Kieran:
First of all, please discontinue using the word “tone”. Even have your gf drop it from her vocabulary. “Tone” is a PC way of saying: gain LBM while losing excess BF.
Women can train pretty much the same as men. I do; I always have. And I don’t resemble a “bulked up gorilla”. Heh, neither does my boyfriend.
The first place to begin would be the FAQ. Here is where you will fine unlimited resources for the newbie and the experienced. For the newbie, take a read at Christian Thibaudeau’s article, “Fun with Women”. Another article is “Dawg School: The Beginner Blast Off Progam” by Chris Shugart. “How to Build a T-Vixen” by Sandy should be read.
If your gal has never trained before, begin with simple, basic exercises. This is explained well in Chris Shugart’s article. You know, the dude does know his stuff smirk.
Along with training, you should take a look at her nutrition/diet. If she ain’t eating the proper foods to fuel her workouts, she’s gonna experience some issues. Like lack of energy and/or losing LBM. I would suggest also to not jump into a full regimen of supplements. Have her begin a food log. In a couple of weeks, take a look-see to get an idea of what changes need to be made.
This brings to mind another good article to read: “Dawg School: The Bodybuilders Heirarchy of Needs” by Chris Shugart. Also, read up on any/all article by John Berardi. Food is the best thing right now. As well as water. Plenty of water.
I’m just assuming that your gf may need some type of direction for her diet as well. And when I say “diet” I’m referring to what she’s eating - I don’t believe in making drastic changes to a newbie’s diet in the beginning. Let’s see what happens after a few weeks of consistent training and just eating “clean” foods will do.
Does this help?