I've Just Lost A Whole Lot of Weight

I've Just Lost A Whole Lot of Weight - Now What?

ByPaul Newland

The idea behind a workout plan for toning the muscle is to ‘shape’ the body. If you have recently lost weight or are looking to tone the muscles after you have built some mass in the gym, then this article is for you. Let’s start with weight training.

1. Weight Training
When you start on a program of toning the muscle, the first thing you need to concentrate on is workout speed. And if you lift weights, the only way to successfully do this is to reduce the amount of weight and speed up the workout by training a little faster (around 15-20%) and reducing the amount of rest you have in between sets (to about 30 seconds at the most).

The other important thing to do is to raise the intensity by increasing the number of repetitions (to a minimum of 12) and increase the number of sets (from 3 to 4 or 5).

One handy way of doing this in your workout plan for toning the muscle is to combine exercises - this is called super-setting. When you do a ‘super-set’ you pick two different exercises and after you complete a set on one of them, instead of resting, you do a set on the other exercise.

So that you don’t wipe yourself out in a rush of lactic acid - pick two exercises for opposite body parts - such as quads and hamstrings or chest and back or biceps and triceps or shoulders and either biceps and legs. This is the best way to organize a workout plan for toning the muscle.

2. Other Sports
If you’re into another sport then you can combine the same principles we discussed with weight training - reduce the rest time and increase the intensity. For runners, an example of a workout plan for toning the muscle would be more sprints or fartlek training with a goal of pushing yourself harder and harder in each workout. For swimmers, this would be in the form of more short sprints with less rest and the use of paddles and kickboards over short sprints to help with muscle tone.

Another way to increase the work load and tone the muscles is to add another sporting activity to your program. Runners could add a weight training session and vica versa.

Whatever you do there’s one thing you won’t be able to get away from - hard work!

3. Nutrition for Muscle Tone
When you do start increasing the intensity of the training sessions, it will be important to eat healthy - otherwise you could undo all that hard work.

Ideally, you should increase your protein intake and reduce the amount of refined and processed carbohydrate you consume. This will be tough, especially for those metabolic types that rely on a higher intake of carbohydrate. However the nutritional secret to good muscle tone is getting high quality protein to the muscles before and after a workout.

So along with the workout plan for toning the muscle, here’s our nutritional recommendations:

Increase your water intake.

Consume more green leafy vegetables, eggs, complex carbohydrates, fish and red meat.

No fried food, fast food, refined carbohydrates or soft drink and No Gatorade (it’s got too much sugar).

A high protein, low sugar energy drink supplement (NOT Gatorade) to help you through the training sessions.

Whey Protein powder - mixed with water (not milk if you want to tone) and your choice of fruit. This will help keep the protein intake high, help you avoid snacking on bad food an give you more energy.

Paul Newland is a health writer, sports training consultant and martial arts instructor and manages the Global-Longevity.com website. He is the author of numerous health information books and guides, including the Wellness Report, The Healthy Exercise Guide, The Ultimate Weight Los Guide, The Selenium Report, The Ultimate Nutrient Guide, The Essential Fatty Acid Report and The Ultimate Sports Nutrition Guide - available Free (for a limited time) through Global-Longevity.com

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