These days it seems you can't go anywhere without hearing about someone on a diet trying to lose weight, or a new weightlifting program trying to 'get buff' and and in shape. There's a lot of opinions and advice out there that can lead you off the path. With incomplete information from people who know half the story and magazines with conflicting information from different writers it can be a difficult task trying to get the facts. At the end of the day there are some simple facts to having a hard muscular body, with low body fat. We explorer what some of the most effective ways are to burn fat and keep it off while maintaining quality muscle mass.
First and foremost: Exercise
Two words:Weight lifting. The best and most proven formula for gaining muscle mass is good old fashioned weight lifting, with a mixed routine designed to shock the muscle into growth. Take a look at the bodybuilding ideals, low body fat and a high percentage of muscle mass. This works because muscle burns fat, the more muscle you have the higher your metabolism, making gaining muscle mass perfect for a low body fat lifestyle. A good weightlifting workout and keep your metabolism moving for a good 30+ hours afterwards
What type of weight lifting?
There's no precisely correct answer here but if I had to choose anything in particular I'd say compound movements. Compound movements are exercises that involve many muscle groups, and don't focus too much on one particular muscle group. Bench press, squats, pull-ups and rows - these are all good for building quality mass. Using a weight around 80% of your one rep maximum (highest weight you can lift once with proper form - for example, if you can squat 100kg once, then try performing 8 reps of 80kg), is a good start, but always remember to mix things up, trying different methods and variations of an exercise to get the best results.
Aerobic Exercise is useful if you have trouble getting rid of fat, first thing in the morning is optimal, since the body is burning primarily fat for fuel (after fasting all night), and your metabolism is heightened for hours afterward. I'd recommend 3 to 5 sessions of cardio a week if you have trouble losing body fat.
Second, but just as important: Nutrition
A controlled intake of healthy foods high in protein is required to assure the muscle grows, but moderate carbs and fat to assure it doesn't bring too much excess body fat with it. Protein is the foundation on which all muscle is built. While there are plenty of excellent Protein Powder Supplements out there, don't forget to get plenty of meat. To put it simply - meat is muscle, and eating muscle will help you grow muscle. An intake of 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight is the standard for muscle growth.
Protein is also a good for weight loss because it takes more energy to digest than fat or carbs. Besides promoting muscle growth, it is necessary for a full recovery from a workout and has the added benefit making you feel fuller.
In Conclusion
Basically what we need to is train with heavy weights in order to shock the muscle into growth, then eat plenty of healthy food filled with protein and carbohydrates to fuel that growth. The muscle growth then makes it easier to keep the metabolism running high, so that it is easy to burn fat when you focus on lowering your calories slightly. This is very simple and we've only skimmed the surface of an endless world of strategies and fine tuning of one's lifestyle when considering a lean muscular body. So keep training, eating well, and researching to constantly grow your knowledge as well as your muscles.
About this Author
Written by Wade McMaster of ActiveBodi.com. Wade has been involved heavily in fitness for the last 10 years, and takes pride in sharing his knowledgew with people who are willing to read. Check out the Activebodi.com website for more tips and information on weight loss and muscle growth.
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