The best exercises for toning

Toning and getting your body fitter is a goal for many people, but knowing which toning exercises to do can be so tricky! What is toning? And how can you tone your body?

What is toning?

Toning exercises focus on developing your muscles; the aim is to define and make your muscles leaner. This takes time and is something to work towards rather than a quick fix. It is excellent to start toning your body; it can help you with your mental health and achieves an active and healthy lifestyle!

Exercises to help you tone!

Lifting weights:

Lifting weights helps you to tone up your body muscles; with weights, you can target areas of your body that you want to focus on more than others. One mistake many people can make when it comes to toning with weights is thinking the heavier the weight, the better. With toning, you want to use a lighter weight but increase the number of reps that you do on that piece of equipment. If you want to know a little more about what weights would be perfect for you to help tone your body, let our gym staff know, and they'll help you! Or you can try our Focus Move Evolve programme that will help create a personalised workout for you.

Jumping rope:

Using a jumping rope is a fantastic way to work your heart rate up! This can be a great warm-up and cool down as well as a regular workout, test yourself when using this equipment as well. When you know you're going on holiday, taking a jumping rope with you is also a fantastic way to keep up your fitness.

Swimming:

Swimming will work you hard and help you tone up! Water creates a natural resistance against your body; this enables you to push yourself further toning up your muscles. Not only will it help tone your body, but this cardio workout will also help your body get fitter as well as increasing your strength. We have so many swimming clubs and different classes in the water that can give you some variety to your water workouts.

HIIT:

High-Intensity Interval Training is short bursts of exercise over a certain amount of time. Our Gym HIIT sessions are 30 minutes long and consist of various exercises that will target your whole body over the session; these classes are a great way to get to know new equipment and get an intense workout into your week. As HIIT affects your whole body and muscles, it is a great way to burn a lot of calories fast!

Pilates:

Pilates is a lower impact fitness class; it focuses on strengthening your body and muscles as working with flexibility. It tests muscles that you wouldn't usually work out in your normal exercises, and it's a great way to find new exercises that you can add to your daily routine! As well as being great at strengthening your body, it's excellent for your joints and can help you strengthen them up.   If you're looking to tone up at a gym, our Premier Membership is perfect for you! Enjoy access to all our gyms, pools and fitness classes across Chester and West Cheshire; don't forget to check our WorkFit eligibility to see if you can grab our Premier Membership at a discounted price.