How To Burn Body Fat In The Most Efficient Way Possible

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How To Burn Body Fat

What’s better Cardio? Weight Lifting? Interval Training… How do they stack up? Learn what’s best for on how to burn body fat…

Almost everyone that goes to the gym has been interested in how to burn body fat at one point in their lives. So if you’re looking to lose body fat and build muscle in the fastest way possible this article might shed some light on your quest to do so.

So, do you think that running on the treadmill is the ultimate solution of all time to lose body fat?

What is the fastest way possible?

Well, not really if you read my interval training article you would know why.

Maybe, sprinting up a hill would help?

Or wait, what about those squats and that crazy chest workout?

I know, we are all fitness trainers and gym junkies in our own skin and you must be having your own idea regarding what will suit you the best. However, I am here to break some myths for you and provide you with the right solutions that will most definitely help you in your quest to lose additional body fat as fast as possible.

The Top Three Contenders

When you are looking to burn extra body fat, you have three main methods that people mostly use (Leaving dieting out) let us take a look at each one of them.

#1 Cardio

  • If you are not really sure about how to use cardio to lose weight, you need to know what it consists of and know that most are done for a prolonged periods of time which lifts up the heart rate and works your cardio respiratory system. Some of the more standard cardio routines are, long jogs, running on treadmills, using the elliptical and the swimming, biking and the list goes on.

#2 Interval training

  • This is another commonly used method that is sure to fetch you some good returns. An example of this is when you are deciding to run or even use the bike or elliptical and you make it a point to constantly vary the intensity as well as the speed, it is known as interval training. Ideally, it follows the logic of springing for 30-60 seconds and then you follow it with 90 seconds of jogging or a slow walk. If you repeat this cycle for say 20 to 30 minutes, this is known as interval training and is considered to be an effective method of losing calories and burning body fat.

#3 Weight training

  • Whenever you carry out exercises where you lift weight or even when you carry out compound exercises, it is termed as weight training. This too can be very helpful in shedding the extra pounds. This is also often referred to as resistance training as well. The best thing about weight training is it breaks down your muscle tissue and this increases your resting metabolic rate (RMR).

There has been a number of studies that have been conducted on all these ways and methods of losing additional body fat. I too embarked on many different ways on how to reduce body fat and got a first-hand idea of how things work for my body. So, here I am to share with you and give you a precise idea of the way things work and why. However, before I begin, there is one thing, which you should know.

If you are looking to win the battle of calories, the one thing, which you need out be mindful of, is your simple diet plan. It does play a very crucial role, duh! So keeping that in mind and assuming you have a clean diet we will evaluate different ways to burn calories.

Again, the diet you choose will have to do with your fate of course; be it success or your failure. So, until and unless, you have a kick ass diet that is clean, how are you ever going to get hold of your total calories or much less burn additional body fat? I know, it even sucks to think that there will be no more of those pop tarts or the lemon cakes from Starbucks, but when you need to be in shape you need to be able to hold yourself accountable. Let’s be real I am human, I enjoy in and out burger from time to time but when it’s time to buckle down I possess the self-control to regulate my eating habits.

Now that we have the diet thing in check, let us get started to the other aspects and go back to what BURNS calories.

Cardio for Weight Loss

There is a deep relation between cardio and weight training for burning calories. Most basic thing you could try to do, of course, is to jog down the street. It doesn’t take a scientist to know that you will burn more calories doing this and you are bound to lose weight some weight. So, get up on a treadmill and start running three miles every day. You lose 300-400 calories and keep the diet thing correct; you will end up losing weight.

Looks pretty simple?

It definitely must have some kind of a catch. Let us get to that little catch.

Cardio is insanely boring! But if it doesn’t bother you then by all means keep running on the treadmill. Absolutely sucks the fun out of me personally. Further, it might help you shed the extra pounds but man; you will never get the true shape that you desire if that’s ALL you do. Also, it doesn’t really stress your body a whole lot, unless of course you’re an endurance runner training for a marathon. You really won’t push yourself beyond your comfort zone if you are just doing a slow jog around the neighborhood.

So, why isn’t cardio for weight loss the best choice? The reason is that when you are carrying out cardio, the exercise post oxygen consumption (EPOC) is pretty low, which means that the rate of burning calories stops pretty drastically, or the moment you get down from the treadmill.

What is good about it?

The best thing is that it is a good way to start if you’re a complete beginner or are prone to burn out easily. Remember at the end of the day some exercise is better than none, so turn off the Xbox and drop the twinkles and hit the pavement.

The High-Intensity Interval Training

When it comes down to burning calories by engaging in interval training, you will find that interval training is going to be way more efficient as compared to steady cardio.

Why is it?

