Want a "Toned" beach body for summer? Bet you don't after you read this

The weather is suppose to be turning and summer seems like its just around the corner (finally!)  With the approach of summer, I've had a number of people ask, "How do I get more toned for the summer?"
I'm never quite sure how to answer this question.  Do I lie and keep them happy?  Or do I tell the truth and probably crush their dream of having a beach body this summer? 




THE TRUTH:

You don't want to be toned.  The term TONE refers to the amount of neurological drive of a muscle (simply, how much a muscle is "turned on")  For instance, if you were to let your bicep relax, it would still have 'tone' to it (this will make more sense for any practitioner who has seen someone who has some type of neurological disorder and is high tone or in spasm, or no tone and is like a bowl of jelly), if you were to pick up a 25lb weight, you would have a much higher 'tone' in your biceps.  So tone in a muscle is like a volume on a stereo.  You turn it up as much as you need to for a specific task.  Now, would you want to be constantly "high toned?"  Probably not.  Imagine someone walking around with their biceps flexed all.  Wouldn't that be exhausting?  I would agree that you would definitely show more definition of their biceps due to the high tone, but I do not believe this is the answer you were looking for.

So whats up with those magazines that offer us "10 ways to tone our abs in 10 minutes"  Well, if you look at the design of the exercise, most of them are rapid flexion exercises (which as I wrote before, are not good for your low back).   This rapid contraction causes the muscle to increase "tone."  Yes, this will make you more "defined" but "toned" is a condition you do not want to be in for a long period of time (just like you don't want a constant calf cramp...another good example of high toned!)

So what you are looking for is to be more defined, not toned.  If defined is what you are looking for, well the bad news is that it takes work (but training methods is another topic entirely).  However, if you are still thinking you want to have toned abs after this, here is your solution:
Lay on the ground, and have someone hit your abs with a broom stick for 5-10 minutes.  That will cause higher tone in your abs and offer more definition before you head off to the beach (mind the red marks from the broom stick.)