Why are you doing so much CARDIO? What should you be doing to lose FAT!

Many people focus on cardio when trying to lose body fat, but that approach will not help you achieve your goals.  You want to lose body fat, not calorie burning muscle tissue, right? So what do you need to do in your workouts to lose the fat?

Strength training is your magic bullet when trying lose weight and inches. Having more muscle boosts your metabolic rate. Muscle is definitely your friend when you’re trying to shed body fat.  You need a fitness burns fat and preserves and builds muscle. Here are some tips from Ally on strength training when you’re trying to lose body fat.

What Exercises should you Focus on for fat loss?  Compound Exercises!

Compound strength exercises are ones that target more than one muscle group at a time. These include squats, lunges, push ups, bent-over rows, presses and deadlifts. The reason you want to focus on these types of exercises is, the more muscle groups you use during a strength training exercise, the more calories you’ll burn. Also, using more muscle groups has a greater metabolic or “fat burning” effect.

Isolation exercises that work only one muscle group (like a bicep curl or leg extension) are important for shaping muscles and building symmetry but they burn fewer calories and do not burn the fat like compound exercises. If your goal is fat loss, make your strength moves compound and dynamic. When doing lunges, combine them with bicep curls. With squats, do an overhead press. Use as many muscle groups as possible. This will get the fat burning furnace going. 

What amount of weight is require to lose fat?  Lift Heavy – don’t be AFRAID!

Do not be afraid of bulking up!  It is really difficult for women to put on that much muscle. You have to life heavy weight to stimulate the muscle to change your body, period.  Lifting heavy will activate fat-burning hormones and rev up your metabolism. Lifting light weights will have little impact on your metabolism or the shape of your muscles. The most it will do is build muscle endurance. Go for the challenging weights and see a positive change in your body.

How does Cardio Fit in to to the Fat Loss Puzzle?  Make sure it is High Intensity Cardio

High-intensity cardio will help you burn more fat just like lifting heavier weight.  Short periods of high-intensity cardio forces your body to work harder during and after a workout. High intensity cardio, like strength training, has the “after burn” factor which helps your body burn more calories up to 48 hours after your workout!  That is a GOOD Return on you exercise time!  To lose fat you MUST get out of your comfort zone. Think high-intensity interval training and metabolic strength training – these are you FAT FIGHTING SUPER FRIENDS aka the DYNAMIC DUO!  Check out the

AllyFitness metabolic training programs by clicking here.

Should you Incorporate Circuit Training?  Yes!

One or two days a week, do circuit strength training. With circuit training you do strength training sets with little or no rest between exercises. Moving quickly from exercise to exercise without rest burns more calories and maximizes the amount of volume you can do during a single training session. Who doesn’t want to save time?

What is The Bottom Line?

Strength training MUST be a part of your fitness program if you are trying to lose fat.  It is important for maintaining healthy bones as you age and prevent age related weight gain by keeping your metabolism high.

Click here to schedule your complementary consultation with Ally Today. 

References: IDEA Fitness. “New Insights into Circuit Training”