Strength training with free weights or resistance machines is the most typical route to well-defined muscles, but you can also tone and sculpt your body through a wide variety of cardiovascular workouts. While you won’t necessarily build big, bulky muscles through cardio exercises, you can trim excess fat as you tone and sculpt your lean muscle tissue.
Swimming
Swimming is a full-body workout that tones your arm, back, shoulder, leg and abdominal muscles. The constant motion of swimming keeps your arm muscles in a virtual state of contraction as they pull you through the water, which is partially why swimmers’ upper bodies are especially defined. Perform varied workouts with different swim strokes, such as free-style, breaststroke and sidestroke. Adding intervals to your workout or pulling weights through the water can increase the effects swimming has on your muscle tone.
Rowing
Rowing is a cardiovascular exercise that tones your arms, shoulders and upper back, in addition to your quadriceps, hamstrings and calves — if you row on a rowing machine with a sliding seat. Rowing technique differs somewhat from the indoor machine to a kayak or rowboat, but all types of rowing provide your upper body with a muscle-defining resistance workout. Adding speed intervals to your workout boosts your calorie burn and increases the resistive effects of the movement.
Running
As a weight-bearing exercise, running primarily tones your legs and hips, including your calves, hamstrings, quadriceps, glutes and hip flexor muscles. Proper running technique, however, engages muscles all over your body, including your arm, shoulder and core muscles. Running outside is harder than running on a treadmill, because the machine’s belt propels you forward. Running on a slight incline can help you build muscular strength and endurance, but running up steep inclines can place undue stress on your knees.
Stepping
Whether you use a step treadmill, perform step-ups on a bench or take group step classes for your cardio workout, you’ll tone your calves, hamstrings, quadriceps and glutes as you burn calories. You can make stepping more challenging by using a higher bench for step-ups or in step class. In general, beginners use a 4-inch bench, while advanced steppers might use an 8- to 10-inch bench. Propulsion steps, an advanced movement where both feet are in the air simultaneously, target and define your calf muscles.
Cycling
Cycling is a low-impact, high calorie-burning exercise that can help you develop chiseled calves, defined quadriceps and toned hamstrings — whether you ride outside, in indoor cycling classes or a combination of both. Keeping your feet attached to the pedals through the use of toe clips or a clipless pedal system helps you use both sides of your legs in every pedal stroke. If indoor cycling class is your primary form of cycling, remember that it's the resistance you apply to the flywheel that tones your legs.
References
- Optimum Performance Training for the Health and Fitness Professional; National Academy of Sports Medicine; 2004
- American Council on Exercise: Step Training Guidelines
- American Council on Exercise: Ready to Run?
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