Plyometric exercises
There are tons of plyometric exercises to choose from but these are some of my favorites.
Box jumps
Burpees
Battling ropes
Medicine ball slams
Plyo’s are great for fat loss and to build muscle because they get the heart rate up and burn a good amount of calories while doing so. They help build strength and endurance without risking losing lean muscle which can happen when you do a lot of steady state cardio.
There you have it, some of the best body “toning” exercises you can do if you are trying to lose fat and build some lean muscle. Remember, as long as you are not exceeding your daily caloric limit for maintenance, you will not get “bulky.” In fact, you will shrink in size despite the heavy weights you will be using in the gym. Women cannot be afraid to build muscle. Muscle burns fat and when we have more muscle on our bodies, our RMR (resting metabolic rate) naturally goes up which means at rest, you will be burning more calories than before. It’s not tricky. It’s science and it works. Toning is for printers. Time to build ladies! Let’s inspire each other.
