Strength Training - Gain Muscle to Lose Fat!
Building muscle and strength, losing weight, staying in shape and carving out an impressive physique is something which everyone dreams of.
Strength training helps to build muscle mass and strength, shed fat and beat weight gain which is a natural occurrence as we age.
The two basic methods of losing weight are known to all: 1.
Cut down on our diet (Reduce calorie intake) 2.
Burn our fat burning capacity (Burn extra calories) Since its generally not good to cut down on our nutrition, the only healthy way to lose weight is by burning fat.
How does strength training help you to lose fat?The answer to this question lies in the fact that muscle is "active tissue" which burns a lot of energy just to maintain itself as compared to bones, fat or organ tissue.
For example 10 pounds of lean muscle helps you to burn 60 calories per day which translates to a loss of 5 pounds of fat per month or 60 pounds per year! So, even without changing your diet, you can lose an extra 60 pounds of fat per year by gaining 10 pounds of muscle through exercise.
This gradual way of losing fat is the best way to lose weight because other roller coaster methods of losing weight, such as spurts of sports activity or dieting, can be detrimental to our general health.
Whether our goal is to increase our strength or lose weight, building muscle becomes doubly useful.
So how do we gain lean muscle? The process is not as difficult as we might think.
Generally, strength training plans involve a certain number of compound exercises (exercises that workout more than one muscle group) which are performed specifically for the purpose of enhancing either muscle mass OR strength as follows: To increase muscle mass: You would want to use 50% of your maximum lift capacity for 12-15 reps; doing two sets of these.
Then, you may wish to move down to 40% for 15-20 reps; doing two sets.
To increase strength: You would want to use 65% of your maximum lift capacity for 6 - 8 reps; doing two sets of these.
Then, you may wish to move up to 75% for 2 -3 reps; doing two sets.
This rep scheme can be used for various muscle groups such as presses, lifts, squats, curls and so on.
Which equipment is best suited for strength training? This question needs a very individualized answer because these equipment have taken enormous strides in recent years and today there are dozens of different weight training equipment available to choose from.
Some equipment is good only for skilled fitness buffs because the techniques used are not easy to master and the risk of injury can be high if they are not performed properly.
Luckily many of the newer strength training equipment are easy and quite safe to use even for beginners.
Broadly speaking, the various strength training equipment are: Free Weights Weights such as dumbbells, kettlebells and barbells are good equipment to have for skilled users and can be fun to use if you are trained in their proper use.
However they require the exerciser to exhibit greater control over the range of motion used since there is no machine to guide you.
So the risk of injury can be significant with this type of equipment, specially if you are working out without a partner to spot you.
The free weights can start from a mere 2.
5 pounds to a whopping 100 pounds and depend on the needs and requirements of the user.
Even heavier weights are assembled by adding the weight plates on to the dumbell or barbell rods.
Curl Machine These are the seated curl machines that work by utilizing a system of pulleys which enables a smooth and safe lift.
The machines are designed to exercise particular parts of the body such as the legs or arms.
While these types of machines may not allow the user to exercise the full movement of the muscles in the body, for those who do not have a high degree of muscle co-ordination needed to use free weights, these machines can be great lifesavers.
Bowflex Bowflex is a type of weight room equipment that makes use of a patented system consisting of flexible rods and is customizable by changing the rods.
The amount of force needed and the muscle building power is determined by the size and stiffness of the rods.
Machine Home Gyms (Smith Machines) Named after their developer, Smith Machines are basically free weights that are operated through pulleys, cables and guides.
So there is very low room for error or injury with these machines because the weights cannot come down on you if you happen to slip or drop them.
The user glides the weight up and down along rails so the risk of injury or misuse because of improper range of motion is little to none.
Depending on their requirement, the user can increase or decrease the amount of weights by placing the catch rod in different notches.
The weights.
These machines are a great investment because they are very sturdy and usually provide decades of worry free use.
