It’s safe to say that most people have a universal goal when they begin a training regimen. You want to lose fat, right?
Despite all the garbage that you read on the internet and the cleanse commercials that promise to “rid your body of excess belly fat”…the only REAL way to achieve this goal is…
Lose Body Fat—>Boost Your Metabolism—>This is done through a balanced diet and increasing LEAN MUSCLE—> Resistance Training
The more lean muscle tissue that you body has, the more calories you will burn at rest. This is what happens when we talk about increasing your metabolism. The long term goal is to have your metabolism at a high level constantly. That leads to fat loss. Why does this happen? Because lean muscle is a very active tissue and needs calories (energy) to burn at a much higher rate than fat.
When you have a high amount of lean muscle tissue, you will be burning calories when you are not working out (cool, huh?)…you will burn while you work, sleep…hey, I’m burning calories as I write this…
So many people (women specifically) want to lose weight. Now what does this mean exactly? When you focus all of your efforts on getting that pesky scale to display a lower number, you are not really progressing toward the ultimate goal. We can all lose weight but what does that do for us in the long run?
Do you want to weigh less or take up less space?
Think about that for a second…You could weigh 140 pounds and have 40% body fat (that’s 56 pounds of fat!) or you could be 140 pounds and 20% body fat (28 pounds of fat)…which is a very healthy percentage for an active woman.
If you are only focused on what the scale says; you will probably not achieve the ultimate goal of gaining lean muscle and losing fat. How would I take up less space if I weighed the same, you ask?
Muscle is an active tissue, as we mentioned, and it’s also a very dense tissue. Muscle is 1.1g per cubic centimeter, which fat tissue is 0.9g per cubic centimeter. That means you can pack a lot more muscle into a small space than you can fat!
Gaining muscle is often a scary thought for women. I know what you are all thinking…”I don’t want to look bulky and thick.”
Don’t worry…women do not possess enough growth hormone and testosterone to produce such an effect. Plus, when training for fat loss and lean muscle development (I hate the word “tone”, but that’s pretty much what it is), you are not going to be pumping out body building type workouts.
Training for this type of result means:
1. Using large movements that incorporate a lot of muscles (squats, lunges, push ups, presses, chin ups)
2. Training in circuit or complex styles to increase work rate and conditioning
3. Lifting heavy weights with perfect form
4. Short, intense training sessions that maximize time
5. Avoiding machines and isolated movements
Here’s why strength training is far and away the BEST thing for you…
1. Will torch body fat
2. Increases strength
3. Gives you a tight and toned look
4. Workouts are fun and dynamic
5. Lets you fit into your clothes pefectly (and you might even have to buy new, smaller ones!)
6. Great for bone health and posture
7. Lose inches at an alarming rate
8. Gives you more energy and stamina
So, if you really want to lose inches, fat, and feel GREAT…lose the scale, focus on your clothes, develop a solid strength training program and get ready to see results.