Most people today operate under a time crunch. It’s going on right now for us — hectic jobs, after school activities for the kids, and Saturday soccer games. Finding the time for workouts is challenge enough, you should be efficient with your workouts. Try these tips to burn fat and build muscle with a single workout.
Tips To Burn Fat & Build Muscle
Know Your Heart Rate
It’s easy to fall prey to the idea that high intensity, chronic cardio, is the holy grail of weight loss. Unfortunately, that
myth can easily become a hindrance to efficient weight loss. Research has shown time and again that your heart rate when exercising should be 60-80% of your max heart rate for burning fat; the oft-named aerobic zone. Truly aerobic workouts are generally much lower intensity than many people think, and experience says that most people won’t believe it without proof. Adding a heart rate monitor to your workouts provides immediate feedback during workouts. It’s important because much above the aerobic zone, and your body enters an anaerobic state where glycogen stores are being consumed, rather than fat.
Resistance Train To Build Muscle
While aerobic exercise is the most straightforward path to weight loss, it can be done effectively with strength training as well. Most of us know that muscle has a higher caloric requirement than fat, so if you build muscle, your resting metabolic rate will rise, helping reduce fat. Most strength training workouts are structured to include relatively long rest periods between explosive movements, which again promotes burning glycogen rather than fat. It’s certainly true that “circuit training” can help alleviate this, but a heart rate monitor quickly shows that even most circuit routines don’t keep your heart rate in an aerobic zone for the length of your workout. You’ll find that incorporating light aerobic activity, such as jumping rope, in between sets will go a long way toward maintaining an aerobic component to your strength training.
Diet, Diet, Diet
And no, I don’t mean avoid eating. The fact of the matter is, no matter how hard you work in the gym, poor eating habits will kill your efforts at weight loss. It’s easy to fall into the trap of underestimating how much fat per day one should consume to burn fat and build muscle. Most experts suggest the amount of fat as a percentage of your daily calorie distribution should range from 10-30%. The reason is, fat is an integral part of biochemistry, and essential to good health and fitness. So take the time to find out your average daily calories consumption, and learn what to eat after a workout, to fuel muscle growth.
In today’s busy works, structuring workouts to burn fat, build muscle, and get on with your day makes staying healthy easier, which is something everyone’s looking for. Hopefully these simple tips will help you reach that goal.
I agree with you about doing cardio like jump-rope between sets of strength building. I do that during upper body days, not so much during legs day : ) Except while doing calf raises, I supplement them with high jumps (knees to chest)! Anything to help my calves get bigger.
I often use supersets in my workout such that I can move from one exercise to another without much rest and I can recover one muscle group while training another. Some favorite supersets of mine include any upper body exercise with calves or abs; any lower body exercise with traps, tris, or bis; and the well-known chest + bis or back + tris supersets. Really want your calves to grow? Superset a different calf exercise (standing, seated, etc…) at a different rep range (5, 8, 10, 12, 15, etc…) with every exercise you do, every other day. Watch them explode.
Nailed it! Greg this is exactly what people need to know for an efficient fit lifestyle. Don’t waste time where you don’t need to, and just do what is required. Basic cardio, resistance training, and diet-diet-diet.
Steve, I love supersets also. They really kick things up to the next level, plus gets me done just that much sooner.
Excellent advice for us all to remember Greg.
I especially believe in the knowing your heart rate advice. Two people can do the exact same workout, and have heart rates that are worlds apart. While in Colorado we visited Red Rocks and at the top of the stairs they had a heart rate monitor. My wife’s heart rate was 105, while mine was 55!
I also agree with Steve and Todd about the super-sets. They’re a GREAT way to do a speedy, yet tremendously effective workout. I can’t wait to get back in the saddle!
Take Care!
-Matt
Thanks guys! Appreciate the feedback.
I’ve structured my workouts in the form of supersets for some time now. Only having 30-45 minutes/day makes me think hard about efficiency.
@Matt – I’ve only had to deal with higher elevations once, during a desert hike, but I hear they can be brutal. Colorado must have been a neat experience.
Thanks for your posts. I agree with this, it was actually a good read too.
Great and accurate post. Too often I see people eating a diet that has a foundation of processed carbohydrates, low fat, and low protein. Further, they have been lead to believe that spending countless minutes on the treadmill, ellipse, or stair climber is going to reshape their bodies and get them to the next level of health and wellness. Strength training is key for someone looking to get really fit.
I am not that big on training in the aerobic zone, I just do 3 HIIT workouts a week about 20 minutes each. I’ve exercised that way for over a year, and I got the best results. I can honestly say, the old way of working out I don’t miss at all, it just took too much out of my time. I stopped going to the gym, and all I do is workout in my garage with plyometrics, and just a few other small equipment I got such as a pull up bar, jump rope, an 8lb dumbbells, stability ball, and a jump rope. That’s it
– I am in the best shape of my life!