Using Small and Large Weights to Build Muscle Tone

Fitness should be a daily routine for all Americans. As a growing percentage of people become overweight, renewed effort is needed to ensure a healthy, productive, and a long-living population. Incorporating weights into a daily workout helps to build muscle tone that keeps a person at peak performance for a long time. Whether to use heavy, light, or no weights at all becomes a central question of fitness.

The size and type of weights a person uses depends on their fitness goals. General health doesn’t require much resistance and could be achieved through the use of one’s own body weight. Those that desire to gain bulk in their muscle tone will need to go heavy while those who seek definition should go lighter.

I am a fan of cross-training and not overdoing anything. Large muscles without definition make a person look puffy and reduce overall functionality while a person who uses only light weights may not have enough bulk. Finding a balance between bulk, definition, and overall functionality is important.

Beyond simple cardio exercise it is beneficial to incorporate a variety of large, small and no weights. Using the body in various positions through mat work and yoga helps to create balance and full development of the muscles by filling in areas that were left behind by large weights.

The body needs variety to mimic the natural environment as much as possible. In the past we may have pushed a boulder, picked up small sticks, and lifted ourselves over a river bank. Using large, small and body weight helps to develop a fully developed and defined body that has the most versatility depending on the situation one finds themselves in. Considering variety ensure that you are developing fully with maximum health.