Four Ways to Build Muscle and Burn Fat
Building muscle and burning fat are typically what most new gym members are looking to achieve.
However, these goals are conflicting - to build muscle you must increase your calorie intake, and to lose fat you must cut down on the calories.
There are a few ways to achieve those twin goals, and this article looks at four of the ways that you can build muscle and burn fat.
The best way to build muscle and lose fat is to begin a strength training program.
As your muscle density increases, your metabolism will also increase, meaning that your body will burn up calories quicker.
In fact, for every extra pound of muscle you put on, your body will burn an additional fifty calories per day.
For a beginner, it is quite feasible to gain ten pounds of muscle in a relatively short period of time.
This extra muscle would have the effect of burning an additional 500 calories per day, so you can see the benefits of putting on some muscle.
The biggest muscles in the human body are in the upper legs, yet this is an area that many gym users neglect, in preference to the more showy muscles, like the biceps or the abdominals.
Because the leg muscles are the biggest, they are also the easiest to increase in size.
Focusing on developing the leg muscles can have fairly noticeable results in a short period of time.
Now that you know that muscle burns calories, you can appreciate the benefits of developing the upper legs.
You can turn them into a pair of calorie burning machines in no time at all.
In order to lose fat, we will also have to undertake some cardio work.
Forget the gym for cardio, and instead take up jogging or cycling.
The reason for this is that on a cardio machine, you can always turn the machine off if you get tired.
When you are out on a run, you can't stop until you are home again.
This might sound like stating the obvious, but you just don't get the same cardio workout in a gym that you will get out in the fresh air, either on a bike or by jogging.
You will also experience the fresh air and the constantly changing scenery.
Once you adapt your cardio workouts to outdoor activities, you will never go back to the treadmill/stair climber.
My final tip for building muscle and losing fat is diet related.
You can't hope to lose fat if you live on a diet high in saturated fats.
You should aim to eat several small meals over the course of the day.
Avoid ready made meals and instead make your own.
You will need a protein rich diet in order to gain muscle, and good sources include fish, chicken and turkey.
Your body will also require more vitamins in order for the muscles to recover and grow, so make sure you eat plenty of fruit and vegetables too.
The steps outlined above may seem like a lot of hard work, but they are achievable.
If your goal is to build muscle and burn fat, follow the four tips outlined above and you will succeed.
However, these goals are conflicting - to build muscle you must increase your calorie intake, and to lose fat you must cut down on the calories.
There are a few ways to achieve those twin goals, and this article looks at four of the ways that you can build muscle and burn fat.
The best way to build muscle and lose fat is to begin a strength training program.
As your muscle density increases, your metabolism will also increase, meaning that your body will burn up calories quicker.
In fact, for every extra pound of muscle you put on, your body will burn an additional fifty calories per day.
For a beginner, it is quite feasible to gain ten pounds of muscle in a relatively short period of time.
This extra muscle would have the effect of burning an additional 500 calories per day, so you can see the benefits of putting on some muscle.
The biggest muscles in the human body are in the upper legs, yet this is an area that many gym users neglect, in preference to the more showy muscles, like the biceps or the abdominals.
Because the leg muscles are the biggest, they are also the easiest to increase in size.
Focusing on developing the leg muscles can have fairly noticeable results in a short period of time.
Now that you know that muscle burns calories, you can appreciate the benefits of developing the upper legs.
You can turn them into a pair of calorie burning machines in no time at all.
In order to lose fat, we will also have to undertake some cardio work.
Forget the gym for cardio, and instead take up jogging or cycling.
The reason for this is that on a cardio machine, you can always turn the machine off if you get tired.
When you are out on a run, you can't stop until you are home again.
This might sound like stating the obvious, but you just don't get the same cardio workout in a gym that you will get out in the fresh air, either on a bike or by jogging.
You will also experience the fresh air and the constantly changing scenery.
Once you adapt your cardio workouts to outdoor activities, you will never go back to the treadmill/stair climber.
My final tip for building muscle and losing fat is diet related.
You can't hope to lose fat if you live on a diet high in saturated fats.
You should aim to eat several small meals over the course of the day.
Avoid ready made meals and instead make your own.
You will need a protein rich diet in order to gain muscle, and good sources include fish, chicken and turkey.
Your body will also require more vitamins in order for the muscles to recover and grow, so make sure you eat plenty of fruit and vegetables too.
The steps outlined above may seem like a lot of hard work, but they are achievable.
If your goal is to build muscle and burn fat, follow the four tips outlined above and you will succeed.
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