Toning, Body Shaping, Bodybuilding and Gaining Strength

Toning and Building Muscle
A client will often specify to a fitness trainer whether he or she wants to "tone" or to "build" muscle. Usually, but not always, women want to "tone," while men want to "build." Each person seems to have a pretty good idea of what kind of physique she or he wants.

Toning and building muscle, however, are basically the same physiologic process differing mainly in degree.

In the context of the body's normal functioning, "muscle tone" simply means that the muscle fibers are being stimulated by the central nervous system. But in common use, the designation "toned" pertains to the appearance of a musculature that is hard, as opposed to flaccid , and noticeable, but not overly so. In this respect a toned body implies a lean body, one low in body fat and showing some muscle definition and shape. By "building" muscle it is usually meant, getting as much muscle as possible up to and including the bodybuilder's look.

As we stated earlier, however, the same basic physical process is necessary whether you want to tone or build muscle or whether you want to shape particular body parts or increase strength. To achieve any of these goals involves progressive resistance training.

Progressive Resistance Training
This type of training employs short duration exercises using resistance (free weights, machines, cables, bands, bodyweight) until the muscle or muscle group is fatigued. In each subsequent workout session, the intensity is increased slightly either by trying to sustain the exercise longer, by decreasing the rest time between sets, or by increasing the resistance. Gradually your muscles grow and become stronger as they adapt to increased challenges. This process continues throughout your workout program.

The progressive resistance training method has been successfully used and developed over decades by bodybuilders, weightlifters, and athletes generally. It produces a steady gain in muscle size and strength while lowering the risk of injury. Our personal fitness trainers all employ this training method. They will start you off with resistance commensurate with your current level of fitness and know just how much to intensify the workouts with each session, based upon your progress.

Weight Training
Since most resistance training involves weights, it is also called weight training. (This type of training fits into the general category of anaerobic exercise because the muscle movement doesn't rely on the utilization of oxygen for fuel.) Weight training is used not only for toning and bodybuilding, but also for sport-specific training (most obviously for the sports of weightlifting and powerlifting), and for injury rehabilitation. Each of these endeavors applies weight training in a different way.

Overload, Stress Adaptation and Hypertrophy
To change the physique, weight training is used to effectuate a specific result in the "look" of the body through muscular development. The process of muscle growth , also referred to as hypertrophy, occurs when the muscle is forced to move a resistance (or weight) that is greater than the muscle is accustomed to moving. This is called "overloading" the muscle. When this occurs, the muscle adapts by getting bigger and stronger. This is called "stress adaptation" or adapting to a stress caused by the overload.

This overload causes muscle fibers to wear down one by one through the occurrence of tiny micro-tears and the build up of lactic acid, a fuel by-product. When all or most of the muscle fibers are worn out, the muscle is unable to continue moving the resistance. This is called muscle fatigue or muscular failure. Good personal trainers make sure that clients at intermediate and advanced levels try to achieve muscle fatigue (and even work beyond muscular failure) when training.

In the period following the muscular fatigue workout, when the muscle is resting, the fibers repair. It is through this reparation that the muscle fibers actually grow larger and thereby, stronger. In addition to requiring rest, this process necessitates the presence of adequate protein and other nutrients essential to the repair process.

Body Part Split Routines
Toning, bodybuilding, and body shaping are accomplished using the progressive resistance training method and applying it to working particular muscles or body parts in rotational workouts. For example: if you are weight training four days a week, you may work your legs on day one, back and chest on day two, shoulders and arms on day three and a full body workout on day four.

This is called body part split routines or split routines. Split routine workouts are accomplished by applying different exercises or movements to each body part. For example: to work your biceps you might do barbell curls, pulley curls and one arm dumbbell concentration curls. There are an infinite variety of ways to organize split routines and a wide variety of exercises that can be done for each body part. Your fitness trainer will help you develop a routine and select exercises most suited to your needs.

Reps and Sets
All exercises or movements (such as barbell curls) are done in a series of repetitions, or "reps." Each time a movement is performed and completed once is a rep. In most cases, one rep consists of a positive (or concentric) movement which occurs when you contract and move a muscle, overcoming the resistance and a negative or (eccentric) movement which occurs when you move with the resistence. A number of repetitions done in continual succession without resting is called a "set." You might do four sets of ten reps each for barbell curls to improve your biceps.

Types of Muscle Contractions
In addition to concentric (positive) and eccentric (negative) movements mentioned above, there are also other types of muscle contractions that you can, and probably will, use while doing resistance training. They include isometric, isotonic, and isokinetic.

Isometric is a static contraction. (Example: if you flex your arm at a 90 degree angle while holding a barbell and don't move your arm for 10 seconds.)

Isotonic is a muscle contraction that occurs when your resistence is constant, but the speed that you are moving at varies during different parts of the movement. (Example: while doing a barbell curl with a 40 lb. weight, you might go faster at one point and slower at another point.)

Isokinetic is a movement with speed as a constant and changing resistance. (Example: a leg curl machine with a cam. The cam mechanism changes the resistance at certain points of the movement.)

Genetics
We should point out that each of us is born with a set of genetics that determine our uniqueness. This includes our body's skeletal-muscular structure and our propensity for retaining bodyfat. Some folks don't gain much bodyfat no matter how much they eat or how little they exercise. Others are on the treadmill four days a week, just to keep fat levels constant. Some people gain muscle very easily or are able to develop particular body parts with ease. Others struggle hard to add a centimeter to their biceps.

None of us can change our basic genetic makeup. But you can work hard to take your body to its full potential and see dramatic changes regardless of genetic propensity. This is up to you and how willing you are to do the work and make the sacrifices necessary. You will get out of a training program what you put into it. Your personal fitness trainer is there to point you in the right direction and to help you give 110 percent.

Benefits of Weight Training
In addition to the aesthetic changes to your physique and building strength, weight training has many other benefits including increased bone density, improved endurance and motor performance, strengthening of soft connective tissues (ligaments and tendons), elevated metabolism, lowered risk of sports injury and better functional ability generally.