Working out with weights when trying
to lose body fat has numerous important benefits. First, an intense weight training session burns
calories during the actual workout.
Second, an extremely important benefit is that
intense weight training elevates your metabolism for up to 39
hours after your actual workout. In other words, because of the
intense weight workout, your metabolism has been stimulated where
you are now burning more calories while
you are doing nothing.
Carbohydrates power intense weight training
sessions. The more intense the session, the more you deplete your
carbohydrate stores and the more fat is burned during the recovery
phase, i.e. after the workout.
In other words, as the intensity of the training
increases there is a proportionate increase in fat burning after
the workout.
One study showed that 15 exercise sessions
per month (50 minute sessions at 50 percent of oxygen uptake)
could lead to an extra 2 plus pounds per month of fat loss, strictly
from the elevated metabolism and extra calories burned - while
doing nothing! That's an extra 26 pounds plus, of fat burned per
year.
Another extremely important aspect of fat loss
that occurs from training with weights is adding leas muscle to
your body. Lean muscle is "metabolically active", i.e.,
muscle burns calories even while doing nothing. So, the more lean
muscle you have, the higher your resting metabolism and the more
calories you burn each day while doing nothing.
Studies have estimated that for each pound
of muscle that you add to your body, you burn another 35 to 50
calories per day while doing nothing. So, an extra 10 pounds of
muscle
will burn approximately 350 to 500 calories a day, or an extra
pound of fat every 7 to 10 days, without making any other changes.
This is essential to taking off the fat and
keeping it off. You see, when you add muscle to your body, you
greatly increase the number of calories your burn each day. So,
once you achieve
your fat loss goals you can start eating more food without putting
the fat back on, as long as you have built muscle!
On the flip side, if you don't train with weights
while dieting and losing weight, two very bad things will occur.
First, at least half of the weight you lose will be muscle. And
this causes number two, which is that your metabolism gets slower,
causing progress to eventually grind to a halt, leading to gaining
all the weight back and more.
As you can see, training with weights is an
extremely powerful and necessary component of any successful weight
loss program.
The information contained in this article is
strictly for informational purposes. You should consult a physician
before beginning any new nutrition, exercise, or dietary supplement
program. The information contained in this article is not meant
to provide medical advice. Specific medical
advice should be obtained from a licensed health-care practitioner.
Gregg Gillies and Build Lean Muscle Publishing
will not assume any liability, nor be held responsible for any
injury, illness or personal loss due to the utilization of any
information contained herein.
