Thursday, December 11, 2014

Can You Lose Weight By Lifting Weights?

By David Stidolph


Weight training is often mistaken as a bodybuilding method rather than a fat loss method.

But body fat is indeed one of the first things to go into overdrive when weight training is used consistently and properly.

Those who are keen gym enthusiasts may already know this, but the majority of gym goers have no idea and often miss out on the many benefits hiding within resistance training because they mistakenly believe it's not for them. However, several key studies show weight based training to be even better than aerobic exercise for burning calories.

While there are many forms of weight based training, the specific form you should be looking at for burning body fat is known as H.I.R.T.

Before you go to the gym with ideas of lifting light weights for millions of reps in a Body Pump class, it's important to understand that high intensity resistance training does not involve going light at all. In fact, it's one of the most difficult weight lifting protocols in existence today. But that also makes it one of the most effective.

Believe it or not, fat is not the primary fuel used during a resistance based workout when it is done with correct levels of resistance. The process of fat burning we are hoping to help you generate here actually uses carbohydrates as it's main fuel.

Do not let that fact fool you.

The whole process is known as E.P.O.C. or the after burn effect. By using carbs to fuel our hard gym work, the body then becomes very protective of our few remaining carb stores while we refuel after a workout. But it must burn something in order to help the body continue to function. That's when we switch to losing body fat!

While aerobic exercise uses fat as it's primary fuel, you stop burning calories at an accelerated rate when you stop training. However, intense lifting uses carbs as it's main fuel during the session then switches to burning fat for twelve to sixteen hours after the session!

So how would somebody go about using this training protocol?



The reason most people believe weight lifting is purely for bodybuilding purposes is because most people follow a bodybuilding routine without realizing it. Take a look the next time you train. How many people are lifting a weight for eight to twelve reps? How many are sitting for one-to-two minutes resting after each set? The answer is too many. That's normal gym procedure for the masses.

If you are aiming for high intensity resistance training, however, that is not what you should be doing.

High intensity resistance training involves reducing rest periods but keeping your training hard and heavy. Pair compound lifts together and work through sets of three of four moves in one circuit. You'll get more done in your session than those taking vast rest periods after every set, and you will notice significantly greater fat loss results in the weeks which follow.

The myth that cardio is for weight loss and weight lifting is for bodybuilding should no longer plague gyms across the country. Yet it does. In discovering the numerous pieces of scientific research which prove just how effective weight training can be for burning unwanted body fat, you now find yourself in the minority of gym users who can use this knowledge to your advantage.




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