EP: 50 How to Train to Get Toned Over 40

0:00Hello and welcome back to Becoming Her, Fitter, Better, and Stronger Over 40. I'm your host and coach, Shauna. I am 46, a wife, a boy, mom, and a fitness and nutrition coach, helping women like you become their best. Today we're going to talk about something that's one of my absolute favorite topics because I know it's something that so many of you want and honestly something that so many women over 40 are still so confused about. And that is how to actually train to look toned, not just skinny, not just small, not exhausted and stressed out, but toned, firm, sculpted, defined, strong, feminine, all of the above.

0:37Shauna:Now, last week, we talked about using the next couple of months, these holiday months, as an opportunity to build muscle, to actually shift into a maintenance phase so that you have enough fuel to actually build muscle. Not necessarily white knuckling through these holidays, having days where you're binging and then restricting and then fasting and trying to make up for those extra calories that you had. And not necessarily just abandoning your goals altogether and waiting until January. But actually being strategic with your nutrition so that you can put on more muscle and be in a better place for fat loss come January.

1:11Shauna:And today I want to go into that a little bit deeper because just eating more food and throwing around a couple of dumbbells is not what is optimal when we're talking about building muscle, especially at this age when our hormones are shifting, recovery takes longer, and muscle can just be harder to build. But we now know it's more important than ever. So today we're going to talk about exactly how to train to get toned over 40. I'm going to break down what actually works, the science behind muscle growth, why random workouts are just not going to cut it, why leaning into cardio is only going to leave you soft and frustrated, how to apply progressive overload, how to structure your training phases, and how to track progress without obsessing over the scale.

1:57Shauna:Grab your Stanley cup, grab your favorite coffee, let's get comfy and let's dive right into it. First thing I want to tackle is the word tone because it isn't what you think it is. It's still one of the biggest misconceptions I think women have, especially if you are over 40 and you grew up in that 90s diet culture. Here's what I want you to understand is that muscles do not tone. Muscles can do two things. They can grow or they can shrink. How you look toned is that you have more muscle tissue and less body fat. You don't tone fat. You build muscle and then you lose the layer of fat on top of it so that you can see muscle.

2:36But over time, we've been taught to fear muscle, to fear food, and to worship burning calories. But when we do that, when we are just focused on cardio, when we are just eating less, we're doing high reps with low weights, which is essentially just a cardio workout with dumbbells, we stay soft, we stay tired, we stay frustrated and stuck. I used to live in that space. I was working out harder and harder, eating less and less, and my body more or less stayed the same. The scale might fluctuate a little bit, but I never really got to that toned, sculpted aesthetic look that I wanted. I was smaller in some seasons, bigger in others, but never really got that defined look and never really built something that was sustainable.

3:17I was never strong. I was never sculpted because toning is not about tiny weights and dieting forever. It's actually about building muscle and then revealing it. So why is this even more important for us now over 40? because after 30, we start to lose muscle every decade. And after 40, that only speeds up. And muscle isn't just for looks. It's literally one of the most important things we have for our health as women. Muscle will help improve our insulin sensitivity, which helps with our blood sugar and stubborn belly fat. It helps support our estrogen, testosterone, and growth hormone. It boosts your metabolism.

3:55Muscle is your metabolic powerhouse. It protects your bones. It helps to prevent osteoporosis. It lowers inflammation. It keeps you strong, independent, and agile as you age. Muscle is like your body's own anti-aging organ. And unless we fight for it, we lose it. And this is why I keep saying to you is that weight training is not optional anymore. It is essential. So let's talk

4:19Shauna:about training to build that muscle because eating more and just randomly working out is not going to cut it. You can't jump from an Instagram booty workout to a bar class and then to a random YouTube full body session and expect your body is going to build actual muscle tissue. Your muscles do not grow from confusion. They grow from progression. Repeatable stress done better over time. That's called progressive overload and we're going to get into that in just a second. But before we do, I just need you to know this is that you need to follow a structured program and you need to stick with it.

4:54This is where a lot of women fall off. We have this kind of shiny object syndrome when it comes to workouts. We get bored, we want something new, and it's very easy to get stuck in that cycle of just changing up your workouts too often to where you're never seeing that progression. To grow muscle, your body needs the same movement patterns repeated, enough volume, meaning sets and reps over time, enough rest between those sessions, and then time to adapt

5:25Shauna:and get stronger. That means following a structured workout plan for at least 8 to 12 weeks, not switching every week because you're getting bored, not quitting at week three because you didn't see abs yet, but actually sticking with it. If you're constantly changing your workout, your body never has a chance to adapt and to grow and to get stronger. This is why it's so imperative to commit to a program for at least two to three months. Track your weights, track your reps, try to improve just a little by each week. That is what's optimal for building muscle. All right, so now that we understand we need a set program, let's get into progressive overload a little bit more because this can feel a little confusing, but I want to really make it simple.