To learn more about which strength training equipment might be most suitable for your needs, please visit http://www.
fitness-equipment-tips-4all.
com
Strength training helps to build muscle mass and strength, shed fat and beat weight gain which is a natural occurrence as we age.
The two basic methods of losing weight are known to all: 1.
Cut down on our diet (Reduce calorie intake) 2.
Burn our fat burning capacity (Burn extra calories) Since its generally not good to cut down on our nutrition, the only healthy way to lose weight is by burning fat.
How does strength training help you to lose fat?The answer to this question lies in the fact that muscle is "active tissue" which burns a lot of energy just to maintain itself as compared to bones, fat or organ tissue.
For example 10 pounds of lean muscle helps you to burn 60 calories per day which translates to a loss of 5 pounds of fat per month or 60 pounds per year! So, even without changing your diet, you can lose an extra 60 pounds of fat per year by gaining 10 pounds of muscle through exercise.
This gradual way of losing fat is the best way to lose weight because other roller coaster methods of losing weight, such as spurts of sports activity or dieting, can be detrimental to our general health.
Whether our goal is to increase our strength or lose weight, building muscle becomes doubly useful.
So how do we gain lean muscle? The process is not as difficult as we might think.
Generally, strength training plans involve a certain number of compound exercises (exercises that workout more than one muscle group) which are performed specifically for the purpose of enhancing either muscle mass OR strength as follows: To increase muscle mass: You would want to use 50% of your maximum lift capacity for 12-15 reps; doing two sets of these.
Then, you may wish to move down to 40% for 15-20 reps; doing two sets.
To increase strength: You would want to use 65% of your maximum lift capacity for 6 - 8 reps; doing two sets of these.
Then, you may wish to move up to 75% for 2 -3 reps; doing two sets.
This rep scheme can be used for various muscle groups such as presses, lifts, squats, curls and so on.
Which equipment is best suited for strength training? This question needs a very individualized answer because these equipment have taken enormous strides in recent years and today there are dozens of different weight training equipment available to choose from.
Some equipment is good only for skilled fitness buffs because the techniques used are not easy to master and the risk of injury can be high if they are not performed properly.
Luckily many of the newer strength training equipment are easy and quite safe to use even for beginners.
Broadly speaking, the various strength training equipment are: Free Weights Weights such as dumbbells, kettlebells and barbells are good equipment to have for skilled users and can be fun to use if you are trained in their proper use.
However they require the exerciser to exhibit greater control over the range of motion used since there is no machine to guide you.
So the risk of injury can be significant with this type of equipment, specially if you are working out without a partner to spot you.
The free weights can start from a mere 2.
5 pounds to a whopping 100 pounds and depend on the needs and requirements of the user.
Even heavier weights are assembled by adding the weight plates on to the dumbell or barbell rods.
Curl Machine These are the seated curl machines that work by utilizing a system of pulleys which enables a smooth and safe lift.
The machines are designed to exercise particular parts of the body such as the legs or arms.
While these types of machines may not allow the user to exercise the full movement of the muscles in the body, for those who do not have a high degree of muscle co-ordination needed to use free weights, these machines can be great lifesavers.
Bowflex Bowflex is a type of weight room equipment that makes use of a patented system consisting of flexible rods and is customizable by changing the rods.
The amount of force needed and the muscle building power is determined by the size and stiffness of the rods.
Machine Home Gyms (Smith Machines) Named after their developer, Smith Machines are basically free weights that are operated through pulleys, cables and guides.
So there is very low room for error or injury with these machines because the weights cannot come down on you if you happen to slip or drop them.
The user glides the weight up and down along rails so the risk of injury or misuse because of improper range of motion is little to none.
Depending on their requirement, the user can increase or decrease the amount of weights by placing the catch rod in different notches.
The weights.
These machines are a great investment because they are very sturdy and usually provide decades of worry free use.
To learn more about which strength training equipment might be most suitable for your needs, please visit http://www.
fitness-equipment-tips-4all.
com
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