Strength training, done properly, promotes fat loss while promoting increases in muscular power. With a proper diet and strength training, you can gain lean muscle mass while dropping body fat. Using compound exercises and a high degree of intensity is important, but never sacrifice technique to add a few extra pounds to the bar. Consult your physician before beginning any diet or exercise program.
Program Basics
The basics of any strength-training program revolve around heavy, compound lifts. A compound lift is one that crosses multiple joints and works several muscles at once. Exercises such as the squat and deadlift work your legs, abdominals and lower back, and the deadlift works your upper back as well. These exercises are the cornerstone of what should become a strong physique. Chinups and rows work your back, biceps and forearms, and bench presses and military presses work the remaining muscles of your upper body. You must train hard, but if you do, you can continue to burn calories for up to 48 hours after training.
Program Design
Train your entire body every training session. Because you use your body as a unit, it is best to train it that way for maximal effect. To get enough rest, give yourself at least one day of rest between each training session, but train three times a week.
Squat first, as this is the most technically demanding lift and you need to do it when you are fresh. You can then alternate training your pressing muscles or your back first for every workout. Perform no more than three to five sets of five to eight repetitions of each exercise. Deadlift only once a week, and do so on your last training session. This will allow you to recover and train at intensities that promote greater fat loss.
Training Specifics
To get the most out of your program, train heavy, which means using at least 75 percent of the weight you can use for a single repetition of each exercise. This will increase your production of testosterone and by keeping your rest periods short, you limit your production of cortisol, a hormone that promotes fat storage.
Short rest periods also increase the production of growth hormone, a hormone that helps build muscle and burn fat. Gradually work up to your target weights and rest periods. Rushing things can lead to injury.
Diet
It does not matter how hard you train if you get all your food out of vending machines. You need protein for muscle growth and recovery, possibly twice as much as a non-training individual. You also need fat for hormonal production and regulation. A diet low in fat, particularly essential fatty acids such as those found in oily fish, nuts and seeds, can limit your ability to produce testosterone, which is critical for maintaining lean muscle tissue while losing body fat.
References
- "The Journals of Gerontology"; A Single Bout of Concentric Resistance Exercise Increases Basal Metabolic Rate 48 Hours After Exercise in Healthy 59--77-year-old Men; David L. Williamson, et al.; May 1997
- "European Journal of Applied Physiology"; Acute Hormonal and Neuromuscular Responses to Hypertrophy, Strength and Power Type Resistance Exercise; George O. McCaulley et al.; March 2009
- "Fiziol Cheloveka"; Acute Testosterone and Cortisol Responses to High Power Resistance Exercise; Andrew Fry & Charles Lohnes; July-August 2010
- "Journal of the American College of Nutrition"; Beyond the Zone: Protein Needs of Active Individuals, Individuals; Peter W. R. Lemon; 2000
- "American Journal of Clinical Nutrition"; Dietary Omega-3 Fatty Acid Supplementation; Gary I. Smith, et al.; February 2011
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