Muscle-Toning Tips

Do you want more defined biceps, a flab-free butt and iron thighs, but without looking like you’re on the cover of a body-building magazine? It’s possible! We asked Maxime Saint-Onge, a physical trainer and nutrition specialist, for some tips on building just enough muscle for a shapely body.

 

Lift heavy weights. “Hypertrophy training (for increasing muscle mass) requires heavy enough weights combined with a maximum of 10 repetitions, back-and-forth. It’s important to repeat this set more than once (two or three times) and to give yourself a 60 second rest period in between,” explains Saint-Onge.

 

Many women are wary of weight training for fear of gaining too much muscle, but there is no need to worry. “You will look like a body builder only if you train as arduously as a body builder. Nobody gains that much muscle mass purely by accident,” says Saint-Onge.

 

Work out frequently. Saint-Onge reveals that studies have shown that exercising two or three times per week allows women and men to see their muscle mass increase.

 

Also, don’t forget that “a recuperation period of 48 hours between workouts is recommended,” as it gives your body time to rest and for your muscles to heal.

 

Eat adequately. As Saint-Onge says, “muscle hypertrophy, or muscle mass increase, is the creation of new muscle. For this to occur, the organism must be in a state of positive energy balance, meaning more calories are being consumed than are being burned.” But be careful, as this excess energy must be subtle (about 1,000 calories), otherwise the weight gain will be shared between muscle and fat.

 

“After muscle training, where the most important source of energy is sugar, it is important to consume carbohydrates. Your body will build muscle more easily so long as its sugar energy supply is high enough.

 

“In regards to protein, whether supplemented or not, know that it is recommended to consume between 1.4g and 1.8g of protein per kg of weight per day for an increase in muscle mass.” For example, a woman weighing 140 pounds (or 63.5 kg) requires 89g to 114g of protein per day. A tuna sandwich on whole wheat bread has approximately 15.9g of protein, a glass of 2% milk has 8g, and a four oz. steak has about 30g. If ever you’re in doubt, talk to a nutritionist or a workout specialist and/or refer to Canada’s Food Guide!

 

Gently combine cardio with muscle training. “The addition of cardiovascular sessions to your muscle training isn’t problematic, but they increase the energy you would burn and contribute to lowering the amount of stored sugar in your muscles.

 

“If you want to add aerobic exercise to a muscle training regimen, you have to make sure that the cardio doesn’t interfere with your muscle training (lifting weights after an intense spinning class, for example, risks not being productive due to the accumulated exhaustion). Also, you need to make sure to renew your stored energy, otherwise it’ll make it more difficult to build muscle mass,” he concludes.