If you are currently in the body type demographic known as ‘skinny fat’ then you probably want to know how you can transform your body into a more toned and athletic shape. When I was skinny fat, a few years ago, my first reaction to sort the problem out was to hit the treadmill and try and lose fat the way I saw other people trying to do so in the gym. Although this helped me improve my fitness levels, which at the time were severely lacking, it didn’t do much to cure my skinny fat situation.

How I Went from Skinny Fat to Toned

What worked for me was starting to lift weights in the gym. As I was pretty weak when I first started going to the gym I was intimidated by the free weights and the guys that used them.  In the first few weeks and months I stuck to the cardio area and spent my time in the gym pounding away on the running machine. Things didn’t really help in terms of changing my body type but I kept on regardless, I didn’t have any other options.

Eventually I moved onto the resistance machines which didn’t look quite as scary as the free weights. After a few months of using these machines I started to notice a little muscle tone developing where before there was none. It wasn’t long before I found myself maxing out the weights on these resistance machines.

It appeared I was becoming strong for the first time in my life!

It was at this point that I started to realise that the only way to get toned and no longer be skinny fat was to lift weights in order to make my muscles grow. Those first few months doing just cardio were great for my fitness levels and introducing me to the gym but they didn’t do much to improve my physique. Yeah I lost a few pounds but my overall body shape didn’t change. I still had fatty areas around my upper body that gave me that classic skinny fat look I hated.

How Weight Training Stopped Skinny Fat in its Tracks

Using the resistance machines helped a little, as it gave me my first bursts of muscle and strength but these machines can only take you so far. It was time to do something different. Equipped with my new found strength, although still technically a weakling, I plucked up the courage to move onto the free weights. At first I was a typical bicep boy and only concentrated on my chest and bicep muscles. However, once these muscles started to develop I soon realised a balanced physique was important. Not only would it help keep my body balanced but it would help improve my posture.

With this in mind, I began also training my back, shoulders and lower body muscles and as I did so I noticed my shape changing for the better. The love handles and muffin top were receding and where once I had the early stages of moobs (or man boobs) I was developing pectoral muscles. But it wasn’t just me who noticed these changes taking places, co-workers who I hadn’t told I’d started using the gym began noticing and making positive comments. I had reached stage three in the five stages of getting in great shape.  There was no turning back. The genie was out of the bottle.

How You Can Go From Skinny Fat to Toned

If I could go back in time I would go straight to the free weights section of the gym and start building some muscle and get toned to stop being skinny fat.  Even women should take this approach when trying to put a stop to being skinny an fat. Cardio is great for fitness levels but if you want to make that body composition change then you need to introduce something new to your body to change its shape and how it is held together. Increased muscle tone is the way to do this and that can only be down by lifting heavy weights. If you want to make the change to a toned and more athletic looking body, whether you are male or female, learn from my mistakes and start training those muscles to come to live and give you the healthy, toned look you desire.

Workout at Home to Get Toned

The good news is you don’t even have to set foot in a gym to sort your body out. Now with the easy availability of all types of home fitness equipment and the number of home workout routines available on the web, you can start your road to aesthetics from the comfort of your own home. A few dumbbells or kettlebells are all you need to start performing all the necessary workouts to make the switch from skinny fat to toned and athletic. You don’t need to wait for months like I did to pluck up the courage and start using the free weights at the gym. You can take your first steps on the road to recovery from where you are sitting now, reading this.  What are you waiting for?

If you are unsure where to start head over to our guide to kettlebell training for men and women which covers the best weights to buy and the routines to follow in order to meet your goals.

If you are tired of not looking how you want to, it’s time to shape up at home!