Lose the Cardio! Start Weight Training for Fat Loss

Lose the Cardio! Start Weight Training for Fat Loss
http://www.theonestore.com/blogs/latest/7450414-lose-the-cardio-start-weight-training-for-fat-loss
 
Happy Hump Day!
 
Today I bring you an article from Olympic Nutrition and Exercise's Terra Marie and she is telling you why you need to weight trainin to loss fat. Have a read and see what you think!

WeightTraining for Fat Loss

Often, people associate muscle building exercises with gaining weight and cardio activities for fat loss. These methodologies are not true. Weight lifting is a very affective method for losing weight, increasing metabolism, and burning a maximum amount of calories provided they are done in the right manner. Sitting on a machine pushing a weight will get you little results. You need to get your body moving!

Changes to your Body Composition

When you lift weights you will gain muscle and lose body fat altering your body composition. Many people who jump onto cardio equipment to lose weight don’t end up looking much different even if they lose a significant amount of weight, they just become smaller. This is because they haven’t changed their bodies lean muscle mass.

Gaining lean muscle mass will tone your body and give your figure some shape. For a male, it will build your upper body to give you a defined chest, shoulders and back and you will gain the appearance of a healthy male body. For woman, it will tone up the droopy triceps, flatten out the stomach and lift the buns. Even if you lose 10 lbs of fat and gain a few pounds of muscle, you will see a significant difference in your body composition, changing the shape of your body.

Another benefit to gaining muscle is it takes more energy to fuel and feed muscle then it does for fat. Gaining 1lb of muscle will roughly burn 50 extra calories a day (there is still much debate as to how many calories 1 pound of muscle burns at rest in one hour). That’s roughly 350 calories a week!

Boost Metabolic Rate

Lifting weights is proven to boost metabolic rate both for short term and long-term affects. In the hours after an intense workout you will experience an increase in your metabolic rate. Weight lifting will also help you maintain your total amount of lean muscle mass, which creates a permanent increase in your metabolism.

What workouts are the BEST for weight loss?

Circuit style compound muscle group activities will maximize the amount of calories you burn, increase your metabolic rate and change your body composition. A circuit is when you go through a series of exercises with little or no rest in between. Compound muscle groups are exercises that utilize more then one leaver point. For example, squatting uses your hip and knee joint, which works more than one muscle group at a time. Using more than one muscle group will increase your heart rate. Thus your heart rate will be increased throughout your entire workout for maximal calorie burning affect.

Lift heavy! It is essential that you keep your weight intensity up for fat loss. This goes for ladies too!

Avoid doing weight machine activities because these usually require you to sit down and push or pull on a machine. This lowers the intensity of the workout because now that machine is doing the work of stabilizing your body for you.

Doing isolation activities for weight loss is also unproductive. Exercises like bicep curls and leg extension are great for those who either have a muscle imbalance they need to correct or they are a fitness model or bodybuilder where your body is being judged on perfect symmetry. These exercises are for people who already have a low fat percentage and are looking to increase definition and increase size in that specific area.
For those looking to lose weight but still want to tone their body, fear not! You will still tone your arms and legs etc with doing compound movements. For example, your triceps will get worked while doing pushing activities. Once you have reached your weight loss goal, then you can focus on targeting specific areas if needed.

How many reps and sets should I be doing?

It is suggested 8-12 repetitions at 3 sets is best for fat loss as appose to the myth of high repetitions (15-50 reps) being best. However, for beginners it is best to start between 15-20 repetitions until their body adapts to lifting weights. This will reduce risk of injury.

Cardio Training for Fat Loss

Slow and steady doesn’t always win the race! Long and slow cardio sessions will only cause a short rise in heart rate for an hour or two after training, taking away from the overall calorie burning benefits. Research suggests that High-Intensity Interval Training (HITT), such as interval runs, quick bursts of biking with recovery etc, will kick-start the metabolism and keep us burning more calories after the workout is completed. Optimal post-exercise calorie burn will occur with exercise performed at 70 to 85 percent of the individual’s max heart rate.
Pair your Diet and Exercise

Finally, it is essential to pair a proper weight loss diet with your training regime. Your diet should consist of healthy meals that fuel your body for your rigorous activity.
 
Stay Healthy!
Andrea