Why You Need Gym Workout Routines to Tone, Tighten & Build

So we’ve gone through episodes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 to learn how to drop the weight after your baby. After came the toning, for me at least. I always saw it come in stages. To tone, you needed to shed the extra fat. Whether I was right or wrong in my philosophy, toning has definitely helped me.

Working Out To Shed Fat

Don’t get me wrong though…shedding fat doesn’t always equate to dropping pounds, it’s literally getting rid of layers or fat to show off the muscles underneath…that doesn’t always come with a smaller number on the scale. It’s great when it does come with a decrease in pounds, but don’t beat yourself over it (like I have done for years). I’ve always heard, trust the mirror, not the scale, let your clothes tell you how your body looks. That last part though can be tricky as clothes may feel tighter but for all the right reasons, building a booty, gaining biceps, shaping your quads, etc.

When I first started working out, I wasn’t looking for gym workout routines to tone. That was a total mistake. My whole point was to get that number on the scale down…Well that number may not drop when you are toning, so you can imagine how much of a frustration that would have been. It was only with education and getting deeper into gym workout routines that I understood the importance of toning and building muscle to essentially burn fat, stay lean, and have a shapely body.

Why You Need to Tone

I’ve gone through multiple programs to lose fat. When I was looking to tone up, the gym workout routines I needed were essentially different than the ones I was looking for when I was simply wanting to drop weight.

You see, when your goal is to drop weight, focusing on specific body parts, doing reps and sets, and amount of cardio didn’t really matter, as long as you were moving and working out your whole body, sweating and gasping for air seemed like all you needed. That’s not the case for toning, and it’s also the reason why weight creeps back up. In essence, if you don’t develop enough muscle mass to burn off calories even when you’re sitting, your body will end up storing what you eat even if you run marathons or are in caloric deficit.

Just Moving is Not Enough

Moving in any shape or form is great but it’s not enough. That’s why when people tell me I walk, dance, take the stairs or do a class, my follow-up question is always “Do you lift weights?” I get all sorts of excuses and I turn to them and say “I wasn’t born this way and if cardio classes, walking or taking the stairs were the answer than I would beat every Victoria Secret model there ever was (in shape not in height).”

For most people just starting to workout or are young, doing cardio will definitely render results, and it might for a while. I know this because I went through it. As you age, lose muscle mass (when you hit 40 you start to lose muscle mass, so you have to work harder at building it) and plateau, nothing is going to get you to where you want to be unless you start building and tightening.

This is just scratching the surface on why toning is needed in your gym workout routines.

Gym Workout Routines to Tone

So here are some of the gym workout routines to tone that I started with when I first began this tighten and building journey

Erin Stern’s Elite Body 4-Week Fitness Trainer

Erin Stern’s Elite Body Trainer has a four-week program where you’ll be leaner, stronger, and more powerful. Whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned athlete, Elite Body can help you take your physique and your performance to new levels. Backed by Dr. Jacob “The Muscle Prof” Wilson, who has a Ph.D. in skeletal and muscle physiology, he explains that Elite Body is built from a scientific foundation. This program is scientifically harmonized to give you the best results.

Jim Stoppani’s 12-Week Shortcut to Size

Jim Stoppani has a Ph.D. in exercise physiology. He is the creator of the Shortcut to Size, Shred, and Strength fitness plans, and the award-winning sports nutrition company JYM Supplement Science. Widely revered as one of the world’s best trainers, Stoppani has helped thousands of people transform their lives.

Ashley Conrad’s 21-Day Clutch Cut

Ashley has trained celebrities like Bradley Cooper, Kate Hudson, and P. Diddy. Her plan will help you get lean, mean, and cut beyond belief in only three weeks. Clutch Cut demands nothing less than your best. It only lasts 21 days because that’s about how long Ashley usually has to get a celebrity ripped for a movie (mind you in most cases they have already achieved much so to get to where they need to is probably less of a trek than the average population).

It’s a tried-and-true program that she goes to every time she needs to produce results. She designed Clutch Cut to burn fat, drop water, remove waste, optimize digestion, and help clients get screen-ready shredded.

Jamie Eason’s LiveFit

As a fitness professional, she’s often asked how she gets in shape. The answer? Her very own LiveFit fitness plan, which will help you lose weight, build shapely muscle, and get fit. It’s for anyone and everyone. It’ll produce great results and lead to lasting success for everyone. No one has perfectly matched genetics, metabolism, hormones and lifestyles. But the beauty of this program is that you start at your own level and work at your own pace.

The Gist of it

I have gone through the programs I listed above because you need to change up your gym workout routines every 6 weeks to constantly achieve results and get closer to your goal. There are some that contain more cardio than others. Here are my final notes on each:

1. Erin Stern’s Elite Body Trainer – great but you need to get accustomed to some of the moves
2. Shortcut to Size – seriously meant to cut and tone but go for it only after you’ve gone through all the rest as it’s some serious lifting
3. Clutch Cut – fun and fast paced and has some of the meanest ab workouts
4. LiveFit fitness plan – my least favourite as I felt it was better suited for beginner level but nevertheless it was 12 weeks and offered a good variety.

If you had to start with one, start with #4, it’s the best way to ease into a toning routine.

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I leave you with one of my fitness shots outfits from my Instagram feed. Check it out and Instagram and let me know what you of it.

My @coolway_spain are way cool for the gym. The velvet feel is at once luxurious and super comfy, not to mention uber stylish. Have you gotten your coolways? #instastyle #fashionista #ottawastyle #gymstyle #snakeskin #stylishmama #chicstyle #gymchic #goodlifefitness #fitchick . to get some insight on when you’ll use these shoes check out https://the-wardrobe-stylist.com/2017/01/02/gym-workout-routines-tone-tighter-build/ or get the link in bio

A photo posted by The Wardrobe Stylist (@raniastylist) on Dec 29, 2016 at 4:00pm PST

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Grace from Color & Grace. Based in Troy, Michigan, Grace is a 41 year-old petite woman who loves colours. Born and raised in China, she moved to America for love in 2007. Her day job – teacher. Her dream job – fashion blogger. Make sure to go and check out her blog and leave her a comment on her awesome outfit.

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