The Best Gym Equipment to Tone

Resistance training offers many benefits, namely improved muscle strength and tone. With these muscle-building exercises, you can slim and sculpt your physique and get the toned, defined body you want. Exercise machines can help you with this. There are many pieces of gym equipment to choose from, but there are certain ones in particular that are worth including in your workout.

  1. Why the Leg Press is Best

    • The leg press is one of the most integral pieces of gym equipment to include in your workout if you want to tone your muscles. This machine directly targets the quadriceps in your upper legs and the gluteal muscles in your buttocks, helping you trim and tone your thighs, butt and hips. Sit on the machine with your back flat against the back pad, your feet flat on the foot plate just slightly apart. Grasp the handles at your sides to give yourself more stability and support during the exercise. Engage your core, squeeze your glutes and push the foot plate away from you, then slowly lower it back down to complete one rep.

    Go for a Run Treadmill Style

    • The treadmill is one of the most well-known pieces of gym equipment, and also one of the most effective. Running on the treadmill, even at a slow pace, will help tone your legs and buttocks, as well as the muscles in your arms, including your biceps and triceps if you pump your arms by your sides as you run. By adjusting the treadmill settings to a higher incline, you increase the resistance of the exercise even further, maximizing the toning benefits. To tone the hamstrings and glutes, set the incline to a minimum of 12 percent.

    Row Your Way to Muscle Gains

    • To get a toned, tight body, you need to build stronger muscles, and the rowing machine is effective at strengthening nearly all of the major muscle groups in your body. It primarily uses the quadriceps and hamstrings in your legs, all of the abdominal muscles -- transverse abdominis, rectus abdominis and the obliques -- as well as the deltoid muscles in your shoulders and the biceps in your upper arms. Strap your feet in securely, keep your head and back straight, and grasp onto the handles with your hands. Engage your core and push yourself off, sliding back until your legs are almost fully extended, then return.

    Shoulder Press for Toned Shoulders and Arms

    • To tone the muscles in your shoulders and arms, the shoulder press is an excellent piece of gym equipment. It primarily uses three muscles in particular -- the shoulders or deltoids, triceps, and the trapezius muscle at the top of your back. Position your neck and back firmly against the back pad, your legs bent at a 90-degree angle with your feet flat on the floor and your hands on the grips. In a slow, continuous movement, push up until your arms are fully extended. Return to your starting position to complete one rep.

    Cables Kick it Up a Notch

    • The cable tower is a top choice of gym equipment for toning because it allows you to execute a wide range of exercises, primarily using the muscles in your arms, shoulders and back. Adjust the cable attachment to the desired setting, adjust the weight, grip onto the handles and start your exercise. With the cable tower, you can perform anything from bicep curls to kickbacks, making this exercise machine an essential asset for toning the upper body.

    Choose the Right Weight for Results not Pain

    • It's important to choose the right amount of weight for resistance training exercises. If you go too light, you won't be challenging yourself and won't get the results you're hoping for. If you try to take on too much weight, you put too much stress on your body, which can result in injury. Always choose a weight that is manageable so you won't strain, but enough to create resistance so you're getting a good workout and will tone and define your muscles.