6:10Progressive overload is just a fancy way of saying doing a little bit more over time.

6:15Shauna:So that could mean adding one more rep that next week or adding two and a half to five pounds to the exercise you were performing. Maybe that's slowing down your tempo a little bit, improving your form. You don't need to double your weight every week. That's not realistic. It's not a linear process, but you just need to give your body a tiny signal that says, hey, we are doing a little bit more than last time. And then your body goes, all right, I need to grow so I can handle this stress. That's muscle science in its simplest form. Now let's talk about tracking because that's how you're going to make sure you are progressing.

6:51Shauna:When you're in maintenance, which is where muscle is built best, your weight will probably stay within the same two to four pounds and that's normal. So instead of obsessing over the scale, I want you to track your weights and reps with all of your workouts, striving to get better. then you are going to be taking progress photos every two to four weeks because they can capture what the scale can't. Oftentimes when you are talking about body recomposition, where you are losing body fat and gaining lean muscle tissue at the same time, you are not going to see a lot reflected in the scale, but you are physically going to see changes.

7:29Shauna:You're likely going to see differences in how your clothes fit and just small differences in the appearance of your muscles. Then I want you to focus on measurements, especially at the waist. If your scale weight is more or less staying the same, but your waist is coming in, that is a surefire way to know that you are losing body fat and gaining lean muscle. And then I want you to pay attention to your biofeedback. So things like energy, recovery, sleep, mood, strength, libido. If those things are improving, then that's a win because the goal with this season and this phase is not weight loss.

8:07Shauna:So we want to make sure we're focusing on the right things so we know and can celebrate our wins. We are focused on body composition changes, more lean muscle, less body fat, maybe same scale weight, but totally different bodies. That means smaller waist, tighter arms, lifted glutes, and that's what's going to create that lifelong change. Now, the other component here is recovery. Recovery is part of training and it's part of your success with all of this. if you lift hard and do not rest, your body does not grow. It continues to break down. So I want you to focus on sleep. Really make it sure that's prioritized.

8:47Put your phone down. Make sure you have at least seven to eight hours to get some rest. Now, I know this is tricky if you're a parent or you're dealing with some hormonal issues, but do everything you can to support

8:58Shauna:a healthy night of sleep, which means putting the screens down, putting the phone away, reading having like a little nighttime routine taking a shower or a bath actually lowers your core body temperature and usually helps people fall asleep you can also take some things to help supplement relaxation like magnesium glycinate i have my favorites listed below in the show notes so you can check those out do what you can to support a healthy sleep hygiene it's going to make the biggest difference also i want you to take rest days you don't need to be in the gym six days a week. This is all about working smarter, not harder.

9:36Shauna:Get in the gym three to four days a week and then give yourself rest days the other days of the week. That doesn't have to mean you have to sit on the couch. You can hike. You can do some mobility work. You can walk, but make sure you are allowing enough rest so that your muscles can repair, grow, and get stronger. We also want to make sure we're having enough protein. Without protein, you're not going to have those building blocks to create and build that lean muscle. So one gram per pound of goal body weight. And then you want to walk. Having a step goal is an amazing way to just support metabolism and recovery and stress.

10:13Shauna:You don't have to be walking 10 ,000 steps a day. Just walk 30 minutes a day. It's a perfect way to support your metabolism, support recovery, and it does not compete with growing muscle, which is the goal for this phase. Then I want you to hydrate. Make sure that you are starting your day with hydration and get at least 80 to 100 ounces of water a day. One thing I do to make sure that I get ahead of my water intake is first thing in the morning, I have my water jug already filled up, put some electrolytes in there, I have my creatine in there, and then I even put a little glutamine in there for gut health.

10:50Shauna:And as my coffee is brewing, I'm drinking down at least eight ounces of water, really hydrating my system. Because when you're sleeping overnight, you're fasting, and you're also becoming dehydrated rather. So you want to make sure you are rehydrating your body first thing in the morning. It's going to help you wake up. It's going to help your metabolism start going, and it's just going to help overall with hydration. Then I want you to focus on stress management. Now, we all have a lot of things that we juggle, but we have to make sure that we are quote unquote, like putting our oxygen mask on first.

