The benefits of toned muscles go beyond just looking good. For example, toned muscles in the abdominals will help to support the low back and decreases the likelihood for low back pain. Also strengthening the upper back muscles will help to improve posture. The question I hear a lot is whether to use weights or not. My answer is this… it’s up to you! You don’t need weights to tone the body, however, weights are great to do too. I recommend a combonation of weights and toning without weights. You can achieve a toned physique either way! Using your own body weight and doing exerecises such as pushups and tricep dips tones the upper body. One thing I recommend prior to using weights is to do exercises without weights to learn proper body mechanics and therefore reduce the chance of injury.