8 Strength-Training Exercises to Help Tone Your Body
Spring is just around the corner. That means more time outside, shorts, T-shirts, and eventually bathing suits. No longer can we hide under bulky sweatshirts, sweaters, and coats. So, while we still have a few weeks of winter (or several if you live in the northern states), now is the perfect time to start some toning exercises.
But don’t be thrown by the idea of toning. According to MD Anderson Cancer Center, “toning is [just] strength training with weight loss.” It explains, “When you lift weights or do resistance exercises like push-ups and lunges, your muscles get stronger and firmer. How you look comes down to how much lean muscle mass you have versus how much body fat you have.”
Why should we tone our bodies? In addition to helping us look better, toning our bodies can help increase stamina, decrease the likelihood of disease, improve our posture and mental health, and even improve mental alertness.
Activities such as using an elliptical machine, swimming, playing tennis, running, and biking will help tone the whole body, but there are specific exercises that target certain muscles. We want to highlight eight of these strength-training exercises that both men and women can do to tone their bodies. Most are pretty easy and can be done anywhere without equipment.
- Lunges
Lunges help tone your quadriceps, glutes, and hamstrings. Healthline explains that lunges help with weight loss, balance, and agility. Plus, they are easy to do and can be done anywhere. F45 has a great video that demonstrates how to position your body as you perform the lunges.
- Push-ups
Push-ups strengthen your triceps, pecs, quads, biceps, and anterior delts. For an excellent demonstration of how to do a basic push-up, check out this F45 video.
- Squats
Squats are great for toning the muscles in your buttocks, hips, hamstrings, calves, and thighs. They even help with balance and stability. The Cleveland Clinic offers tips for doing them properly and explains that other benefits include burning calories, strengthening your core, improving lower body strength, and helping with flexibility. They are easy to do, but they can be done incorrectly. To minimize your potential for injuries, read how to do them properly.
- 180 Jump
This exercise will not only help with agility and tone your lower body and core, but it will get your heart rate up. To learn how to do these properly, watch this F45 video.
- Sit-ups
Healthline explains that “sit-ups work the rectus abdominis, transverse abdominis, and obliques in addition to your hip flexors, chest, and neck.” In addition, they “promote good posture by working your lower back and gluteal muscles.” Read this article for tips on how to do a sit-up without injuring yourself and to even try a variation on an exercise ball.
- Curls with free weights or an exercise band
These exercises will tone your biceps, brachialis, anterior deltoid, flexors, and more and can be done nearly anywhere. Simply purchase some free weights or an exercise band and find a safe space to begin. This video from the Mayo Clinic shows how to do simple exercises with a dumbbell. And this video shows some awesome exercises you can do with a band.
- Planks
Planks work your abs, your obliques, and your transversus abdominis (an abdominal muscle that wraps around your sides and spine). They’re easy to do and can be done anywhere. If you’re just starting, you can do them for a few seconds. If you have been doing them a while, try adding time or changing positions. Read this guide from Verywell Fit about the various types you can try—from beginner to expert.
- The Windmill Exercise
According to Stack Sports, the Windmill helps with total body coordination and works the trunk, core, and obliques. It states, “It is a multiplanar movement, meaning the body works through multiple planes of motion, including the frontal and transverse planes.” Learn how to do this exercise here.
All eight of these exercises will help you tone your body, decrease fat, and help you gain strength and agility. Try a mixture of these eight or try all of them and watch your body transform!
