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"tone" is totally a real thing. It is an easy shortening of "build muscle and lose fat". I think what gets people, and what a lot of people take advantage of, is that the process for doing this is different than they might think.
The only, or at least easiest, way to do that is to lift weights and correct diet, right? Cardio by itself can lose fat but it also loses muscle so you never get "toned" you just get skinny fat or skinny skinny depending on what you are eating.
I am of course talking as a weak person who was skinny fat then fat fat and is now just barely not skinny fat. But you know, stronger as time goes on and whatnot. After like 6 months and only lifting (Basic Strength squats/press/bench/dead/row), eating hellof protein, and no cardio I have shifted about 40 pounds and can see a couple of abs in there.
I am sort of riding again, but I think cardio is more for health/fitness but not really for body. It's ability to kill all of your epic gainz is overrated, however.
Yeah she wants to "tone" which despite my arguments to her is still believed to actually be a real thing.
I'm the same as you, i've got tree trunk legs and with good definition and decent calf size (hardest bit to grow) but my upper body never balanced, I've focused on heavier sets for everything above the waist and its brought me up to proportion