Building muscle mass and reducing body fat can be accomplished using a set of time-tested techniques involving both resistance (anaerobic) and aerobic exercises. The key to burning body fat is to use more calories in your daily activities than you consume in the foods you eat, and aerobic exercise provides a great way to burn extra calories. Building muscle mass requires dedicated resistance training, either with free weights, such as dumbbells or barbells, or with resistance training machines such as the Nautilus, Universal or Bowflex.
Step 1
Measure your current body fat and muscle mass, as a starting point against which you'll chart your progress. A generally accepted measure of body fat is your waist-to-hip ratio. Take a tape measure and determine the circumference of your abdomen two inches below the belly button. Take another measurement of your hip circumference at the widest point, and use these two measurements to determine your waist-to-hip ratio. To estimate your muscle mass, take two circumference measurements of your upper arm midway between your shoulder and elbow. One measurement is taken with your muscles relaxed and the second with your upper arm muscles both tensed (contracted). The difference in upper arm circumference will give an indication of your upper arm muscle mass.
Step 2
Exercise at a moderate, not fast, pace, as moderate activity tends to burn fat, while vigorous activity tends to burn carbohydrate. To burn fat, you must burn calories. The calorie is simply a unit of measurement, in this case a measurement of the energy that is consumed by working nerves, muscles and organs. For every minute that you spend in aerobic exercise (running, cycling, swimming), you burn extra calories.
Step 3
Cut down on your total food intake, particularly on your carbohydrates and fats. Much of the gains you'll make in burning fat through aerobic exercise will be lost if you replace it all through what you eat. Drastically reducing your intake of refined carbohydrates will force your body's metabolism into burning fat. Don't cut out too many proteins, as you'll need these to build muscle.
Step 4
Build your muscle mass through resistance training. You can use either free weights, such as dumbbells or barbells, or resistance training machines. Lifting very heavy weights with limited repetitions is a great way to build strength but not the best way to build muscle mass. Use the technique of competitive body builders; resistance train with moderate weights and high numbers of repetitions. Try for between 12 and 18 repetitions and use the heaviest weight you can lift this many times. Do three sets of 12 to 18 repetitions and concentrate on exercises that use all of your body's major muscle groups. Repeat this three times each week, being sure to give each muscle group a full day of rest.
Step 5
Get enough sleep. The resistance training exercises will trigger the release of growth hormone from the pituitary gland near your brain, but the growth hormone is primarily released only when you're asleep. Eight to nine hours of sleep is recommended.
Step 6
Measure your progress.
Tips and Warnings
- A good idea is to do your resistance training every other day, say Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and your aerobic training in between on Tuesday, Thursday, and the weekend. As an added benefit, muscle is a very metabolically active tissue. The more muscle you have, the more calories you will burn each day in your normal activities.
- When training with heavy weights, always be sure to have a spotter assist you. When participating in aerobic activities, be sure not to exceed your maximum heart rate (this can be estimated by subtracting your current age from the number 220).
Things You'll Need
- Resistance training equipment (dumbbells, barbells or weight training machine)
- Aerobic training equipment (running track, treadmill, elliptical trainer)
- Tape measure
References
- "Exercise Science: Understanding and Evaluating Physical Fitness and Health"; Warren Rosenberg, Ph.D. and Ciaran Cullen, D.C.; 2008
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