11:22If we are not managing our stress, if we are not taking care of ourselves, we cannot do all of the other things that we have to, meaning taking care of our littles, taking care of our house, our husbands, our loved ones, our jobs. As far as stress management, my favorite three tips that I use and I also encourage clients to use are number one, to be intentional with how you

11:44Shauna:start your day. Do not turn your phone on right away. Do not turn the TV on right away. Don't get all of those notifications flooding your brain and already spiking your cortisol or making you feel like you're already behind in the day. Instead, really connect yourself, ground yourself, be intentional with making sure you are inviting peace first. And this doesn't have to be extensive. It doesn't have to be this long, drawn out 10-step morning routine. It literally can be five minutes. Every morning, I sit down with my scripture book and I read the scripture for the day. And then I say a prayer and whatever's on my heart, whatever I'm carrying, I give it to him.

12:22Shauna:And when I tell you this has been the most transformative thing that I've ever done for my stress, my anxiety, my depression, it's life changing. And I have done so many things over these last few years in my journey to becoming my best. I've done things like journaling, meditation, several different things that I've tried to incorporate to biohack my way to feeling better. But I'm telling you, nothing has transformed my mental health like prayer. So it doesn't have to look like my morning, but definitely be intentional with how you start your day. It's going to set the tone for the rest of the day and it will change everything.

12:59Number two is if you're feeling stressed, what I want you to do is physically slow down.

13:06Shauna:Talk slower, walk slower, move slower. If you're having a moment where you're actually feeling that anxiety rush up, slow down. Just physically slowing down immediately puts your central nervous system into a more relaxed state. Start to do that. Practice it because it's pretty powerful. You send your body messages with your physical movement. It really will make an impact. And number three is to get outside if you can. And connecting with nature is such a beautiful way to also de-stress that fresh air, the sounds of nature, the abundance that's out there. It's such a beautiful way to decompress and to disconnect from the screens, the noise, and all of the things that can create more stress.

13:52Shauna:And again, this doesn't have to be an hour outside. I'm talking about five to 10 minutes where you just disconnect from everything. Take some breaths. Take in the sights. Take in the sounds. Pray again. And those three things, if you start to incorporate them when you're having moments of stress, I promise you will help you. And managing stress at this age and stage is so imperative. We are more sensitive to cortisol spikes. So we want to make sure we are managing stress because when cortisol comes up, it suppresses fat loss, it suppresses muscle growth, and it can make our hunger hormones thrown off.

14:28Shauna:So we want to make sure we're managing it. And all of those are muscle building tools. And if you're listening to this and thinking, okay, Shauna, I want to do this, but I need more. I need a plan. I got you. You can grab a six-week free training plan in the show notes, which includes a bench and dumbbells. So if you're training at home, this is the perfect way to start. or if you want an even better experience with options for home or gym programming, I would love to welcome you into the Strong by Shauna membership. Inside that membership, you get full workout programs designed for women over 40 to get strong and lean, a guide to set your calories for your goals, a guide on how to reverse diet so that you can get into maintenance and build some beautiful muscle in the season, a recipe book with over 40 different high protein meals, plus a recipe hub inside that I add to monthly.

15:20You also have video trainings on metabolism, hormones, mindset, reverse dieting, and more. And you get free access to every challenge that I run. We're having a holiday challenge now. And then my next challenge starts in January. Plus you'll be inside with a community of women who are doing this with you. You're never going to feel alone. You'll have that accountability and that support anytime that you need. You can click the link below for a three-day trial, then it's just$39 a month or$249 for the whole year. I hope you really took away some valuable tips in this episode. I hope it was helpful.

15:57That's always my goal. And I just want you to remember that you're not too old. You are not behind. You're not broken. You are just one structured phase away from seeing what your body is really capable of. In fact, inside my community, in the membership, I'm hearing from women all of the time that they feel stronger, that they're seeing changes that they haven't in years, that they are just actually hopeful that change is possible. And that's what I want for them. And that's what I want for you. So lift heavy, make sure you're eating enough to support your body so it can thrive, not just survive and stay consistent.

16:32Give it time, lock in for the long haul. This is what's going to help you enjoy the next 40 years. All right. That's it for today. I love you so much. Thank you for being here. And if this was helpful, if you enjoyed your time here, please make sure to leave a rating or a review. It really does help the show grow. And I would so appreciate it. Until next week, keep getting stronger and I will see you in the next episode.