If you live in Irvine, CA, and want to get leaner and stronger, there’s nothing like a strength-building workout to do it. As you build muscle, you burn fat. Even if you don’t shed a pound, you’ll look thinner. Muscle tissue weighs more per cubic inch than fat tissue does, so a pound of fat requires a larger container. It’s like comparing a pound of feathers with a pound of steel. The container holding the feathers will be larger. As you gain muscle mass, even if you don’t lose weight, your body will look thinner, and you’ll wear a smaller size.
Building muscle mass is different from building strength.
When you do strength-building, it creates lean muscle mass. You have to workout differently to get the bodybuilder type of muscles. The difference between training for bulk and training for strength. Building strength is all about lifting heavier loads with lower repetitions, while bodybuilding is all about lifting lighter weights and training to failure. It doesn’t matter what type of training you do, whether it’s for strength or bulk, always rest the muscles for 48 to 72 hours between sessions for the same muscle group.
What you eat makes a difference.
Eating healthy is vital to getting a lean, muscular appearance. If you’re overweight, you have to either maintain the same caloric intake or cut it back slightly. Eating whole foods, including plenty of vegetables, and increasing protein can also help build muscle tissue faster. The protein required varies by age, weight, sex, and activity level.
Add HIIT workouts to your routine to burn extra calories.
You need cardio training no matter what your goal. Cardio torches calories but gets the extra energy from burning both fat and muscle tissue. The loss of muscle tissue can interfere with strength building and weight loss. It lowers your metabolism. Including HIIT—high intensity interval training—-to your workout can burn tons of calories while building muscle tissue if used during a strength-building workout.
- Cut calories to get the lean look, but not by that much. Reduce your calorie count by 500 calories daily and increase strength training to burn fat while maintaining enough calories to build muscle tissue.
- Use a combination of isotonic and isometric exercises. Isotonic exercises include squats, pushups, and crunches. Isometric exercises include planks and yoga poses such as the Warrior or boat pose.
- Don’t worry about weight. Focus on inches instead. Since muscle tissue weighs more per cubic inch, you may not lose weight but will lose inches. You’ll get the lean svelte appearance and build strength.
- Get help from a personal trainer. A trainer can design a program to help you accomplish your specific goals. He’ll include methods to help you reach those goals faster, like using compound exercises or HIIT workouts.
For more information, contact us today at Next Level Fitness