You lose intramuscular fat the same way you lose subcutaneous fat -- by burning it for energy. You accomplish this by limiting your caloric intake and increasing your energy expenditure through cardiovascular exercise and resistance training. Do not make drastic changes at first; start slowly with light weights and low-intensity, limited-duration cardiovascular exercise. Gradually decrease your caloric intake to avoid low blood sugar and depressing your metabolism. Consult a health care professional before beginning any diet or exercise program.
Diet
Step 1
Calculate your caloric intake by tracking what you eat for a period of one week. Count every gram of protein and carbohydrate and multiply this by four. Count every gram of fat and multiply this by nine. This total is your caloric intake.
Step 2
Eat less by decreasing your initial caloric intake by 250 calories. Modify your diet by cutting fat and carbohydrates, if necessary. Cut your protein intake last, as you need protein to maintain lean muscle mass while dieting.
Step 3
Eat no more than 20 percent of your calories from fat. Get most of your fats from healthy sources such as oily fish, olives and olive oil, flax, nuts and seeds. Limit your intake of saturated fats from animal products.
Step 4
Eat plenty of protein. Get 30 percent of your caloric intake from protein to maintain your strength while cutting calories. Get your protein from chicken, oily fish and very lean cuts of beef.
Step 5
Eat fruits and vegetables, but limit your carbohydrate intake to no more than 50 percent of your total caloric intake. Avoid simple sugars such as soda and junk food.
Training
Step 1
Lift heavy weights three times per week. Use compound exercises that work multiple muscle groups such as the squat or leg press, chin-ups and rows. Employ pressing exercises for your upper body such as the bench press and incline bench press.
Step 2
Train your entire body every workout and keep your workouts short. Incorporate three sets of eight to 12 repetitions per set. Train hard, as intense resistance training speeds up your metabolism, burning stored fat for up to 24 hours.
Step 3
Rest at least one day in between each resistance training session. This is the time to perform extra stretching or light cardiovascular exercise. To maintain strength, you need to give your muscles time to heal. If they do not need rest, you did not train hard enough.
Step 4
Perform cardiovascular exercise three times per week. This allows you to burn extra calories, including some from intra-muscular fat, which provides up to 20 percent of the calories you burn during exercise. Pick an exercise that you like and train for at least 30 minutes.
Tips and Warnings
- Track everything -- your diet, cardiovascular times and intensity, weights, sets and repetitions and the time it took you to complete a workout in the gym. You should make progress in all areas of training while cutting calories.
- Never lift without a spotter.
References
- "Physiology of Sport and Exercise, Fourth Edition"; Dr. Jack H. Wilmore, et al.; 2007
- "American Journal of Clinical Nutrition"; Effect of a High-protein, Energy-Restricted Diet on Body Composition, Glycemic Control, and Lipid Concentrations in Overweight and Obese Hyperinsulinemic Men and Women; E. Farnsworth, et al.; July 2003
- "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; W.L. Williamson, et al.; November 1997
- "Exercise and Sport Sciences Reviews"; Intramuscular Triacylglycerol in Energy Metabolism During Exercise in Humans; C. Roepstorff, et al.; October 2005
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