slick, i think its this statement that gets people's feathers ruffled.
for one thing, the "toning" word is a misnomer. as blackbeard said, toning is reducing bodyfat and having muscles that show.
doing lots of reps is only going to achieve that 'tone' if its pretty much done as cardio, but otherwise, it won't get you cut or muscular and it won't help you lose bodyfat.
getting cut and toned is about your diet.
The reason why some women and their personal trainers have them use low weight and very high reps is because they DON"T want to get muscular. they want to burn calories while they workout and get tiny little biceps and firmer legs.
thats NOT what most men want though.
lower reps, as in powerlifting, isn't for everyone either. not everyone wants to solely get stronger, thats fine but its not 'bulking'- bulking comes from eating.