How to Lose Weight and Build Muscle (aka Tone Up)
Jeannie Vo 4 min read
This guide is for women who want to look and feel stronger. You don’t always need to lose weight first to get toned. Many people need to build muscle more than they need to lose weight, and the two can happen at the same time.
“Toned” is a gym word with no scientific definition. In plain terms, it means visible muscle with less body fat over the top of it. That gives you two jobs: build or hold on to muscle, and lose some body fat if there’s body fat to lose. How much of each you need depends on where you’re starting from.
Do you have to lose weight to get toned?
Often, no. If you already carry a lower amount of body fat, lifting regularly and eating enough protein can make you look noticeably more defined without the scale moving much. If you carry more body fat, you’ll usually need some fat loss on top of the muscle work before the definition shows.
The scale can’t tell you which situation you’re in. It measures your total weight, not what that weight is made of.
Body recomposition: losing fat and building muscle together
Body recomposition means your body fat goes down while your muscle goes up or holds steady. It tends to happen most for people who are new to lifting, coming back after a break, or following a structured plan with enough protein. Because muscle is denser than fat, you can change shape while your weight stays about the same. Clothes fit differently and your lifts go up, but the scale sits still.
This is the main reason the scale feels unfair. At Habitat, members get an InBody scan every 6 weeks, which splits your weight into muscle and body fat. It lets you see recomposition happening in the weeks when the scale doesn’t move.
Why light weights and high reps don’t tone you up on their own
The rep range isn’t the issue. A light weight can build muscle when the set gets close to hard, but most people stop well before that point. If the weights and reps stay the same for months, your muscles have no reason to change.
Progressive overload is what drives the change. That means gradually lifting a little more weight, doing a few more reps or controlling the movement better over time. A coach plans that progression for you, so you aren’t guessing each session.
Many women also worry that lifting will make them bulky. Women generally build muscle more slowly than men, partly because of lower testosterone, so a normal strength program won’t do that overnight. For most people, it looks like more shape and a body that feels stronger.
Protein and a small calorie adjustment
Your muscles need protein to repair and grow, so aim to include a protein source at each meal. Fat loss comes down to eating slightly less than you burn over time, and a modest adjustment is enough. Large cuts tend to leave you tired, hungry and training badly, which makes building muscle harder.
Our post on strength training for fat loss without extreme dieting covers how to do this without crash dieting, and our nutrition page explains how we support members with food.
What about cardio?
Cardio is good for your heart and your energy, and it still has a place. If you only have a few hours a week, though, strength training usually gives you more for your time. We explain why in why strength training beats cardio when you don’t have hours to spare.
Start with a clear baseline
If you want to know where you’re starting from, the Strong Start Trial is $199 for 3 sessions with no lock-in. Session 3 is your 1:1 Goals and Health Assessment, which gives you a baseline to measure your progress against. You’ll train with qualified coaches in our private gym in Prestons. You can read more about our personal training program and private gym before you decide.
