Muscle Tone vs Muscle Mass Workout Routines

The approach between building mass and tone is extremely different. When you are shooting for mass, you are purposely trying to damage the muscle with a high volume of lifts... then you need to rest that muscle for a long enough period of time so it repairs itself. When you are going for muscle tone you want a lower volume of lifts each workout, but you want to work each muscle group more often.

How Many Sets Do You Need to Do For Muscle Tone?

The goal for muscle tone is to avoid damaging the muscles. One of the ways to insure that damage doesn't occur is to keep the volume low. I would recommend 2 exercises per body part and 3-4 sets for each exercise.

So How Many Reps Per Set?

Believe it or not, strength training can bring out amazing muscle definition. You can get pretty toned with medium to high reps in each set, but you won't reach your full potential until you include sets in the lower rep range. It is good to vary your rep schemes. Do 4 sets of 3 reps for a period of time, then switch to 3 sets of 8 reps, etc. Just make sure you include strength training in the lower rep range every now and then.

It is Important to Work the Muscles Often When Going for Tone!

Muscle tone is basically the partial contraction of a muscle in a relaxed state, so your muscles are contacting a bit on their own even when you are completely relaxed. The way to increase this is to contract you muscles hard (workout) on a frequent basis. The problem with damaging a muscle is that you will be unable to work that muscle again until it is repaired. If you work a damaged muscle too soon, it will result in over-training. Another problem with working a damaged muscle is that it won't be able to contract hard during your workout, so that workout won't be very productive when it comes to increasing muscle tone.

Forced Reps and Training to Failure is a BAD Idea When Going for Muscle Tone

Going to failure and using forced reps is great for muscle mass, but bad for muscle tone. These two lifting techniques insure that muscle damage will occur! Another problem with going to failure is that "you are training your muscle to fail". Your body will react by not contracting the muscle as hard during the next set.

Here is Common Mass Building Split Routine

A popular mass building routine is the "3 day split". This is where you work the entire body over a period of 3 days. Day one could be Chest, Shoulders, and Triceps... Day 2 could be Back and Biceps... Day 3 could be Legs and Abs. The benefit here is that since the muscles are getting damaged, they need more recovery time. Also since you are only focused on a couple of body parts, you could really do a high volume of intense lifts for each body part. Cardio would be limited to maybe twice a week for 30 minutes.

Muscle Tone Works Better With a "2 Day Split"

Since you want to work each muscle group more often when going for tone, you should try to split you workout over two days instead of three. The great thing here is that you don't need much recovery time when you don't damage the muscles.

Note: I'm just barely scratching the surface here when it comes to setting up a good workout routine. The main goal for muscle tone is that you just need to remember that muscle damage and sore muscles are not your friend. Lift just enough to generate strong contractions, and spend the rest of the time burning off body fat with intense cardio...also don't be afraid to lift heavy as long as you do not reach failure.

Rate Article

Related Videos
Play Video How to get bigger arms & chest fast and easy	Play Video Female Muscle Model Competition Guide	Play Video How to do a Speed Workout: Cardio and Tone	Play Video How to do the Total Body Toning Cardio Workout	Play Video Classic Lunge Exercise - Great for Gluts and other muscles

Listed below are more articles related to the above article from the "Bodybuilding Build Muscle" article category.

People interested in the above article "Muscle Tone vs Muscle Mass Workout Routines" are also interested in the related articles listed below:

 

The Basics of Bodybuilding Fitness

This story deals with bodybuilding and contains all the relevant information about bodybuilding. If you are interested do read on. Being interested in bodybuilding means that you must be eager to gain as much information on bodybuilding as possible. To make things easier for you, we have this article for you having all the relevant information on bodybuilding.

How to Avoid Many Common Weightlifting Injuries

Bodybuilding by weightlifting if done wrongly is a sure recipe for injuries. Sometimes even painful and permanent injuries that will derail your bodybuilding program. This article will address the common injury prone mistakes bodybuilders make in their quest to build a fit and muscular body and how to avoid those weightlifting injuries.

How baby Boomers Can Regain Muscle Mass As They Age

What can I do to re-gain the muscle fitness of my youth that I am now losing as I grow older? There is a popular common day belief: "Regular aerobic exercise is all that you need to stay young." In reality an on-going effort in your exercise routine to build and maintain muscle tone is necessary to maintain a youthful body. Weight training combined with aerobic exercise on a regular basis, along with a healthy diet will help you speed up your metabolism as you build more youthful muscle. The end result is that you will maintain a healthy weight and achieve optimum health.

Using Whey Protein in Bodybuilding

When it comes to bodybuilding, you know that protein intake is vital to your success. Unfortunately, even if you are a big meat eater, you will find that you will not get the amount of protein - or even the right protein - in your diet without taking supplements. One of the most important supplements that body builders need is whey protein. Whey protein has many advantages and disadvantages.

Eight Tips for Great Abs

You abs may become more flexible and stronger at the same time if you follow some of the next tips and a healthy lifestyle. Always talk to a specialist before starting a fitness program.

Bodybuilding New Ideas For Gyms

Try Some Rubbers To Make You A Man Of Steel. No I don't mean like that. I mean build some rock hard muscles. Working out in the gym is great for building strength and muscle. Heavy iron is responsible for some of the best physiques of all time. But there is another way to pack on solid rippling flesh.

The 7 Common Mistakes People Make When Picking a Gym

If you dream of a beautiful figure, it is not enough to join any gym. You should know about certain aspects about a gym apart from the exercise regimen in order to get the best results. While we would love if everyone reading this could join our Naples Gym, we really want everyone to have a positive experience with their gym so here are a few factors to consider to before joining a gym.