Exercises For Toning Up

Toning Exercises

Body parts which women target for toning are the areas where they tend to deposit more body fat.

These problem areas are as follows:

• Lower/Upper Back
• Thighs
• Knees
• Buttocks
• Hamstrings
• Back Of The Arm
• Below The Navel
• Hips

Women carry more body fat than men by nature so have to often work that little bit harder to lose body fat.

If you want to tone the above areas, you have to choose exercises which specifically target these muscles and require full range of motion.

Here is a list of the best toning exercises for each area and the specific muscles they develop:

1. Squats
• Thighs
• Buttocks
• Hamstrings
• Hips
• Lower Back
• Abs

2. Romanian Deadlift
• Lower Back
• Hamstrings
• Buttocks
• Hips
• Upper Back
• Abs
• Shoulders

3. Dumbbell Lunges
• Thighs
• Buttocks
• Hamstrings
• Calves
• Abs

4.  Leg Press
• Thighs
• Hamstrings
• Buttocks
• Calves

5. Bench Press
• Middle Chest
• Front Shoulders
• Triceps

6. Incline Dumbbell Bench Press
• Upper Chest
• Front Shoulders
• Triceps

7. Face Pulls
• Rear Shoulders
• Upper Back
• Biceps

8. Machine Lat Pull
• Upper Back
• Rear Shoulders
• Biceps

9. Seated Row
• Middle Back
• Rear Shoulders
• Lateral Shoulders
• Biceps

10. Seated Dumbbell Press
• Lateral Shoulders
• Upper Back
• Triceps

11. Tricep Press
• Triceps
• Front Shoulders

12. Alternating Dumbbell Curl
• Biceps
• Forearms
• Front Shoulders

13. Glute Ham Raise
• Lower Back
• Hamstrings
• Buttocks

14. Barbell Hip Thrust
• Hips
• Buttocks
• Hamstrings

15. Plate Twist
• Abs
• Hips
• Lower Back

16. Leg Raises
• Abs
• Lower Back

17. Plank Hold
• Abs
• Hips
• Lower Back
• Shoulders

You can select exercises from this list and group them into upper body and lower body days. Ideally you should workout 4 days a week for best results.

Here is a sample workout schedule:

Monday – Lower Body
1. Squats
2. Dumbbell Lunges
3. Glute Ham Raise
4. Plate Twist
5. Plank Hold

Tuesday – Upper Body
1. Machine Lat Pull
2. Incline Dumbbell Press
3. Seated Dumbbell Press
4. Tricep Press
5. Leg Raises

Wednesday – Rest or Cardio

Thursday – Lower Body
1. Romanian Deadlift
2. 45 Degree Leg Press
3. Barbell Hip Thrust
4. Plate Twist
5. Plank Hold

Friday – Rest or Cardio

Saturday – Upper Body
1. Bench Press
2. Seated Row
3. Face Pulls
4. Alternating Dumbbell Curls
5. Plank Hold

Sunday - Rest

Perform 3 sets of 8 to 12 reps per free weight and machine exercise with 2 minutes rest between sets. Always observe good form and precise technique.

For core exercises, perform 3 sets of 10 to 15 reps except for the Plank Hold where you should do 5 sets of 10 second planks. Your rest period for the abdominal exercises should be 90 seconds between sets.

With consistency, dedication and patience you could have the toned body you’ve always dreamed about!

7 Best Exercises For Women To Tone Their Lower Body

Lower Body Toning Exercises For Women

Women’s problem areas are predominantly located in the lower body because fat tends to accumulate in the thighs, glutes, lower abdomen and hamstrings.

The most effective way to address these problem areas is to design a workout routine that features the best exercises for toning the lower body.

The best exercises for women are those that allow a deep stretch, require more stability and utilise various muscle groups in the lower body.

These are compound exercises which have been proven to be more effective in toning muscle and burning off body fat.

Here is a outline of 7 of the best exercises to trim the fat off your legs and reveal shapely, well-toned muscles:

1. Squats

If you only had time for 1 exercise in your routine, it should be Squats. This exercise hits every single muscle in your lower body: thighs, hamstrings, calves and glutes plus it strengthens your lower back and abs. Squats also make you work harder which means you burn more calories and shed more body fat.

Recommended Volume: 4 sets x 10 reps

2. Romanian Deadlift

Unlike the traditional Deadlift, the Romanian Deadlift puts more emphasis on your glutes, hamstrings and lower back. If you want a nice curve on your lower back that cantilevers to a tight, toned derriere and firm hamstrings, this is the best exercise you can do. Romanian Deadlift has the added benefit of shaping your shoulders, upper back and arms.

Recommended Volume: 4 sets x 10 reps

3. Bulgarian Split Squat

Bulgarian Split Squat is a unilateral exercise that allows you to put 100% focus on each leg so you can get balanced development. This exercise is great for adding shape to your thighs, hamstrings, calves and glutes. Because you are training 1 leg at a time, you will have to tighten your abs and lower back to maintain upper body stability. With Bulgarian Split Squat you can use a barbell, a pair of dumbbells or kettlebells for resistance.

Recommended Volume: 2 sets x 15 reps

4. Overhead Lunges

Lunges are a favourite exercise of many women to firm up their legs and glutes. But Overhead Lunges not only tones your legs and glutes. It also builds abs, strengthens your lower back and shapes up your shoulders. You can use a barbell plate that is equivalent to 20% of your bodyweight or a pair of kettlebells as overhead resistance. A challenging variation is to walk for 20m to 30m while doing Overhead Lunges.

