Oct 28, 2013
How to Build Muscle & Burn Fat
We are well into the New Year and you have been faithfully coming to the gym but you are just not seeing the results you’ve been hoping for. First of all it is not your fault you haven’t gotten lean. Misinformation about how to get a fit body is everywhere, TV infomercials, health and fitness magazines all promising a great body in just three weeks. The truth is it just doesn’t work that way. Losing weight and achieving a lean physique takes time and effort.
The good news is you do not have to spend hours in the gym everyday to achieve the results you are looking for. You just need to make sure your workouts are as efficient and effective as possible. This is not done by doing hours of cardio, so get off the elliptical and start lifting weights!
Resistance training builds muscle, shapes your body and burns fat! But it is how you structure your resistance training that is the key to achieving the lean body you long for. A full body workout, using multi-joint exercises with as little rest as possible between exercises, is the quickest way to realize results.
Here’s how you do it:
1. Workout with more intensity. Working-out harder not longer will not only result in you spending less time at the gym but will also result in you building more muscle and keeping your metabolism elevated long after you’ve finished your workout. If you are working out for 45 – 60 minutes, then you are not working at a high intensity. When you workout at a high intensity your training sessions will last about 20-30 minutes. To achieve this:
a. Lift heavier weights to promote muscle growth
b. Rest as little as possible between exercises and sets.
Once you incorporate this style of training into your routine I guarantee you will feel and see a difference.
2. Perform full-body exercises. The most effective way to build a lean body and overall muscular balance is to perform exercises that work the whole body. Isolation movements such as bicep curls or leg extensions do not produce the same metabolic response as performing full body movements. Full body movements recruit several muscle groups at one time. Excellent examples would be:
a. Squat Presses or Thrusters
b. Dead lifts
c. Pull-ups
d. Push-ups
The more muscles you put under stress, at the same time, the better. You will build more muscle and burn more fat.
3. Do circuit training. Circuit training is an effective and time efficient way to train. Circuit training consists of several exercises performed in a row with little or no rest in-between. With traditional workouts, you spend too much time between exercises. The idea of resting between exercises to allow your muscles to recover before repeating is totally inefficient at burning fat.
Circuit training uses movements that use different muscle groups to minimize muscle fatigue. This allows you to perform exercises back to back with little or no rest. This saves times and increases the intensity of your training.
4. Interval training. Now, I am not against cardio but cardio for fat loss and body shaping just doesn’t work! In fact, while steady state cardio does burn calories and fat, it is time intensive, there is the risk of repetitive motion injury and it negates the production of testosterone which you need to build muscle and can actually lead to more fat deposits.
Interval cardio training simply consists of doing a short burst of intensity,(such as a sprint) followed by a period of recovery, (such as a jog or brisk walk), then repeating for a number of sets.
5. Eat right! You need to eat good food. There is an old saying which is very true: you can’t out train a poor diet. Eating a diet that includes fresh fruits and vegetables, lean protein, whole grains and health fats will insure you are receiving appropriate nutrition to allow your body to build muscle. Eliminate or minimize sugar and alcohol consumption.
When you perform the same activities over and over again your body will adapt, the results will diminish, you will become bored and you will not achieve the results you are wanting. This type of training program is effective for both men and women as these same principles apply to both.
If you have any questions about how to set up your own training program, contact once of ADAC’s certified personal trainers.
614-461-7785
