Most people pursuing weight-loss have mismatched training
programs in conjunction with their actual goal. The commonly held belief
among society is that low-intensity, long-duration cardiovascular
activity is the best method for stripping away body fat. But when
two-thirds of the American population is obese, perhaps the commonly
held belief oshould be eagerly discarded.
While low-intensity, long-duration cardio has its benefits, this activity by itself will give fairly limited results and ultimately is an ineffective use of time. In the end, this sort of training program fails on two fronts: by neglecting any form of weight lifting and by performing such a large volume of cardio, the body burns fat as well as muscle. Therefore, the body will in fact shrink and there will be "weight-loss", but in shedding muscular tissue the body maintains roughly the same body composition. It is here where many people simply defined their goals in the wrong manner. People may say their goal is weight-loss, but in reality the true goal in mind was always to make the body more aesthetic and to look better naked.
However, the aforementioned results obtained are based on the assumption that the long-duration, low-intensity cardio was effective to begin with. From the standpoint that results should be obtained from months of consistency, these training programs will fail because of the body's reaction to the routine and its tendency to maintain homeostasis. The body seeks to maintain fat to prevent starvation, and by solely pedaling away on a bike while reading the newspaper or watching television on an elliptical machine, the body is not being stressed enough to illicit a response that demands the loss of fat. Over time, the body adjusts accordingly to prevent starvation and less calories are burned from this physical activity. In short, if your weight-loss goal is more than just "weight-loss" and in reality it should be rephrased to "look better naked and have better composition with more lean body mass relative to fat," your training program should be drastically restructured.
An optimal training program to lose weight, improve body composition, look better, and feel healthier is easily do-able, and it ultimately boils down to willpower and an adequate knowledge base. In short, integrating weight training into a fitness program in conjunction with cardiovascular activity will inevitably produce desirable results for three simple reasons. The first of which is that in gaining lean muscle tissue, the body's metabolism, or the rate at which calories are burned, is drastically increased. At rest, muscle will burn calories just by existing whereas fat will not. This concept is easily demonstrated by comparing the body types and activities of marathon runners and recreational weight lifters. Many a weight lifter maintains a low body fat percentage without ever having to step on a treadmill or heavily diet. Meanwhile, it's not uncommon for a distance runner to be soft and have his or her body jiggle while running.
Weightlifting's second benefit in the quest to burn fat is that repetitive short, intense bouts of exercise increase the oxidation or breakdown of fat. This process is referred to as "post-exercise" oxidation. Sadly, many people avoid this style of lifting because of the misconception that bulking will occur.
What these same people may not realize is that people who bulk from lifting are the same ones whose results are in line with that same gal. Bulking results from those lifts, but it's also a function of extreme caloric consumption, years of consistency, and possible supplement and/or anabolic steroid intake.
Finally, losing weight boils down to a simple math formula: calories in must be greater than calories out. As long as this formula is satisfied through diet and exercise, the body will burn its stored sources of energy. The American Council on Exercise determined that the average adult will burn approximately 218 calories while performing intense resistance training for 30 minutes. This is the nearly the equivalent to the amount of calories expended during a moderate 30 minute run (254 calories), and more than what would be burned while pedaling a stationary bike at moderate intensity for thirty minutes (160 calories). Resistance training offers it own benefits independent of cardiovascular exercise, but it will satisfy roughly the same caloric output. By integrating weight training into a weight loss program, your body will melt away body fat.
For a more in-depth understanding and your own fitness program, check out http://www.OracleFitness.com
While low-intensity, long-duration cardio has its benefits, this activity by itself will give fairly limited results and ultimately is an ineffective use of time. In the end, this sort of training program fails on two fronts: by neglecting any form of weight lifting and by performing such a large volume of cardio, the body burns fat as well as muscle. Therefore, the body will in fact shrink and there will be "weight-loss", but in shedding muscular tissue the body maintains roughly the same body composition. It is here where many people simply defined their goals in the wrong manner. People may say their goal is weight-loss, but in reality the true goal in mind was always to make the body more aesthetic and to look better naked.
However, the aforementioned results obtained are based on the assumption that the long-duration, low-intensity cardio was effective to begin with. From the standpoint that results should be obtained from months of consistency, these training programs will fail because of the body's reaction to the routine and its tendency to maintain homeostasis. The body seeks to maintain fat to prevent starvation, and by solely pedaling away on a bike while reading the newspaper or watching television on an elliptical machine, the body is not being stressed enough to illicit a response that demands the loss of fat. Over time, the body adjusts accordingly to prevent starvation and less calories are burned from this physical activity. In short, if your weight-loss goal is more than just "weight-loss" and in reality it should be rephrased to "look better naked and have better composition with more lean body mass relative to fat," your training program should be drastically restructured.
An optimal training program to lose weight, improve body composition, look better, and feel healthier is easily do-able, and it ultimately boils down to willpower and an adequate knowledge base. In short, integrating weight training into a fitness program in conjunction with cardiovascular activity will inevitably produce desirable results for three simple reasons. The first of which is that in gaining lean muscle tissue, the body's metabolism, or the rate at which calories are burned, is drastically increased. At rest, muscle will burn calories just by existing whereas fat will not. This concept is easily demonstrated by comparing the body types and activities of marathon runners and recreational weight lifters. Many a weight lifter maintains a low body fat percentage without ever having to step on a treadmill or heavily diet. Meanwhile, it's not uncommon for a distance runner to be soft and have his or her body jiggle while running.
Weightlifting's second benefit in the quest to burn fat is that repetitive short, intense bouts of exercise increase the oxidation or breakdown of fat. This process is referred to as "post-exercise" oxidation. Sadly, many people avoid this style of lifting because of the misconception that bulking will occur.
What these same people may not realize is that people who bulk from lifting are the same ones whose results are in line with that same gal. Bulking results from those lifts, but it's also a function of extreme caloric consumption, years of consistency, and possible supplement and/or anabolic steroid intake.
Finally, losing weight boils down to a simple math formula: calories in must be greater than calories out. As long as this formula is satisfied through diet and exercise, the body will burn its stored sources of energy. The American Council on Exercise determined that the average adult will burn approximately 218 calories while performing intense resistance training for 30 minutes. This is the nearly the equivalent to the amount of calories expended during a moderate 30 minute run (254 calories), and more than what would be burned while pedaling a stationary bike at moderate intensity for thirty minutes (160 calories). Resistance training offers it own benefits independent of cardiovascular exercise, but it will satisfy roughly the same caloric output. By integrating weight training into a weight loss program, your body will melt away body fat.
For a more in-depth understanding and your own fitness program, check out http://www.OracleFitness.com
Scott Lobdell is a weight-lifting enthusiast and self-proclaimed
Meat-Head. He is the co-owner and sole programmer for
www.OracleFitness.com, a web application that dynamically generate
training programs for individual users based on their fitness goal,
fitness level, equipment available, and schedule.
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