Generally, many people will do cardio exercises and forget all about weight training exercises when it comes to burning fat. A lot of trainers swear that aerobic exercises burn off fat and weightlifting is only used to build muscle. This isn't entirely correct, however, because the more muscle mass one builds, the more one will burn fat calories, even at rest. There is a growing trend from cardiovascular to weight training exercises.
According to a study by the Fitness Products Council and Sporting Goods Manufacturers, the number of people lifting free weights has increased 76 percent in the past decade. Currently, weightlifting is among the most popular sports in North America. This change is for the best because cardiovascular activity combined with weight training will result in much more effective fat loss. Cardiovascular exercises will raise muscle metabolism during the activity and for a short time after the exercise session. (see http://newweightlossreview.com/exercise-site-reviewed.html)
On the other hand, weight lifting exercises, will raise your muscle metabolism during the exercise session, and for a long time after the exercise session. Some high intensity trainers have even seen their metabolism rise for several days following their training session. Performing adequate weight training exercises should limit your repetitions anywhere from 1 to 20, in general. This kind of resistance on muscles will make their tissue leaner and stronger. Muscle development will occur during rest periods after resistance training is completed. This is why sufficient rest periods are essential.
Whether your goal is to tone up or build muscle, it is important to know what happens during the muscle training process. When lifting weights, muscle tissues are torn apart (at the cellular level) from the stress, and it's in the recuperation period that your muscles become stronger and therefore able to support the extra stress. Usually the recuperation period required is 24 to 48 hours after the weight lifting activity.
During the recuperation period, the muscle metabolism is still burning energy, and that's when it's time to perform cardiovascular activities. Carrying out high repetitions of the same movement will tire the body on a different basis. If you combine low repetition exercise, such as weightlifting, with high repetition cardiovascular exercise, muscles will be stressed in a way that complements both these exercise types to increase the total fat burning effects.
Anybody who debates the fact that weight bearing exercises don't help people lose weight and fat should lift weights for an hour and see their heart rate go through the roof. One only needs to look at athletes who specialize in short, intense bursts of energy and you still see that they are very low in body fat.
The point is to combine a weightlifting routine with a good cardio workout to increase muscle metabolism and total fat burning efficiency.
It's important to remember that when trying to lose weight, lots of muscle mass can be lost in the process. With muscle mass keeping your metabolism high, you should try to avoid quick weight loss through fad diets or starvation. This type of weight loss will be regained just as quick as you lost it. Instead, go for a gradual fat loss routine by combining weight training and cardiovascular activities, while allowing muscle mass to build up and increase your metabolism. It will take longer to get results but they will also last a lot longer.
Exercises For Fat Burning
A lot of people are interested in losing that stubborn, unwanted fat... and are in search of a good fat burning workout.
Burning fat is one of the major reasons people participate in a physical training program... They want to burn fat to look better.
What I am going to propose is that in order to get the most fat burning qualities out of your workout you have to make a shift in training mentality.
Instead of looking at a fat burning workout as a way to look better... View burning fat as a way to perform better.
Just forget about looks for a second... and view your physical training as strictly a way to improve performance.
Losing unwanted and unneeded fat will definitely improve physical performance.
This shift in workout mentality will guide you to choose strength, conditioning and fitness exercises and methods that will develop into excellent fat burning workouts.
I am not going to give you a fat burning workout... I am going to teach you how to make every time you train a fat burning workout.
First of all, let me tell you what I don't think is a fat burning workout...
You go to the gym, warm up, do sets or circuits of strength training, do 20 minutes of "cardio" in your "fat burning zone" and then cool down.
I also don't think this is a fat burning workout...
You go to the gym, warm up, do 20 minutes of "cardio" in your "fat burning zone", do sets or circuits of strength training and then cool down.
These two examples sound like the workout programs of 98% of the people reading this... Are you one of them?
If those two scenarios were the keys to burning fat... Why are you still looking for a good fat burning workout?
OK... so what is an effective fat burning workout?
For an effective fat burning workout you need to blur the lines between strength training and metabolic conditioning and add intensity.
Let me explain...
Most people don't think of strength training as a fat burning workout... mostly because they are doing body building isolated movement exercises at a pace that does not get the cardiorespiratory rates up and keep them up.
This is normally the same group of people that think the best "cardio" comes from extended, constant rate aerobic exercise in the fabled "fat burning zone".
But let me suggest this... If you combined lifting weights and cardiorespiratory exercise and performed them at an intensity and pace that got your cardiorespiratory rates up and kept them up you would have everything you need for an excellent fat burning workout.
What would this type of intense strength and conditioning fat burning workout accomplish...
Development of lean muscle that would burn more calories for maintenance in the future.
Improvement of cardiorespiratory endurance, allowing you to work out harder in the future and burn more calories.
Increase in metabolism so that you would continue to burn calories for hours after the workout.
Allow you to accomplish a strength, conditioning and fat burning workout in a fraction of the time of separating the workouts.
Teach your body to function as one complete unit and to use strength and cardiorespiratory endurance simultaneously.
If you are concerned with improving overall strength, conditioning and fitness performance... Then you need to drop that unwanted fat that is keeping you from reaching your potential.
Ironically, if you concentrate on performance improvement by adding intensity and variety to your workouts and blur the lines between strength training and conditioning training, you will see superior fat loss than programs claiming to target fat loss.
Start training for physical fitness improvement and every workout will become a fat burning workout.
Just think of what you can accomplish in sport, work and life activities when you develop a body that performs as good as it looks.
So, don't train for appearance.
Train for performance... and the appearance you want is sure to follow.
Both Michael Anthony & Coach Eddie Lomax are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Coach Eddie Lomax has sinced written about articles on various topics from Aerobics, Fitness and Shoes. Coach Lomax is a strength, conditioning and fitness coach. Learn more at Optimum Physical Training. or take his FREE Tabata Calisthenics Workout Mi. Coach Eddie Lomax's top article generates over 8100 views. Bookmark Coach Eddie Lomax to your Favourites.
Best Soccer Goals Ever Scored There are bound to be many crazy goal celebrations to come and long may it continue, just make sure the goal is worth it before doing seven backflips afterwards