EPOC holds the answer. If you are doing high-interval training, the rate of metabolism will continue to be high even after you are done with your no equipment workout. This means that long after you’re done with your workout, you will continue shed calories. So, yes even if you sit on your bum with a remote in hand, you will continue to lose weight.

How cool is that?

So, How Does Interval Training Truly Work?

Interval training constantly pushes your heart in a way such that you will be forced to adjust to the changes. As your heart learns how to get adjusted to the different ways of working, your body will slowly learn the best ways of adapting to the changes. When your heart is constantly sprinting and changing, it will push your metabolism higher and so it will stay the same even hours after you are done with the exercise.

You can check out the statistics and details from some of the top studies that prove how interval training has an upper hand over steady cardio and is the better choice among the two for the sake of losing body fat and unwanted pounds.

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Lifting Weights

So, you must be wondering that if cardio is a somewhat okay choice and interval training looks to be the smarter choice, where would weight training fit in?

Well, as per the different studies and statistical data that were computed, it was found that people who carried out weight training ended up https://gymjunkies.com/weight-loss-plateau/ than the other two groups.

So if you keep track of calories burned lifting weights, you will find that it truly helps you burn additional body fat in the best manner.

Now that’s if you stack all three against each other but what if you blend all of them with a health diet?

The Workout I Choose

So, when I closely observed all these three points and actually embarked on doing them myself I have learned that really a blend of all is the most effective. This being said if you are trying to lose weight you will need to watch your diet and have a calorie deficit of around 500. An example of this would be if you normally consume 3,500 you would only consume 3,000.

You also need to choose the right kind of exercises as well and ideally you should look into compound exercises as they burn the most calories. Some possible examples include squats, deadlifts, shoulder press, bench press, kettle-bell swings and so on. When you carry out these exercises in a circuit, it is sure to help you build muscles and at the same time, the number of calories which you will be burning is going to be very high too.

A lot of people I have met have often felt bewildered with the question of which method seems to be best for losing weight. It all boils down to he way you prefer and the way it fits in your life. There are different types of people who can choose to exercise the way they wish to and if you are looking to get the most out of each, here are the key points you need to know and follow.

Cardio Lover

You can do and benefit from cardio under the following situations. Go for cardio if…

  • You love spending time on elliptical and treadmills
  • You have a lot of free time with you
  • You are a beginner and don’t know shit about training

High-Intensity Interval Training Lovers

You should consider doing these workouts if…

  • You really do not have a knack for lifting weights, but you have a zest to burn down the extra calories and that too pretty fast
  • Your available time span per day is pretty limited
  • You have a desire of testing the limits of your own body
  • You’re an athlete, and this will mimic most sports as the are “Stop and Go”

Weight Training Lovers

You can carry out weight training if…

Ideally, when you are looking to lose the extra calories, the best thing is to opt for a combination of all of the above. Each of these methods has some benefits or offer and when you opt for a blend of all these methods, you are going to reap the best out of all of it.

Some people are more suited to a certain workout than others so, feel free to explore this aspect and then choose accordingly because it is only then that you will be able to explore the endless ways by which you can truly make the most out of your need to look the best possible and shed body fat.

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Conclusion

Learning how to burn body fat and building muscles might not be a cakewalk, but when you have the facts right; you will enjoy the results. So, do a little bit of cardio, pump some iron and mix in some interval training. On top of it, always remember, what you eat is extremely important when trying to cut body fat.

So, be mindful of your own diet and very shortly, you will find that things will improve and you will get the most optimal results.

-Terry Asher

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Terry

Gym Junkies Founder & Editor in Chief at Gym Junkies LLC
I’m Terry and I’m here to help you achieve your fitness goals. I truly believe anyone can achieve the figure they want with the proper guidance. Through my extensive fitness blog, top fitness videos, leading workout supplements, and top selling eBooks, I have been able to help thousands of people online lose weight, tone up and get in shape. My passion is helping people all around the world change their lives for the better.
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2 COMMENTS

  1. Use a mix myself – probably close 60% weights 20 HIIT (mostly Kettlebell or clubbell circuits and sports) and 20 cardio – cardio’s good for warm-ups and makes up a proportion of most sports – want to get a good body shape or strong then you need weights – want to get maximum fitness you need HIIT – but his can be based on a wide range of things.

    As you say – no muscle mass = very slow calories burning no matter what you do

    • Edward,

      You bring up some great points. My ratio is very similar to yours as well, I incorporate weight lifting 5-6 days a week, Boxing/Running Interval Cardio 3-4 times a week and Endurance Cardio 1-2 times a week. It’s also important to adjust this ratio of course, depending on if you’re an Athlete/body builder/Endurance Athlete and so on.

      And yes of course I think people need to realize less muscle mass = less fat burning ability!

      -Terry

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