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Lift heavy for muscle tone

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What is muscle tone anyway?
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Muscle tone is residual tension in a relaxed muscle.

What this means in layman terms is that even when a muscle is relaxed, nerve impulses from your brain stimulate the muscle fibers within it to contract; so the muscle is in a constant state of partial contraction which keeps it firm, healthy and always ready to use.

So, basically, you already have a certain amount of muscle tone.

How can I improve my muscle tone?
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Because, as you learned earlier, muscle tone comes from neurological activity increased muscle tone is not the result of a physical transformation of the muscle but rather an increase of residual tension in the muscle as a result of the nervous system being more alert.

Again, what this means in layman terms is that in order to increase muscle tone you must increase the tension in the muscle. Lifting heavy weights generates higher tension in the muscle than light weights therefore should be practiced for muscle tone.

But if high reps/light weights don’t work, how come I feel so hard and toned after such a workout?
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Good question!

The way muscle fibers work is that they can contract on their own but need energy to de-contract. The energy compound that relaxes the muscle is known as ATP.

High reps exhaust ATP in your muscle which leads to a temporary hardness (due to impossibility to de-contract) also known as the pump which is just temporary muscle tone.

But won’t training hard bulk me up instead of tone my muscle?
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This depends on the volume of work (number of sets and reps) performed.

The key to getting strong and hard (toned) without the added bulk is to train heavy but keep the volume low.

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Creator: trifm
Category: Strength Training
Posted: 1/29/2008

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	“ Can I ask where do you guys get your information from, because its usually only partially correct. ”
	- littleerik13 on 3/13/2008

	“ Awesome article. Very accurate and informative. Many people think that just by lifting high reps you are toning. I have been trying to get my clients to understand this fact for years now. It takes some doing but eventually they catch on and realize the value of lifting heavy for a matter of three weeks then going to a more cardio based workout to increase the SHREDDED look that allows you to see the new muscle tone that you have gained. Simple put, one must first go through a muscle building routine before they can truly experience the visual effects of a true toned body. ”
	- APDietz on 1/31/2008

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