Recommended Volume: 2 sets x 10 reps

5. Glute Ham Raise

Glute Ham Raise is a dynamic bodyweight exercise that focuses on the hamstrings, glutes and lower back. Remember to get a good stretch at the bottom and to hold the top position for a count of “one-thousand one” for a strong contraction. You can use this as a warm up before Squats and Romanian Deadlift.

Recommended Volume: 2 sets x 20 reps

6. Barbell Glute Bridge

Sitting for prolonged hours can strain your lower back. You need strong hips to distribute compression forces away from your lower back when you’re working in an office or studying for hours. Barbell Glute Bridge is an effective exercise for strengthening the hips as well as toning the glutes, hamstrings, calves and thighs. Comedian Chelsea Handler routinely handles 180kgs in Barbell Glute Bridge. You can’t argue with the results!

Recommended Volume: 2 sets x 8 reps

7. Kettlebell Swing

Kettlebell Swing is an excellent exercise for toning the legs, glutes, lower back, shoulders and upper back. It requires you to keep your core tight throughout the exercise which helps build a nice, tight set of abs. Kettlebell Swing can also be used as part of an interval program to improve conditioning and burn off body fat.

Recommended Volume: 2 sets x 15 reps

You don’t have to perform all of these exercises in 1 workout. You can train your lower body twice a week with each workout incorporating 3 of the exercises.

If you want a challenge, train your lower body 3 times a week with each workout using 2 of these exercises. In 6 weeks, you should be noticing fabulous results!

5 Best Exercises to Get Toned Fast

Get Toned Fast With These Top 5 Exercises!

Fat is an efficient source of energy. For women, it tends to develop in the lower body and the midsection to function as stores of energy during pregnancy.

Women are also predisposed to storing fat around the shoulders and lower arms as these serve as protection for nerves and arteries.

The 5 Best Exercises For a Toned Body

In body toning program, you should utilise exercises that recruit the largest muscles and those that require you to perform multiple movements.

Compound exercises work different muscles at one time. This allows you to build muscle and increase the rate of fat burning which are what you need to achieve a toned body.

The 5 exercises presented here target the usual problem areas of women: thighs, glutes, hamstrings, midsection, lower back, upper back, shoulders and arms.

1. Squats

Squats should always be part of your lower body training program. It is called the “King of Exercises” because of the following reasons:

• Squats makes you work like no other exercise; you have to stabilise your body, balance the weight and maintain perfect form in order to achieve the required depth.

• The range of motion of the Squat allows you to work every muscle in your lower body. The Squat works the top of the thighs to your gluteus muscles, hamstrings, calves even the insertions of the adductor and abductor muscles. Nothing escapes the reach of the Squat!

Squat your lower body problems into extinction. The Squat will tone up your legs, glutes and abs while incinerating body fat.

2. Deadlift

There are those who believe the Deadlift is the “King of Exercises” simply because it works every muscle in the body. Here’s a rundown of all the muscles used in the Deadlift according to sequence:

• Thighs
• Hamstrings
• Glutes
• Hips
• Back
• Shoulders

All throughout the Deadlift your calves, abs and chest have to remain contracted and tight in order to maintain stability and balance. You can also use the Deadlift in a variety of ways to target specific areas:

• Romanian Deadlift –     Hamstrings, Glutes, Lower Back
• Deficit Deadlift –         Thighs, Hips, Glutes
• Snatch Deadlift –         Thighs, Hips, Upper Back
• Sumo Deadlift –         Adductors, Hips, Upper Back

When you’re trying to get toned, don’t be afraid to do low reps for the Deadlift. It is one exercise where low reps will generate more results than higher reps.

3. Kettlebell Thruster

You have to utilise perfect technique in order to reap the muscle toning benefits of this exercise. Kettlebell Thruster requires you to coordinate different muscles as you transition from the clean to the full squat to the thrust. Kettlebell Thruster hits the following muscles:

• Hips
• Lower Back
• Thighs
• Abs
• Upper Back
• Shoulders
• Arms

Kettlebell Thruster not only tones up your muscles it also builds your conditioning, agility and increases metabolism to burn more body fat.

4. Kettlebell Turkish Get Up

There are many trainers in the fitness industry who believe the Turkish Get Up is the best exercise you can do for overall muscle tone. The Turkish Get Up is a functional exercise which targets the legs, glutes, shoulders and back but its value is best represented by how it works the core section.

You have to maintain a tight midsection to accommodate the different shifts in body weight as you go through 7 stages of movement. Keep in mind you have to go through these 7 stages on the way up then again on the way back down to starting position before you switch to the other side.

5. Swiss Ball Pike

There are many great abdominal exercises you can do but the Swiss Ball Pike should be on the top of your list for a number of reasons:

• The need to balance and remain stable increases its degree of difficulty.
• It is intense but safe for the lower back and hip flexors.
• It not only tones up your midsection but also improves agility, flexibility, mobility and coordination.
• You can use Swiss Ball Pike to transition to other exercises such as the Plank, Push Ups and Roll Out for interval training.

With Swiss Ball Pike, it’s not the number of reps that you do but the execution of each rep that matters the most.

For the Squat and Kettlebell Thruster, 4 sets x 10 reps will work best. For Turkish Get Up and Swiss Ball Pike, do 4 sets but keep the rep range only to where you can maintain good form. The Deadlift will yield better results with a 6 sets x 6 reps program.

Use a weight that presents difficulty during the last 2 reps. Keep your rest periods to 2 minutes between sets and 3 minutes between exercises.

You can do these 5 exercises in one workout or in separate days. You can even perform them as intervals. The important thing is to include these 5 exercises in your body toning program.