In general when looking to to lose a few pounds or more most people start a cardio training program to help burn fat. This usually results in a program of either running, walking, cycling or hours on the rower and cross trainer in the gym.
As fat burning exercises these can be successful but are they as effective as everybody thinks? Recent research now suggests that too much cardio training can have a negative impact when looking to burn fat.
A possible side effect of excessive cardio training is a lower metabolism meaning you will be burning fewer calories and less fat. This is because during and after cardio training the body can use lean muscle for energy if there is no other energy sources available. This can cause the syndrome of “thin fat” people who are small in size but having no muscle tone and a low metabolic rate therefore making them very vulnerable to rapid weight gain should they stop training and begin eating normally again.
A further key point is that moderate cardio training only keeps your heart rate elevated for maybe 1-3 hours after finishing your workout. Therefore the capacity to burn lots of fat in the "after-burn" of exercise is restricted.
So with these points in mind it now seems that the best fat burning exercise are the ones that build lean muscle and are performed at a higher intensity to create a much stronger and longer fat stripping post exercise metabolic state. So make sure that in your goal to lose fat start you include lots of free weight and body weight exercises.. For fat burning make sure that you just focus on multi joint movements. These exercises recruit far more muscles in the body resulting in higher energy expenditure and stronger metabolic response.
The most important exercises you should perform on a regular basis are:
Squats – Perform various types using free weight dumbbells and Barbells (No Machines!)
Deadlifts – Again to be performed with Dumbbells and Barbells
Chest and Shoulder Presses – No Machines if possible
Push ups- Use varying techniques to increase the difficulty
Pullups - Very difficult for most people only perform if you can do full range of movement. If you cannot do this exercise then use lat Pulldowns
Lunges – Vary between front, reverse and side.
Rows – Bent over Rows and cable rows
There are lots of variations of these exercises and I would recommend you research further to get more ideas.
When performing these as fat burning exercises you do need to focus keeping the intensity of your workout high. This means using relatively heavy weights ( weights you can perform between 6-10 reps ) and keeping rest rates between sets under less than 60 seconds so the heart rate is elevated throughout the workout. Another highly advised technique is to perform supersets to maintain intensity. Supersets involve a pair of exercises being performed without rest as on rep. This would be one set. An example of this would be doing 8 reps of deadlifts then performing 8 reps incline chest presses straight away. This has a better effect if opposing muscle group exercises are chosen.
If boredom is creeping into your exercise regime then think seriously about doing free weights in your workouts. They may just be the answer to getting the results you want.
Related Reading:
