The Fitness industry has been trying to dispel the “toning” myth for several decades now, yet it’s still here. There’s no special neuromuscular adaptation for toning. You’re either doing things that cause muscles to grow efficiently, inefficiently, or not at all.

An example, let’s say a person wanted nice shoulders or arms. The best strategy would be to train them progressively twice a week with a variety of compound and isolation movements. Another good strategy would be to do a bunch of bodyweight pushups and dips several days a week. A very poor strategy would be to perform yoga or Tae Bo thinking it will grow your upper body. The same goes for the glutes. Train using bodybuilding methods or train like a strength/power athlete, but don’t train like a distance runner.

This myth began as a result of marketing efforts preying on the fears of women who saw images of bodybuilders and didn’t want to become overly bulky.

Here’s the problem. Let’s say you’re one of the 3% of women who do have the genetics to grow serious muscle. Well, luckily for you, you could probably just do one 40-minute full body workout a week and achieve your desired physique. But for the vast majority, the only chance you’ll have of achieving your desired physique is through resistance training. And if you have a goal, you should choose the most effective route.

For example, say your main goal in life was to make $2,000/week. You’d be foolish if you chose a job that paid $30/hour over a job that pays $100/hour. Same goes for physique training – resistance training will get you to your goal in a fraction of the time.

Please don’t misinterpret this post. I love all forms of exercise. I encourage people to engage in physical activities they enjoy. Yoga is awesome, Pilates is awesome, etc., and they’re great for overall health. Just know that resistance training is the single best activity you can do for aesthetic goals, and you can gain the same amount of muscle performing high or low reps as long as you push your sets hard.