3 Things To Focus On For A Lean and Toned Physique
If your goal is to get a lean and toned physique, it comes down to reducing body fat. The less body fat you have, the more muscle definition you are going to see. Visible muscle definition is what people are referring to when they say they want to “get toned”. That being said, there are some things you can do when weight training that will help you to reduce body fat, and achieve the results you desire.
Be consistent
Like any goal you are trying to achieve, the key is consistency. If you wanted to learn a new language, would you become fluent by only practicing one time a week for an hour? Chances are, you wouldn’t. This same thing applies to lifting. Of course some body movement is better than no body movement, but without consistency, real results will be hard to come by.
So how often should you lift to see gains that will improve strength and help you reduce body fat to obtain a lean and toned physique? Anywhere from 3-4 times a week. This study says, “Increased weekly RT (resistance training) volume can be attributed as the principal driver for increased muscular strength. It could be suggested that higher training frequency increases total weekly training volume, which provides a positive adaptive stimulus upon muscular strength.”
Remember to give yourself grace here as well. If one week you get your 3-4 sessions, but the next week you only get two, that’s okay. One week is not going to throw off your results, and don’t give up because you are not on a perfect schedule. Get back to it when you can. Results are about what you do the majority of the time, so if you are mostly consistent, you can still get your gains.
Follow a program
Using intentional programming is imperative if you want the maximum benefits from your workouts. There is a difference between working out and training. Working out focuses on movement, and training is a structured plan to reach a specific goal. Getting in any movement is great for your overall health, but if there is no purpose to your time in the gym, you are doing yourself a disservice.
Following a program can be considered boring by some because it’s a lot of the same moves over a period of time. However, it’s repetition that gets results. This study shows that by having a trainer and following a program, like the ones we use at Lift Society will produce better results than attempting to workout on your own. At Lift Society, we recommend three full body training days per week.
Track your lifts
You can’t know where you’re going, if you don’t know where you’ve been. How many times have you shown up to a workout, and forgotten how much weight you lifted the week prior? It happens to the best of us. When you don’t know how much weight to lift, you run the risk of underlifting, therefore underutilizing your time in the gym.
It’s important to know how your body responds to different stimuli to help you make the best choices when choosing your weights. This study said, “ Prior research has shown that fitness trackers can increase individuals’ self-awareness (e.g. task progress, activity level, or value of activity), which in turn positively affects their task motivation.” While this study specifically cites fitness trackers, any type of tracking can achieve this.
Tracking your lifts also helps you to set goals within your programming so that you are lifting with intention. Let’s say in the first week of your four week training cycle your 5 rep max on a squat is 175lbs. You could set a goal for yourself to lift 195lbs by the end of week four. In order to do that you would need to know how heavy you are lifting each week, and where to progressively overload and push yourself to reach your goal. Tracking accomplishes that. At Lift Society you receive a tracking sheet before every cycle, and we encourage you to use it so that you can get the results you want.
Try these three tips and see if you notice any changes in your physique.
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