How to Build Muscle & Burn Fat With a Workout
The market is bombarded with supplements and aids to burn fat and build muscle, some claiming to do so without even changing your daily routine! The truth is, a proper exercise routine is the best way to gain muscle and lose fat. Unfortunately, this is not the easiest thing to do because of the conflicting needs of each. Building muscle tissue requires energy, which typically means you will need to consume more calories to allow your body to build that muscle. Losing fat requires a deficit of calories, meaning you need to burn more calories than you consume in order for the body to use stored fat for energy. Luckily, with a regular strength-training program, you can reduce fat and increase lean muscle mass, which leads to more effective calorie burning, reports the Mayo Clinic.
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How to Build Muscle & Burn Fat With a Workout
- Set realistic goals for yourself and outline what you will need to achieve those goals. Write them down in a workout log or journal. An outline can include "want," "need" and "how" sections. Acknowledge that things you also need in addition to working out is proper food consumption and plenty of water. Visit websites such as BodyBuilding.com to determine how much water you should drink for your particular weight. Also, look at websites such as FreeDieting.com, which provides a caloric calculator with options for weight loss or bulking suggestions based on individual needs. Dedicate yourself to proper nutrition to help achieve your goals.
- Review your options. You can strength train either at home or at the gym. Strength training options that require no equipment include using your body weight for exercises like push-ups, pull-ups, crunches or squats. Resistance tubing is available for purchase in sporting goods stores and online, and provides resistance when stretched, eliminating the need for space-consuming weights. Free weights such as barbells and dumbbells are common tools for strength training. Most fitness centers offer weight machines for strength training, or machines are available for purchase for in-home use.
- Talk to your doctor to ensure a strength-training program is appropriate for you. Once you receive the go-ahead, decide which areas you want to focus on the most. Devise a workout routine, catering more to arms if you want to bulk or abdominal muscles if you want six-pack abs. Websites such as Fitness.com and FitClick.com offer free instruction on customizable exercises and routines to meet your individual needs. Remember to place less emphasis on cardio training. Although essential for fat loss, strength training builds muscle tissue---one of the most metabolically active tissues in the body. Therefore, the more of it you have, the faster your metabolism will work.
- Decide on a time for your workout, and then get moving. For weight training, schedule your workout later in the day to allow your body to burn fat throughout the day with a lower-calorie, low-carb diet. Warm up with five to 10 minutes of stretching or a light aerobic activity such as biking, the elliptical machine or brisk walking. Then begin working a specific muscle group. Typically, exercisers choose to work chest, legs, core and back muscles in separate sessions since they are larger muscles. Either dedicate a session to biceps and triceps or work them in on a larger muscle-group day.
- Choose a weight or resistance level heavy enough to tire you after approximately eight to 12 repetitions. Give yourself about a minute between sets and then repeat the exercise. After completing two or three sets of eight to 12 repetitions, move on to your next exercise. Follow the same set and repetition guidelines. Move onto your third exercise.
- Stretch after concluding your workout. Participate in active stretching rather than passive stretching. Active stretches use muscle strength to hold a position whereas passive stretches use outside force, such as a partner pushing you further into a stretch. Stretch your upper arms by actively reaching your arms overhead. Stretch your chest by reaching your arms out to your sides, pinching shoulder blades together. For your quadriceps, contract your hamstrings while flexing your heel toward your butt. Sitting on the floor, extend your legs straight in front of you and flex your feet to contract the quads and stretch your hamstrings.
- Allow yourself ample time to rest. Take a day off between strength-training sessions to let muscles repair and build. If you want to have a workout more often than every other day, cardio is still an option. If you can, perform cardio first thing in the morning before eating. After an overnight eight to 12 hour "fast," the body uses stored fat for the morning workout. It will also elevate your metabolic rate for a few hours after the workout.
- Track your progress and reward yourself when you reach the goals you set.
