What is the best way to lose weight? That is the question
thousands of people ask themselves everyday. The problem is that there
are so many different methods one could use to lose weight that it is
difficult to determine which will be the most effective for you. There
is no replacement for a healthy diet when trying to lose weight, but
diet alone will not usually allow you to lose weight effectively. In
order for a healthy diet to work to lose weight, it must be combined
with exercises that increase your lean muscle mass. The best way to
build lean muscles is by lifting weights. But can you lose weight by
lifting weights? The answer is yes, but you must follow a strict regimen
that is designed specifically to lose weight.
Because weight lifting is normally thought of to bulk up and gain weight, it may be
difficult to believe you can actually lift weights to lose weight. But
by understanding how the process works, you will clearly see that weight
lifting could actually be the best way to lose weight.
When you
begin your quest for weight loss, the first thing you need to figure out
is how to raise your Resting Metabolism Rate. The Resting Metabolism
Rate or RMR is the rate in which your body consumes fuel when it is at
rest. The fuel, or calories as they are more commonly known, comes from
the foods you eat and are then burned to fuel your body. But do you know
where your body burns most of the calories you take in? In lean muscle
mass.
Because muscle is an active tissue, your muscles will
continue to burn calories even when you are resting. This means that the
more muscle you have in your body, the faster your body will burn
calories. By the same token, the more fat you have the slower your body
will burn calories. This leads us back to the question from earlier, of
whether you can lose weight by lifting weights. After learning about how
the body processes calorie intake, the answer is an obvious Yes.
Going
back to diet for a moment, it should be noted that the reason many
people never lose weight by dieting alone is because they do nothing to
increase their RMR. You must combine your healthy diet with a good
exercise program. But be careful, even exercises like aerobics or other
cardio type workouts do little to increase your RMR. That is the reason
most good trainers suggest you add weight lifting to your exercise
program.
So how often do you need to lift weights to get the most benefit for weight loss? Well, most fitness experts will tell you that
lifting weights 2-3 times per week will be more than sufficient to
increase your RMR and get that fat burning off your body.
Start
with a weight that is comfortable for you to lift 8-12 times or reps. If
your muscles do not become noticeably tired by the 12th rep, the weight
is too light for you. Gradually increase the weight until your muscles
become fatigued around the 12th rep. As you begin to build lean muscle
mass, you will need to gradually increase the weight. When you reach a
point where your muscles do not get noticeably tired around the 12th
rep, increase the weight around 10%.
The information provided in
this article is meant for both men and women alike. There are no
separate rules to increase your RMR. So for the ladies who are afraid to
get too bulky from lifting weights, not to worry, the testosterone
level in your body will not allow you to build muscles like a man. But
men, the amount of testosterone in your body will actually help you by
speeding up muscle growth and allowing you to increase your RMR much
faster than women. So no excuses for not losing weight!
In closing
this article I'd like to note that while weight lifting is the perfect
exercise to build lean muscle and increase your RMR, it should not take
the place of aerobic or other cardio exercises, it should be use along
with them. Working hand in hand with your healthy diet, weight lifting
and cardio exercises will increase your RMR thus allowing you to lose
weight. Dieting by itself will actually slow down your metabolism and
possibly cause you to gain weight. Don't let that happen to you. Get out
there and lift those weights.
It is important to note that before any weight loss program is
started you should see your doctor. To get more free information on how
you can make better choices for a healthier life, please visit my
website: http://bit.ly/1nl1Dmg
