The body ‘toning’ scam

I don’t want to build muscle, I just want to tone down.”

“I just want to tone my belly and my arms, rest is all good.”

Requests like these come from people across all ages who fall victims to one buzzword — toning — used loosely in sales pitches that defy the science of fitness. From scam products to shoddy workout and diet plans, to gym memberships — everything sells like magic on this fraudulent word. Demystifying three biggest lies on body toning will clear things for you.

Lifting light tones the body; lifting heavy bulks you up

Absolutely not. Lifting heavy will only make you stronger and help you lose fat faster. Staying lean is a function primarily of your diet and not workout. Without testosterone or other steroids, it is impossible for women or men to develop immensely large musculature. Olympic weightlifters below the 60 kg categories lift five times heavier than the common gym junkie, yet are as lean as can be.

Different fats needs different workouts

Those who know the basics of biology will tell you that this is false. Muscles have various names, depending on where they are in the body. But body fat, no matter where in the body, is just fat or adipose tissue. When you lose fat, it is from all over the body. The lower belly fat generally goes the last, not because you don’t work out the ‘lower abs’ (which do not biologically even exist), but because gravity doesn’t allow the fat to settle on your upper abdominal region. Similarly, tricep workouts won’t tone your arms just as crunches won’t help ridding your belly fat any faster.

You can sculpt your body

This is the biggest lie in bodybuilding. Your muscle shape and structure is determined by genetics. Some people have four, some six, and some have eight abs. Some have round chest muscles, and some squarish. Some have a narrow waist, some broader. By working out, you can only hypertrophy the muscles and reduce fat to make the muscles more visible. You can’t change the shape of the muscle, but only the size.

Anyone telling you that you can tone a certain part of your body is just taking advantage of your ignorance. And most are probably ignorant themselves. The next time you hear the word ‘toning’ in a fitness sales pitch, I suggest you grab your wallets and run the other way.

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