Training to Gain Muscle and Lose Body Fat - Weight and Cardio

Not that there's anything wrong with it, but one of my fears when trying to shed body fat is that I don't want to end up looking like one of those thin men's fitness models. If you're a bodybuilder or just seriously into the weights or strength training, you don't want to lose size or strength. At the same time, you don't want to be a fat bodybuilder. For a while that's where I was heading after I turned 30. Many of you are in the same boat. You may have grew up on the skinny side never being able to gain weight and have a phobia of being too thin so now that you've put on some size over the years you're holding onto it as if it were your life line. Mentally and psychologically, it is. But in the interim you've gained some unwanted body fat whereas before you couldn't gain weight to save your life.

Weights

Whereas diet is a crucial factor, we're specifically covering training here. Many have the misconception that when you're trying to lose body fat you automatically lose strength and need to train with light weight doing more reps. It's actually the opposite though. If you're looking to gain or at least hang on to lean muscle mass, you need to be lifting hard and heavy. If you're nutrition is on key, meaning you're getting plenty of quality protein and you're taking supplements such as glutamine and BCAAs (branched chain amino acids) to assist with proper recovery and growth, and you're getting adequate rest for growth, then there's no reason you should lose strength. If anything, you're going to at worst maintain your current level of strength because you're eating better quality foods and cutting out the crap in your diet. Also, pushing heavy weights really revs up your heart rate and can be related to high intensity interval training which is great for burning fat.

Cardio

You definitely need a cardio plan when dropping body fat but don't overdo it. Remember, you're ultimate goal is to carry as muscle mass as possible with minimal body fat; you're not training for a marathon. So your cardio program needs to be catered to this goal. I've found that alternating short sessions of high intense interval cardio training with longer sessions of low intensity cardio work best for fat loss (day 1 - short session, day 2 - long session and so forth). Doing cardio first thing in the morning is ideal. If this can't be done then perform it either after your weight training routine or really it can be done anytime. I don't recommend doing cardio before the weights though. Four to five times a week should do it but check the mirror and adjust accordingly.

To recap, lift heavy and lift intense and have a steady cardio plan. With everything, to get results, be consistent. You'll be amazed at how quickly you drop body fat while still being able to push some bone crushing weight in the gym.


Jason M. Stallworth
Owner of TheMuscleProgram.com

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Take Control of Your Nutrition Now and Lose Body Fat Quick and Naturally

We currently find ourselves in the most disorienting time regarding proper nourishment to lose body fat quick and naturally. We're bombarded by ads and websites and "gurus" who all seem to oppose each other and claim their method of dieting will get you those results you've always dreamed of. If all these people are correct, then why is obesity still a growing concern in the west?

One of the most essential messages that I try to get through to people amongst all the bewilderment, is that your diet does not need to be "low carbohydrate" or "low fat," or any other extreme to be successful in losing body fat quickly and naturally so you can see your abs. The best approach entails simplicity and balance, along with eating nutrient rich foods in their natural state, as unprocessed as possible. It is generally the unnatural, thorough processing of foods that makes it hazardous to our health and our image. Most natural unprocessed foods are innately good for us.

Take for example drinking orange juice versus eating an orange. Orange juice contains little more than just simple sugars, which enter the blood stream with little or no digestive effort, any surplus being stored away as fat. The orange on the other hand, contains fiber, which increases the work of the digestive system (thereby burning calories) and interferes with the absorption of sugars and fats, and not to mention the vitamins and minerals that do wonders for your health.

I've detailed below a few of the most powerful nutritional changes that will help you to lose body fat quick and naturally, giving you a fighting chance for those abs to really show.

1. Always include protein in your diet. The digestive tract has to exert more effort in digesting protein than carbs and fats, thereby burning more calories. Proteins also make you feel full for longer, and are required in sustaining and building muscle mass. The more muscle mass you have, the higher your metabolism, so one should seek always to at least maintain what muscle they have.

2. Indulge in fibrous food! When eating carbohydrates, always try to ensure that your intake is from greater fiber sources such as fruits, vegetables and natural grains. As mentioned above, fibers interfere with the absorption of sugars and fats, not to mention having a list of health benefits far too long to list here. As a general rule, try sticking to carbohydrate sources that have at least two grams of fiber per ten grams of total carbohydrates.

3. There's no need to avoid fatty food! It's a mistake to avoid fats completely. Avoiding fat excessively can have a negative effect on your hormone levels and cause more hunger and low mood. Regular intake of healthy fats is advisable. Good sources include all seeds and nuts, olive oil, virgin coconut oil, olive oil and organic meats and eggs. Despite the taboo against saturated fats, those from tropical oils are actually very beneficial to your health and diet.

4. Avoid the following products as much as possible (possibly the worst artificial addition to our food supply):

- Artificial trans-fats found in margarines, shortening and hydrogenated oils, which are present in most processed foods.

- High fructose corn syrup, which is found in almost all sweetened products on the market.

A simple way to avoid these, is to just avoid all processed foods.

I truly believe that as soon as you get a handle on just these 4 aspects of your diet, you'll gain control not just of your appetite and body fat, but also of your health and energy. As you do this, everything else just seems to fall into place as your amazing results make you more and more motivated to continue to really lose body fat quick and naturally. After that it's just a matter of time before those abs really start to show!


The ability to lose body fat is under YOUR control. Effort alone is not enough, you have to arm yourself with information on the most efficient and proven ways to lose body fat and keep it off permanently! Read around and gather all the information you can - experiment with different methods until you find a way that works. To get you started, click on the following link to discover a method that thousands have used to lose body fat [http://www.lose-bellyfat.info/] quick and naturally.

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