Burning fat and toning muscle are two very common goals when embarking on a new workout routine. Many people think the best way to achieve these goals is to do hours of steady state cardiovascular exercise and eat very few calories, but there are far quicker, more effective ways of reaching your goals. Your training routine should include weight training, body-weight exercises and cardiovascular work, and be accompanied by a calorie-controlled, healthy diet.
Step 1
Perform three weight-training workouts per week. Resistance training helps to build lean muscle mass, while burning calories strips fat. Base your workouts around multi-joint free-weight exercises such as squats, deadlifts, bench presses and rows. While you may be tempted to use lighter weights and perform lots of reps to tone your muscles, this isn't the best approach, according to Christian Thibaudeau, author of "The Black Book of Training Secrets." High rep training will not sculpt your muscles, or burn more calories, and may cause you to lose muscle. Thibaudeau advises sticking to heavier weights for lower repetitions. Pick four exercises each session -- two lower body and two upper body -- and perform each for five sets of five to eight reps.
Step 2
Add in 10 minutes of body-weight training each day. John Romaniello, strength coach and author of "Final Phase Fat Loss," advises doing this first thing in the morning, as it helps to mentally energize you, gets you moving, and helps to burn extra calories and boost your metabolism for the day ahead. Split squats, planks, lunges, sit-ups and push-ups are all ideal exercises to use. Construct a circuit and perform 10 reps on each, resting at the end of each round. You should complete two to three rounds in the time.
Step 3
Swim, jog, cycle or play a sport three times per week. These activities are all cardiovascular -- they increase your heart rate, burn calories and boost your fitness. If you don't like going outside to do your cardio, you can do it on a gym machine instead. Whatever activity you choose, aim to train for half an hour each session and work at a moderate to high intensity.
Step 4
Monitor your progress carefully. Check your weight, measurements and take progress photos once a week. Doing this ensures that you're on track towards your goals and means that you can make any necessary changes to your training program. If you feel that you're not losing fat quickly enough, add in a bit more cardio training, or if you feel your muscles getting smaller and less defined, perform an extra weight-training session each week. Make sure you diet is on point, too -- use an online calorie calculator to work out your calorie needs and base your diet around fruits, vegetables, meat, fish, dairy products and whole grains.
Things You'll Need
- Well-equipped gym
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