The first step to begin gaining and toning muscle is to determine how you want to train, and where you want to train.  Gyms are a great option, and are most commonly recommended for beginners.  These facilities are equipped with various types of weight training machines, free weight options, and professionals on staff to help guide you throughout the process.

If you would prefer to begin at home, you can certainly purchase your own free weights, small weight bench, home weight machine, and/or resistance bands.  Take a trip to your local sporting goods store and speak with a member of the staff to ensure you make the right purchase.

Next, you will need to design a complete program for your training needs.  Begin by setting realistic goals, and set a workout schedule you will be able to keep.  The most common mistake beginners make is designing a plan that tries to do too much too soon, and takes up more time than they can truly devote.  It might be worth consulting with a personal trainer when setting up your plan.  These professionals are highly skilled in this area and can be excellent guides to get you on the right path.

It is also important that you educate yourself on muscle health during this stage.  You need to understand how hard to work your muscles, that you should never exercise the same muscle groups two days in a row (except abs), and that in the beginning you will need to have a day of rest between each workout session.  Muscle training puts wear and tear on your tissues and they will need a bit of time to heal and regenerate.

When you are just beginning it is necessary to get your body used to moving, and burning calories.  In addition to just focusing on weight training, you should include cardiovascular exercise.  Once you get your body used to a higher level of activity you can then begin to add more focused training programs into your fitness routine.  You should go about introducing weights slowly and gradually increase the amount of weight and resistance you work with.

Finally, a proper diet is essential to gaining and toning muscle.  Once you begin to workout your body is going to have more specific nutritional needs.  You will be expending more energy, and burning more calories.  It is important that you replenish your body with the right type of fuel.  Foods such as lean protein, yogurt, milk, cheese, beans, nuts, and complex carbohydrates need to be consumed.  If you are trying to bulk up a bit, you can supplement your daily diet with protein shakes, smoothies, and higher protein foods.  Be careful doing this, as you do not want to add extra saturated fat.

Remember, the process of gaining and toning muscle takes time.  When you stick with your program, and make healthy changes in your life, you will be thrilled with the results.

If you are trying to lose weight, and build some lean muscle you should be lifting between sixty and eighty percent of your one rep maximum.  This will help you burn fat, and gain some good muscle tone. 

The problem with using this formula to figure the weight level is that most of us do not have any idea what our maximum is, and we do not really care to try to think about it.  What ends up happening is we use the same weights over and over, and while we still get some exercise, the results will not change.  This is a great way to go about keeping your body from changing, but it is not terribly efficient if you are trying to lose weight or build more muscle.

So, how should you go about determining the proper amount of weight to train with?  A good basic rule of thumb is to figure this without having to think about it too much, or break out the calculator is to train with weights that are heavy enough that you can cannot do more than fifteen repetitions, but not too heavy that you cannot complete eight repetitions. 

You should be able to hold the weight properly and use good form while performing these repetitions.  By the time you get to the end of your set, within the last two to three reps, you should feel a bit tired, and have a bit of difficulty continuing.  You should literally feel the burn.  If you find that you cannot maintain proper form by the end of your set, then you need to switch to a lighter weight.  If you find that you have reached rep fifteen and can still keep going, you need to increase your weight.

The important thing to remember when it comes to weight training is that you must push yourself just a little, and give you your muscles more weight than they can handle.  Muscles will not be able to grow or gain strength if you do not gradually increase the weight. 

The challenge of lifting weights becomes as much a mental process as it is a physical process.  If you are unable to push your mind as well as your entire body, you will not get the best possible results.  When you are able to commit fully to your new workout routine you will be better able to build upon a solid program, which will encourage you to keep lifting and strive for the next level. 

You will know your limits, and be able to reach your goals.  Keep in mind weight training is a process that cannot and should not be rushed.  Follow these guidelines, use physical and mental control, and you will be amazed with the results.

That being said, there are a few types of exercise that will lead to better overall results.  Aerobic based, cardiovascular workouts that incorporate regular bouts of weight training tend to burn the highest amounts of fat and calories.  It is a good idea to choose a few different types of activities and alternate between them during the week.  This will burn more calories because the different types of exercise will work different muscle groups, it will also help to increase metabolic function. 

Aside from the health benefits, alternating exercise routines will also help to prevent boredom.  Avoiding boredom is an important key to sticking with a workout program. 

Many personal trainers also recommend a bit of cross training to further enhance the results of your workout.  Cross training programs incorporate many different types of activities during one workout session.  The programs are typically broken up into different segments all with varying levels of intensity. 

This is ideal because it causes your body to work harder overall, which burns a great deal more calories.  Just as with alternating workouts, different muscle groups are worked, which helps to put less strain on one particular area, lowering the total risk for developing injuries from repetitive motion.  Cross training also causes less wear and tear on your joints due to less general stress.
 
In addition to undertaking a new workout program, make small simple changes to your daily life.  Try walking to work if possible, taking the stairs rather than the elevator, and parking a ways away from the store, rather than looking for the closest available parking space. 

If you enjoy an activity such as swimming, join a health club and take up water aerobics, or take up a water sport.  Traditional sports such as golf can become a great deal more physical with a few minor changes.  Leave the cart at the clubhouse and carry your own clubs.  You will get a good workout from the game, the walk, and from carrying the weight of your golf bag.

You do not need to spend a lot of money on gym memberships or special exercise equipment, nor do you need to take on complex exercise programs.  You just need to get up, get moving, and keep moving.  Set goals that you can really work toward, and do not beat yourself up if you have a set back.  The key is to find something you enjoy, and stay active.  The more you incorporate exercise into your daily life, the more you will find it to become a way of life.