How to Lift Weights to Lose Weight

[Mr.X]

How to Lift Weights to Lose Weight


Author: Michael Stefano

I was barely fifteen when I bought my first set
of weights. My best buddy and I lugged the 110-pound set uphill
for the twenty plus blocks from the porting goods store to my
parent's basement. Back then pumping iron was reserved for
bodybuilders and others at the extreme end of the exercise
spectrum. But there were a dedicated few of us that found out
just how far a little bit of weight lifting could take you.

Today things have surely changed! The popularity of weight
training has soared. We've discovered that if not taken to an
extreme, lifting weights, or "strength training" is one of the
healthiest, most fat burning and body transforming fitness
systems you can apply.

This article is not about bashing cardio, as aerobic exercise is
a useful adjunct in the fight against fat, but in a slower, more
drawn out format. But it is about breaking down the barriers
that prevent many more individuals from sharing in the benefits
of the most phenomenal approach to health, fitness, and weight
loss known to man (and woman) -strength training.

In this new millenium, most fitness experts and exercise
physiologists agree, a properly executed strength or weight
lifting routine can do the following:

Lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels, stabilize blood
sugar

Increase bone density, strength, endurance, speed and
flexibility

Reduce the risk of heart disease and certain types of cancer

Induce weight loss, tone muscles and create a more youthful
appearance

Increase strength, endurance and agility

This list goes on. And while you're deciding if strength
training is right for you, here's a tidbit of information that
may encourage you to partake - 20 or 30 minutes, two to four
times per week. That's the time it takes to do ALL of the
exercises necessary to share in the above benefits, including
the transformation of your entire body. But there are guidelines
that need to be followed to keep your program not only effective
but also safe. An early njury will sideline you before you get a
chance to see any real results.

The 5 Golden Rules of Strength Training

Rule One: Apply Perfect Form

Strict adherence to perfect form is absolutely crucial with any
strength or weight lifting program. Be sure you get instruction
from a reliable source (book, tape or trainer) and follow it to
the letter. Always move slowly through your full range of motion
with every exercise, and don't allow speed and / or momentum to
help you complete a lift in a haphazard or jerky manner.

Stay in control of the movement as you go through it smoothly
and deliberately, utilizing proper breathing techniques. Be
aware of speed and tempo. The part of the lift where you move
the resistance against gravity is defined as the positive phase,
and when lowered with gravity the term negative phase is used.
Keep the negative phase (a slow count of four) twice as long as
the positive (a slow count of two). You can opt to move even
more slowly (up to twice as long on both phases), as a way to
intensify the set without adding resistance.

Rule Two: Proper Intensity

Applying the right amount of intensity to every set will speed
progress, including muscle development and fat loss. Regardless
of how much resistance you're working against, or how many sets
and repetitions you do (see rule number three), ALWAYS work to
some level of muscle fatigue. Muscle fatigue is defined as the
point in the set when you experience some local discomfort or
slight pain in the targeted muscle group.

You needn't take the "no pain no gain" philosophy to the
extreme, but you do need to feel a substantial burn to get real
results. Lactic acid is the byproduct of anaerobic exercise, and
it's what causes that burning sensation in your muscles when you
near the end of a set. Don't sacrifice perfect form or attempt
to lift or go beyond a resistance level you can safely handle
just to get that lactic acid burn.

Quite to the contrary, adherence to perfect form will bring upon
muscle fatigue and associated burn much faster, and with a
reduced risk of injury or mishap.

As mentioned in rule one, slowing speed and tempo is another way
to increase intensity when you don't have the option of creating
additional assistance. This works well with exercises that
utilize body weight only.

Rule Three: Control Weight, Sets, Reps

Anyone embarking upon a new strength training program wants to
know, "How much weight should I lift?" and "How many sets and
repetitions should I do?" Your selections here will largely
control the overall effect of each workout.

Select a resistance level (or weight) that allows you to hit
fatigue in a pre-established rep range that coincides with the
results you want. But remember the cardinal rule; don't "waste"
a set because you initially picked too little resistance, work
to some level of muscle fatigue regardless of the number or reps
completed, and adjust resistance on subsequent sets.

The more intensely you train, the fewer sets are required to get
the same results but limit total sets to two or three per
exercise. If working at the proper intensity levels, your entire
workout should be no more than 10 or 15 sets This can be
accomplished in one session or split into two (see rule four for
more details on frequency of exercise).

Keep your objectives in mind, the addition of any amount of lean
muscle mass will burn more fat 24 hours a day.

Rule Four: Adequate Rest and Recovery

Intense exercise combined with an inadequate amount of rest
equals a failed program. Whether you create intensity by doing
extra sets or working past muscle fatigue on every movement,
intensity mandates plenty of recovery time.

Let's take a look at how to make sure we recover properly from
set to set, as well as workout to workout. Every workout should
start off with a five minute warm up. This could be a walk, jog,
step in place, or any such activity. Immediately after the warm
up move right into your first set done to fatigue in your
correct rep range. So how long do you rest before doing set
number two?

Long rest between sets is compatible with lifting heavy weight
at low repetitions. A three-minute rest will allow you to
recover completely and be ready for a heavy weight on the next
set. Shorter rest between sets will lead to more tone,
endurance, and fat-burning effect. A recovery time of one minute
or less will keep your heart rate elevated, necessitate the use
of a somewhat lower resistance level possibly still more than
you used on the first set), and burn a lot more fat.

On a weekly basis, more intensely trained muscles need more
rest. If, for whatever reason (illness, age, fitness level), you
need to keep intensity at a minimum, repeating two or three full
body workouts each week with at least 48 hours between each
workout is the way to go.

On the other end of the spectrum, if you're ready, willing, and
able to crank up intensity, be sure to rest an adequate amount
of time before repeating exercise on the same muscle group (from
48 to up to 96 hours). By splitting your full body routine in
half, you can create two separate workouts that train the whole
body in two sessions. This would result in four "half" workouts
each week.

Rule Five: Utilize Multi-Muscle Movements

Stick to exercises that act upon more than one muscle group. For
example, many of us are interested in maintaining lean and
well-toned arms. After all, this is the part of your body (man
or woman) that gets exposed all summer long, and there's the
temptation to do endless bicep curls or tricep presses.

But the biceps and triceps are relatively small muscles that
don't need a lot of work. As a matter of act, when bench
pressing, the chest, shoulders and arms are all trained at the
same time. This translates into a much higher calorie burn and
greater overall muscular development. If you want to lose weight
when you lift, forget about isolating small muscles.

Do an extra set of exercises like the bench presses for the
upper body and squats for the lower body. An easy way to
differentiate between exercises that isolate small muscles, and
those that work many muscles simultaneously, is to observe how
many joints come into play as you go through the full range of
motion called for. Multi-muscle movements will work across at
least two joints (usually the elbow and shoulder, or the hip and
knee). Stick with these "big" exercises that not only work many
muscles, and challenge the body in a more functional capacity,
but bring a host of balancing and stabilizing muscles into play
as well.

Quick Review of the 5 Rules

Rule 1: Adhere to perfect form, following
instructions/illustrations closely

Rule 2: Accelerate progress and overall results by increasing
intensity levels

Rule 3: Control weight lifted and reps performed to bring about
desired results

Rule 4: Adequate rest and recovery time is essential to
continued success

Rule 5: Stick to multi-muscle movements like squats and bench
presses

About the author:
Michael Stefano: Author of The Firefighter's Workout Book, Not
Just For Firefighters! Special Offer: Lose weight and get in the
shape of your life with the FREE Train For Life Newsletter, as
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