Weight Loss Training Routines

How to effectively lose weight, look trim and be fit has always been a hot topic. Every time you turn around it seems there is another fad diet, new findings on what you can’t eat anymore, or what you need to eat more of, how to starve yourself thin, or eat more to be thin.

Although nutrition in an extremely important factor to our health and weight, the bottom line is losing weight takes exercise. As much as people would like to have a way to burn the calories away while doing no physical work, it isn’t going to happen. The good news, however, is that you can help how much weight you are losing while doing absolutely nothing. You can get better results from the cardio exercises that you do.

The simple answer to an effective and steady weight loss plan is with weight training. Adding strength training to your life helps you to add lean muscle mass to the body. Muscle mass is more compact than fat tissue, which will help you look more sleek and fit. Muscle also requires more calories to function than fat tissue does. This means as you add lean muscle mass you will be burning more calories constantly during the day.

It also helps by increasing and stabilizing your metabolism which will aid in getting rid of difficult tummy fat. A study at Tufts University, showed out of two groups, one following a diet and doing strength training, and the other only following the diet, the strength training group lost 44% more fat.

When adding weight training to your routine you will need to decide what types of exercises you can feel comfortable with, stick with and that help achieve results that suit your fitness goals. Some popular strength training programs such as certain types of yoga and pilates use the weight of your own body as resistance, as opposed to weights. These exercise programs include strengthening of specific muscle groups, as well as core strength muscles.

They also focus on entire body fitness. When putting together your routine, don’t feel afraid or intimidated of really “pumping iron”. Many men feel that this will only make them look “thicker” if they are already overweight, and all too many women are afraid lifting weights will make them be bulky and masculine. Both are very wrong. As a man lifts weights he does build muscle mass due to the amount of testosterone he produces. As he builds muscle, however, his metabolism is increased, burning off all the fat around the growing muscles. Lean muscle mass makes one slim, toned and defined.

As for women, they lack the testosterone to naturally “bulk up” from just doing weight training. As a woman builds muscle her body becomes more lithe and slender. Many people enjoy using exercise machines for resistance. They can be a very convenient and safe way to add strength training. Those who are new to strength training find the machines easy to use. For those wishing to build more muscle faster, or for those who like the full body incorporation in their strength training, free weights is the proper choice.

Exercises such as squats, dead lifts, bench presses and shoulder presses work the largest of the muscle groups. The larger muscles burn more calories while resting than the smaller muscles do, so targeting them is key to optimum weight loss.

The effectiveness of adding a weight training routine to your weight loss plan can make all the difference on how successful you are at reaching your fitness goal. As well as helping to show results by helping you to lose weight faster, building muscle helps with weight in the future by building your metabolism to allow you to burn more calories throughout the day, even when not dieting or exercising.

For anyone struggling with weight loss, building lean muscle mass can help your body to function better, look better and lose weight more effectively than diet and cardio alone.