Fat Burning and Weights

Many people start by trying to train all the muscle groups at the same time on the same day. This leads to marathon workouts and injuries. Only train one, two or possibly three different muscle groups per day. Your body will respond better and you will get the required 72 hours of rest before exercising the same group again.

If you are new to weight lifting, concentrate on the large muscle groups: the legs and back. You need a base: do squats, rows and other compound exercises like dips and bench press. Compound exercises involve more than one muscle group. Things like biceps, forearms, calves and shoulders will grow automatically since they also are being worked at the same time. Also, by ignoring the little groups you will have more energy to devote to the bigger ones – the ones that will really allow you to build serious strength.

Important note to women: Unless you have a bear-type body and are naturally a strong person, you will not get “huge” unless you really, really want to – and even then, you must lift very hard for years. In fact, even a good body builder has trouble adding more than an inch to his or her arms a year. So forget about being the Incredible Hulk by accident – it’s not going to happen. You will, however, look more toned and athletic in just a few months – that is if your follow the next rule of resistance training: Intensity.

The human body is amazingly adaptable to its environment. It will quickly get used to any exercise which means you must increase the intensity of your workout to continue making gains. This doesn’t necessarily mean adding more resistance, but more intensity. Try to rest less between sets and move the weight with more control. Push a little harder and resist in the negatives a little longer. This will give you a better workout without the risks of injuring yourself with too much weight. Injuries are normally a premature end to your strength-training program and may have serious long-term consequences. At the minimum, you will lose weeks, or even months in the gym and it may stop your entire fitness program. Your first goal should always be to advance your program - but injury free.

Don’t forget to rest enough – you’ll find weight lifting can be addictive. Don’t over exercise your muscles – more is not better. Forty minutes to an hour three to five days a week is plenty. Don’t work a muscle group if it still feels sore from the last workout. Don’t ever workout injured - ever. Even if you need a few weeks or even months off – do it. Take the time to let you body recover so you can enjoy your continually improving fitness level.

In conclusion, while weight lifting my not be the ideal stand-alone fat burning program, it definitely should be included in your fitness routine. Professional athletes like Tiger Woods and Lance Armstrong use resistance training – they must know something. Lifting is not just for jocks and football players – it’s for everyone who wants to have a stronger, nicer looking body that burns fat all day long.

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