Weight lifting and other muscle building activities are a great way to get into shape. Although in the past these activities were typically associated with men, both sex’s now participate equally. Women have realized that they wont turn into bulked up she hulks by putting on a bit of lean muscle mass. In fact, most ladies love the slightly toned but supple look they get from lifting weights.
Everyone who does weight lifting as part of their weight loss program will see benefits. If you’ve read my FREE Inspirational Weight Loss Guide you’ll know weight training played a key role in my losing 60 pounds!
But WHY does it work?
Well, the first reason muscle building is a such a great exercise type for burning fat is because it actually boosts metabolism for both the short and long term. It has been found that in the first few hours after a weight training session you experience an increase in metabolic rate. Then, because you maintain a total amount of lean muscle mass, you create a permanent increase in metabolism.
This is different from cardio. You wont develop much lean muscle from cardio training. Plus the burn the comes after only lasts about 30 minutes.
The second reason muscle building exercise like weight lifting works so well for weight loss is because, while cardio may make you lose weight, weight lifting will help you lose body fat, altering your body composition.
Many individuals who just hop on the treadmill to lose the pounds don’t end up looking much different — even if they do successfully lose 10 to 20 pounds. This is because they still have the same proportion of muscle mass to body fat; they are just “smaller.”
Weight training and other muscle building techniques will help change the way you look completely, giving the impression that you’ve replaced fat with muscle and are actually working at improving your body and changing your body composition. Remember that nice round bottom you’ve always wanted? Or those toned thighs? For the guys, how about those rock solid abs and great arms?
Building muscles for fat loss is a great alternative to cardio and will give you better, more visible results.
However weight lifting routines and the like are specifically designed for fat loss. They are far beyond the scope of this blog post. They are part of a greater area of knowledge that requires experience and professional insight.
But don’t let that stop you from adding a couple muscle building exercises to your weight loss program. The bottom line is that building muscle is good for you and it will help you lose weight.
So do it!
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