"I want to 'tone' my arms."

I forgot it was Vday! Here is your Valentine!!!!

And now for the post that probably should have  been about Valentine's Day, but it's NOT!

I often hear women say, "I want to tone my arms." Gals want to look good in tank tops, bathing suits, and strapless dresses. They read blogs and magazine articles that feature arm "toning" workouts. These arm "toning" workouts are full of bicep curls, tricep dips, and other isolation exercises using very light dumbbells. Women follow these workouts because they simply want to "tone" up. They don't want to get "big", "bulky", or "huge", so they stay away from the heavy weights.

Let me just say 2 things...

 

Why?

To get the "toned" look you want, (Sorry I keep putting "toned" in quotation marks. I just hate that word.) you must develop your muscles and remove fat around the muscle so they are more visible. You do that through purposeful training, which requires heavy weights to develop your muscles. Your muscles will not develop if you stick with 5lb dumbbells.

Why?

Unless you are taking steroids, you do not have enough testosterone in your body to get HUGE. And if you aren't eating 3000+ calories a day, you will not have enough fuel to pack on all the muscle.

If you want to develop muscles (aka: "tone") in your arms, nix the isolation exercises. Do big, compound movements that target many muscle groups including your back, chest, and shoulders! Forget bicep curls. If you want ripped arms, try push ups, pull ups, rows, and bench press.

It is very important for women to strength train. Forget the aesthetic aspects that come along with it for a minute and consider these reasons to strength train:

1. You will be less prone to injury.

2. Strength training stops, prevents and reverses muscle loss.

3. It prevents diseases like osteoporosis.

4. Strength training will give you confidence.

5. You will run faster.

Those are some great reasons to strength train, and they have nothing to do with how it's going to make you look!

If you want to strength train but don't know where to start, I wrote a post here that will help you get an idea where to begin. I knew nothing about lifting when I first started, so I know the feeling!

Also, the following articles are EXCELLENT. Especially the second one about fitness marketing.

34 Training Tips for Women
I Don't Want To Get Big and Bulky: Fitness Marketing and its Effects on Women
Myth Busters! 6 Female Strength Training Myths That Won't Die! - Busted!


Do you strength train? 

If so, what are the major benefits you have seen? Do you design your own workout or do you get it from somewhere else?