Every fat burning regime should include a well thought out program of resistance training. Building lean muscle has an amazing effect on your metabolism and your ability to burn fat and ultimately to lose weight. Unfortunately most people are ill informed and think that hours spent in the gym will automatically have the desired effect. This just isn't the case.

There are 3 aspects to your resistance training that will determine whether or not you will build lean muscle.

1. The intensity of your training regime. In other words how hard you work during your workout.
2. How often you work out and the length of time between your workouts.
3. The progression of your workouts regarding the degree of difficulty.

You need to ask yourself "Is my workout too easy for me and do I workout for too long too many times per week?" If your answer to any of these questions is yes then you need to revise your program immediately if you are hoping to improve your fat burning furnace.

Strength training requires creating tiny injuries to your muscles. It is then essential for the body to repair itself, allowing it to build on the muscle mass already in existence. A minimum of 1 to 3 full days of rest between resistance workouts would be advisable.

Women in particular, are often concerned about the possibility that resistance training will result in them putting on unsightly muscle. This most certainly will not happen. The development of large muscles depends on genetic makeup and hormones such as testosterone. Women do not possess these genetic traits, nor the necessary levels of testosterone and so have nothing to fear. Building lean muscle will basically enable you to burn the fat resulting in your body getting smaller and more compact.

It should however be noted that in the early stages of fat loss, there may be a slight weight gain as lean muscle weighs heavier than fat. Taking measurements can often be a better way to gauge the success of your fat burning regime as you will experience a loss in size even if you initially gain weight due to the extra muscle.

Just remember that to successfully build lean muscle you must train harder for less time, have adequate rest periods between workouts and increase the intensity of your workout as appropriate. As a result you will improve your body's ability to burn fat and lose weight.