Fitness experts recommend weight lifting to burn fat as it increases lean mass and optimizes metabolism. Compound exercises targeting larger muscle groups are recommended for efficient weight loss workouts. Seek assistance from a fitness professional to customize your program.
Fitness experts overwhelmingly recommend using weight lifting to burn fat rather than just diet or cardio training. This is because while cardio leads to weight loss, that includes water weight and muscle in addition to fat, whereas strength training puts muscle on the body. You need that muscle to optimize your metabolism, which is your body’s calorie-burning potential. Therefore, incorporating weight training exercises into your training regimen at least three days per week can help you lose fat by increasing your lean mass.
Weight lifting to burn fat involves performing muscle-breaking down exercises, which create microscopic tears in the muscle fiber. The body will then begin to repair itself, and it is through this repair that you become stronger and leaner. From a weight loss perspective, adding this lean mass is recommended as muscle tissue is responsible for much of your daily calorie burn, therefore the more muscle you have on your body, the higher your metabolism will be. Experts estimate that for every extra pound of muscle you carry on your body, you burn an additional 30-60 calories per day, calories that add up over time. One pound of fat is the equivalent of 3,500 calories, which means that a person who puts on 5 pounds of muscle can burn almost 3 pounds a month without additional diet or exercise.
At the same time, lifting weights to burn fat doesn’t mean sitting on a machine and working only one muscle at a time. For the most efficient weight loss workout, calories burned and muscle groups worked should be considered. Isolated muscle exercises such as biceps curls, while necessary if the goal is to build biceps muscle, are not recommended if you are looking to lose weight. Instead, it’s recommended that you choose compound exercises like pull-ups and rows, movements that work multiple joints, and therefore multiple muscles, at once.
Similarly, lifting weights to burn fat means choosing compound movements that not only work multiple muscles at once, burning more calories with a single exercise, but also target larger muscle groups. Incorporating the largest muscles in the body like your back, chest, quads, and glutes into as many movements as possible means you’ll add lean mass to the muscles that require the most energy on a daily basis. In other words, because bigger muscles do more work, they burn more calories. Fitness experts widely believe that if weight loss is the goal, prioritizing these muscles in your strength training routine will result in a more significant bump in your metabolism than working smaller muscles in isolation.
As expert recommendations may vary, it is recommended that before engaging in a training regimen, you seek the assistance of a fitness professional who can customize your program. Still, other tips for lifting weights to burn fat include choosing exercises that keep you up and moving, best for burning calories and getting your heart rate up. Also, organize your exercises into groups of two to four moves in a row to eliminate long rests between sets and get more done in less time. Finally, many fitness experts recommend completing your strength training before your cardio training. This style of strength training is relatively high intensity and will burn a lot of calories and therefore require a lot of energy, but it will also deplete the carbohydrates stored in your muscle, making it easier for your body to access stored body fat. for energy during your cardio session.
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