Understanding Muscle Tone and What Makes a Muscle "Defined"
In order to chose the most effective route to increasing your muscle tone, you must have an understanding of what muscle tone is in the first place. Muscle tone is residual tension in a relaxed muscle. What that means is that your nervous system is tensing the muscle to a certain extent while you are in a relaxed state.
Muscle Tone is a Byproduct of An Alert Nervous System
Basically a body part with great muscle tone has a strong mind-to-muscle link in that body part. If someone wants more muscle tone in a particular part of their body they need to increase the efficiency of the nerve impulses to that body part. Keep in mind that muscle tone is not a "muscle fiber" issue, it is a "nervous system" issue. This is the number one mistake that people make in their quest to increase muscle tone.
Why the "Light Weight and High Rep Approach" Isn't Effective
Lifting light weights for high reps is the conventional advice that trainers tell clients to increase muscle tone. Lifting light weights gives you an illusion of increasing muscle tone. High reps generally give the muscles a great pump. When the muscles are pumped up they will look more toned, but when the pump is gone the muscle tone is gone. If you want muscle tone for the hour you are in the gym then lifting high reps and light weights will let you accomplish that goal. If you want great muscle tone 24 hours a day, then you need a different approach.
Lifting Heavy Will Make Your Nervous System More Efficient and Increase Muscle Tone
The only way to lift heavier weights is to increase your muscle size -or- increase the efficiency of your nervous system. If your goal is muscle tone, then you should try to get progressively stronger without putting on size. A great way to do this is to lift for 3-5 reps for 5 sets or so. Do a basic strength workout, but then hit the cardio really hard after that workout. Keep your calories low as well.
Why Don't Most Strength Trainers Have Great Muscle Tone?
Most of the guys you see in the gym who are lifting heavy are also not doing any cardio and they are eating a ton of calories. They are trying to get as big and strong as possible. That shouldn't be your goal! If you want to get unbelievably defined then focus on gaining strength while losing weight.
Learn a Lesson from Olympic Level Athletes
If you have ever seen a middleweight boxer in person these guys are unbelievably ripped...so are gymnasts. These guys focus on gaining strength while maintaining or losing weight. These athletes have unbelievable muscle tone as a byproduct of their training. They aren't even focusing on muscle tone, yet they have more muscle tone than most bodybuilders. Keep in mind that most of the pictures you see of bodybuilders are after they have pumped up and have dehydrated themselves almost to the point of heart failure.
Lift Heavy, Get Stronger and Increase Muscle Tone...What's Not to Like?
Follow a basic strength training program and hit cardio hard. Train like an elite athlete and you will create an amazing body. Leave all that "pumping up" nonsense to the Mongoloid bodybuilders.