Yep…your personal trainer is wrong. Seriously, you will experience a new level of muscle definition if you take the time to understand what causes muscle tone.
So What is The Cause of Muscle Tone?
Let’s get the Wikipedia Definition: Muscle tone (aka residual muscle tension or tonus) is the continuous and passive partial contraction of the muscles. Unconscious nerve impulses maintain the muscles in a partially contracted state.
So basically the higher the residual tension in a muscle, the higher the muscle tone in that muscle. The way to increase tension in a muscle is to engage in “high tension training”. Lifting heavy weights generates higher tension in the muscle than lifting light weights.
Photo Intermission…LOL (I don’t want to bore you to death with technical jargon).
Okay…Intermission Over…Back to “Muscle Tone” Talk.
So if lifting heavy is what helps increase muscle tone, why does the fitness industry recommend “high reps” for muscle tone?
High reps are basically a way of doing “inferior cardio”. What I mean by this is that you will burn a few more calories than heavy lifting…but not as much as if you hit the treadmill hard.
High reps give you a pump, which is actually just “temporary muscle tone”. With high reps you will make your muscle look great for the hour you are in the gym, but once you lose the pump, you lose that toned look.
Lifting heavy for low reps will give you “permanent muscle tone“…your muscles will look toned, because they will have a “greater residual tension” even when in a relaxed state. You will look great in or out of the gym…even without the pump!
After years and years of thinking that “high reps” = “high muscle tone”, I don’t expect to convert you quite yet…It is going to take me 5-10 more posts about “true muscle tone” to convince you of this heavy weight approach.
For now, I hope I just got you thinking a bit…
Until Next Time!
Rusty
I just completed two bottles of the HGH Spray from Dr Max Powers. I’m 46 and an active cyclist. My speed and times have made huge jumps. I recover faster and feel strong on most rides. I used to feel good on one in 3 or 4 rides. Now, I’m ready to go all the time. My brother accused me of cheating as he used to blow more doors off on the bike. No more !!! He thinks I’m “on something”. Whatever, I’m sticking to it.Also, skin is tighter. I look younger. Negatives.
Zero increase in sex drive. I never had a problem, but thought it might increase w higher hgh level?I’m getting blood work done soon to compare w old blood work before this Dr Max Powers HGH. Can’t wait to see if my hgh level is actually higher.Ps.
Just bought 3 month supply w spray.
hey rusty i have a similar type of question as corbyn. I m 5’10 but not skinny and i have fat accumulated around my chest and stomach and i have recenctly joined a gym, and i want a body like cam gigandet in never back down. so which type of routine should i follow. rusty can you create apps on android it will be very usefull.
Rusty:
I am 5’10 and 167lbs, and I don’t have alot of body mass (so skinny). I am wondering if the 2 day split with heavy weight and low reps, cardio and low calorie intake will give me the David Beckham or Cam Gigandet look. Let me know what you think
I think the debate between rusty and trainer is an interesting one. I’m interested in reading those studies trainer posted. I never thougth about the fact that just tearing down muscle will cause it to grow larger even though I was using low weight. I thought that high volume didn’t matter as long as I didn’t increase my weight. but this brings up a question. doesn’t rusty recommend bodyweight training? it seems as though that’s pretty high volume and would cause hypertrophy then. I can do 30 push-ups in one set, and probably 30 air squats. after a few sets that’s high volume training and likely to tear down muscle…it just seems as those two prescriptions are contradictory? it would be great if this were cleared up a bit.
Rusty, you have no idea how long I’ve waited for a website such as your’s. As a former teen bodybuilder, I know the agony of those grueling long hours of “pumping iron” and “two hour feedings”. I also used to carry a milk carton full of water around school just to stay hydrated. But realizing that many of those techniques were either outdated or simply fitness corporations’ marketing techniques, I’ve decided to utilize a much more “natural” way. And I have been doing bodyweight exercises and HIIT ever since. Anyways, I was just wondering, if I don’t have access to a gym, is there anyway I can still achieve the same effects of the “low rep low volume” routine you’ve described? Maybe, through explosive exercises? I would love to hear from you! Keep up the great work!
MAN UR GREAT U HAV AN EXPLANATION TO BACK WT UR SAYING IM GONNA DO THIS NOW CUZ IM SICK ND TIRED I STPED GOIN TO GYM CUZ I WAS DEMOTIVATED I M BIG I HAVE THE MASS BUT ITS NOT LEAN U HAVE GVEN ME NEW HOPE I CNT THANK U ENOUGH MAN THNX ALOT