Many people state when starting an exercise program that they don't want to build muscle.  Instead, they suggest that they simply want to increase muscle tone.  But the fact is that no one wants to voluntarily increase muscle tone.  Muscle tone can only be increased with undesirable injuries such as strokes, closed head injuries, birth defects, etc.  This tone is not advantageous for any situation and can be tremendously debilitating.  What people actually want is to change the look of the muscle without changing the tone.  This is done with exercises to make the muscles grow.

Muscle tone is one of the many misconceptions regarding exercise.  Here are the facts.

Facts:

  • Muscle tone does not change when a person begins exercising.  There is no difference between a muscle that has been regularly exercised and a sedentary muscle.
  • Muscle can grow, shrink, or remain the same size.  That's it.  When a muscle grows, this provide shape to the general body part resulting in a more "toned" look.
  • Losing fat will increase the firmness of the muscle.  Just as beef that has more marbling (the fat in meat) is more tender, so is your muscle.  The leaner your muscles are, the more solid they will feel.
  • Losing fat will increase the definition of a muscle.  As the layer of body fat surrounding (and inside of the muscle) decreases, the actual shape of the muscle will become more apparent.  This provides a more aesthetically pleasing and "toned" look.