"toning"...waht you really mean is "lean out"

[TitanCT]

The defition of Muscle Tone, also known as Tonus.

tonus
A state of partial contraction present in a muscle in its passive state as, for example, when the eye is in the physiological position of rest.
Syn. muscle tone. See resting state of accommodation; physiological position of rest; tonic vergence.

[Off Road]

I always hated the word "Tone" but just let it slide these days. We are not going to change anybody from using it incorrectly.
What really used to drive me nuts was when they'd mix tenses; "I want to get toned." - lol

[BendtheBar]

I no longer beat on the word. It's the language people understand, so I try to speak their language.

[TitanCT]

Originally Posted by BendtheBar

I no longer beat on the word. It's the language people understand, so I try to speak their language.

its one of only a handful of pet peeve's of mine. I'd rather they learn. so i do actually take the time to explain.

[Off Road]

Originally Posted by BendtheBar

I try to speak their language.

I may try to 'understand' their language, but I won't speak it

[Chillen]

There is a difference (or shall I say --distinction) that should be made between some of the terminology used to describe "building muscle" mass and "toning" your muscles.

The term " tone " is thrown around a lot and seems to mean different things to different people.

Exercise with weights can build muscle mass and or "tone" your muscles.

What does it mean to "tone" your muscles? Muscle "tone" has to do with how contracted your muscle stays when you relax. When you're out of shape, you have poor tone and your level of contraction when at rest is low...your abs and arms and legs look "mushy" even if they're thin.

When you're in shape, you have good tone and your level of contraction when at rest is high. You can be toned without having to add a lot of muscle mass. And don't confuse looking " toned" with looking "lean" (i.e lean as in where you muscles are very obvious) which is a matter of losing body fat. For example, having a 6-pack of abs is all about losing fat (and toning ab muscles) - not muscle mass.

This is why getting your body fat down is a key part of getting a " toned " muscle. Remember fat is not only just under you're skin but (if you have a lot it) it's riddled throughout your muscles like the 'marbling' or fat you see in a steak. If you want your muscles to to 'taut' and 'toned' and you want nothing but muscle,you have to get rid of the 'marbling' by burning the fat IN YOUR MUSCLES as well as the fat on top of your muscles ...and usually the best way to do this is via weight training , a good diet and some form of cardio.

Muscle loss from dieting usually occurs when the calorie deficit is significant enough such that your body thinks it's approaching some form of starvation period. In response, your body makes it a priority to actually conserve more fat and instead of burning fat for energy as it normally would, it turns to other sources of energy....namely, amino acids (usually reserved for lean tissue synthesis - i.e building / maintaining muscle) which are now being converted to energy.


Muscle loss from prolonged cardio over days/weeks can also occur in situations where glycogen stores are not replenished enough over time to meet training demands and - as in the other example - your body turns to cannibalizing muscle protein for use as energy. This is why you see some long distance runners who train with longer cardio sessions over time having very little muscle on their upper bodies, sporting that "emaciated" look.


Best wishes,

Chillen

[TitanCT]

Originally Posted by Chillen

There is a difference (or shall I say --distinction) that should be made between some of the terminology used to describe "building muscle" mass and "toning" your muscles.

The term " tone " is thrown around a lot and seems to mean different things to different people.

Exercise with weights can build muscle mass and or "tone" your muscles.

What does it mean to "tone" your muscles? Muscle "tone" has to do with how contracted your muscle stays when you relax. When you're out of shape, you have poor tone and your level of contraction when at rest is low...your abs and arms and legs look "mushy" even if they're thin.

When you're in shape, you have good tone and your level of contraction when at rest is high. You can be toned without having to add a lot of muscle mass. And don't confuse looking " toned" with looking "lean" (i.e lean as in where you muscles are very obvious) which is a matter of losing body fat. For example, having a 6-pack of abs is all about losing fat (and toning ab muscles) - not muscle mass.

This is why getting your body fat down is a key part of getting a " toned " muscle. Remember fat is not only just under you're skin but (if you have a lot it) it's riddled throughout your muscles like the 'marbling' or fat you see in a steak. If you want your muscles to to 'taut' and 'toned' and you want nothing but muscle,you have to get rid of the 'marbling' by burning the fat IN YOUR MUSCLES as well as the fat on top of your muscles ...and usually the best way to do this is via weight training , a good diet and some form of cardio.

Muscle loss from dieting usually occurs when the calorie deficit is significant enough such that your body thinks it's approaching some form of starvation period. In response, your body makes it a priority to actually conserve more fat and instead of burning fat for energy as it normally would, it turns to other sources of energy....namely, amino acids (usually reserved for lean tissue synthesis - i.e building / maintaining muscle) which are now being converted to energy.


Muscle loss from prolonged cardio over days/weeks can also occur in situations where glycogen stores are not replenished enough over time to meet training demands and - as in the other example - your body turns to cannibalizing muscle protein for use as energy. This is why you see some long distance runners who train with longer cardio sessions over time having very little muscle on their upper bodies, sporting that "emaciated" look.


Best wishes,

Chillen

in summation...Muscle Tone is...

tonus
A state of partial contraction present in a muscle in its passive state as, for example, when the eye is in the physiological position of rest.
Syn. muscle tone. See resting state of accommodation; physiological position of rest; tonic vergence.

[5kgLifter]

You can understand people using the word "tone", it comes up often enough in training books, and particularly in those aimed at women, even when there's a perfectly good version of the book aimed at men in which they use the terms "gain lean mass" in place of the female version's use of "tone"...some of the author's of books aimed at women cause a lot of confusion. I once read through such a book and had to refer to the male version just to find out what the heck the author was trying to say, with terms like "phase 1" and "phase 2"...I mean, geez, treat women as thick, then they go ahead and use the term "tone" and, well, you pretty much know the response that word tends to bring forth...

...then there's the phrase "you have good muscle tone", so...it's here to stay, like it or not

[TitanCT]

diet is also commonly improperly used...doesnt mean its correct

[5kgLifter]

Originally Posted by TitanCT

diet is also commonly improperly used...doesnt mean its correct

I reckon the word "diet" is one of the worst interpreted words around mention "diet" and everyone starts thinking: no chocolate, no cake, few calories, salad...

They forget or aren't even aware, at times, that there are such things as "bulking diets" etc.