Body Toning & Slimming Workout Plans

Getting your body in tip-top shape requires the right exercise plan as well as a healthy diet free of empty calories, added sugars and junk food. Resistance training helps build muscle to tone your body, while aerobic exercise is ideal for burning calories and losing weight. You can begin tightening and toning your body with or without access to gym equipment or a fitness center, so there's no excuses not to get started.

  1. Circuit Training

    • Circuit training combines the muscle-toning benefit of resistance training with the calorie-burning benefit of aerobic exercise. A circuit training program consists of up to 10 different workout stations that collectively work all of your major muscle groups. You move from station to station with no more than 30 seconds of rest in between. This helps keep your heart rate elevated and calories burning. Do about 10 to 15 repetitions at each station before moving to the next. After you’ve completed the 10 exercises, you’ve completed one circuit. Work your way up to two or three circuits per workout. A sample circuit may consist of bench press, squats, seated rows, weighted crunches, bicep curls, calf raises, tricep dips, back extensions and military press. Do this workout up to three times per week with at least one day of rest in between.

    Interval Training

    • High-intensity interval training is better at burning body fat compared to steady state exercise. It promotes an anabolic, or muscle-building, effect in your body at the molecular level and is effective at burning belly fat. This workout consists of short intervals done at a vigorous pace followed by short rest periods done at a moderate pace. An example is sprinting for 20 seconds at near maximum speed followed by a 60-second walk at a brisk pace. Repeat this cycle a total of 10 to 15 times to complete the entire workout. You can use any aerobic exercise, such as cycling, running, elliptical training or swimming. It’s a difficult workout, but the results make up for all the effort.

    Combo Training

    • Combo training alternates cardio and resistance days and challenges your body aerobically while building strength. The aerobic exercise helps you burn calories and lose weight, and the resistance-training sessions build muscle to help tone your body. It's the best way to improve your overall body composition. Exercise for 30 to 60 minutes per day, six days per week. A sample schedule may include weightlifting on Monday, running on Tuesday, bodyweight exercises on Wednesday, elliptical training on Thursday, and so on.

    Challenge Yourself

    • When resistance training make sure the final repetition of each set is difficult to complete. When an exercise becomes easy, it’s time to increase the intensity, duration or resistance. If you don’t challenge yourself, you’ll never make progress toward getting the tight, toned body you desire.