You are reading a single comment by @DFP and its replies.
Click here to read the full conversation.
London Fixed Gear and Single-Speed is a community of predominantly fixed gear and single-speed cyclists in and around London, UK.
This site is supported almost exclusively by donations. Please consider donating a small amount regularly.
@DFP
What is meaning of toning?
The correct definition is how neurologically "awake" and ready for work muscles are. An elite weightlifter or sprinter would have very firm muscles because they are always fired up and ready to go. This type of tone comes from training maximum recruitment of muscle fibers. Either through sprint work or heavy lifting (<5reps)
Lifting weights at higher reps increases cell plasma making muscles larger and softer. Plus the muscles are never as honed and ready for maximal recruitment as someone who trains for it specifically. Which means they will have softer muscles.
The popular use of the word toning is both a wrong one and often leads to contradiction in how to achieve it.
Most people believe toning, to be related to creating muscle definition or similar. To achieve this one must either lose so much fat (and even water) that their muscles show up. OR focus on increasing weight through heavy lifting and eating till muscles are so big they begin to aesthetically dominate .
Trying to increase muscle while trying to lose weight overall is a contradiction, yet what most people attempt when "toning".