Hey guys, I'm new here!
I guess I'll start with a question:
If you could give someone three tips on how to achieve a slim body and to look toned, without looking skinny or really super buff... what would they be?

Strength train
Eat a clean and healthy diet
Rest

1. Rather then lift a lot, try keeping your muscles under pressure for an extended period of time. For example, don't try and curl 80lbs 4 times, that builds mass. Try and curl 20 lbs for 6 minutes, that builds lean muscle.

2. Run, swim, bike, jog, fight, do something that is cardiovacularly exhausting. Do it often, do it well, do it for extended periods of time. Dont be a ****y. When you think you're done, add 5 minutes. next week add 10.

3. Dont eat ****. Dont eat fast-food. Watch your beer intake (try red wine). Dont eat too many carbs. Dont eat processed bull**** food. Eat whole foods. I shop at Trader Joe's exclusively. I dont know if you have one, but 99% of their product offering is high in protein low in fat.

I will never be the strongest guy at the gym. Probably not even in the top 20%. But I prefer to look good in a bathing suit and have the sexual prowess of a porn star, then impress some dudes in the gym. And yes, being fit, lean and powerful does increase your sexual drive and abilities.

my 2 cents.

1) Eat a "clean" diet -- look up what "clean" means, not to sterlize the food, btw.

2) Split the weight training and cardio equally. If you are shooting to lose weight, do a little more cardio but keep the strength training.

3) Stretch, stretch, stretch. Stretching helps: (1)reduce injury if you do it after warmup but before hard training, (2) if you do it after working out, it helps reduce sorenss, (3) stretching helps elongate the muscle fiber and give you the nice long and lean look versus stubby muscle look.

Those are very general adviced and each is like 2+ hours of reading / research to gain a further insight.

Oh Littlea is right and wrong about sex drives, if you are fit you will have better sex drives yes. BUT if you hit toward the freak of 5% or less BF for male, your sex drive will drop (maybe it might start even at 8%, not sure) and woman do lose their menstration cycle at about 10% (I think, not sure the exact #).

Good Point Tic. I neglected to mention that. It has to due with failed testosterone production. Having too low of a certain kind of cholesterol (not sure which) also kicks this off.

SXIPro nailed it, IMO.

wow. thanks guys!
what type of strength training should one be focusing more on in order to build a toned body?
weight training? resistance training? or a mixture of different kinds?

definately focus on both, and with the resistance training focus more on compound exercises rather than isolations. an example of some good compund exercises are deadlifts, DB snatches, clean and press etc..leave your isolations for the end if you are to do them

1. HIIT
2. Medium sized weights (yes im aware of the generalisation) :P
3. Rest & Eat healthy and in moderation.

^^ This. Switch eat clean to the top

no, that builds endurance.

science has pretty much proven that optimal range for hypertrophy (to incite muscle mass increase) is 8-12 reps per set. Not 6 minutes of curling.

Very true, but although "toning" is a weird word, if you're looking for increase muscle tone (aka tighter muscles), you should probably go with strength training not hypertrophy.