Do you have to be skinny to look toned?

Who said weight training makes you fat, and that skinny equates to toned? We unpack some of the many misconceptions about starting out with weights with Alexa Towersey:

Tell us, honestly, does strength training make us 'fat'?
"'Getting big' is one of the most common stigmas that is attached to lifting weights; however, most women do not have the genetic or hormonal makeup, enough testosterone, to really develop muscular size and definition, certainly not in the timeframe that they think. Lifting weights encourages the development of lean muscle, which increases your resting metabolism, and can make you hungrier. This is where most people come undone: you won't 'get big' from lifting weights, you'll get big from eating crap while you're lifting weights. To stay long and lean, pick the right exercises in the right rep range and support your training with optimal nutrition."

But what if I gain weight?
"Most people do not understand the difference between 'weight loss' and 'fat loss' – muscle weighs more than fat, but is smaller in size. Would you rather be bigger and weigh less, or smaller and weigh more? Know your own objective, and train for it."

Do I need to be 'skinny' to look toned?
"The training you do in the gym creates the muscle tone or muscle mass, and the correct nutrition allows you to get lean enough to show it off at its full potential.
If you're looking for clear muscle definition, you need to lose the subcutaneous, or surface, fat. It's true when they say, 'abs are made in the gym and revealed in the kitchen'."

NEXT:  How to look toned (not skinny), or find out how many reps you should be doing.

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