Women, Weight Training, And Metabolism
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When most women think about losing weight they usually attempt one of two options. The first is to go on a diet which involves eating fewer calories over the course of the day. The second option normally involves some form of aerobic exercise, whether it be jogging, bike riding or an aerobics class. The more intrepid losers of weight will combine the two approaches and will have some success getting rid of the extra weight. But more often then not the results are short lived and the weight comes right back on when they fall off the fat loss bandwagon and return to their more normal way of life.
But why is this? Isn’t the latest infomercial exercise guru exclaiming loudly the benefits of this diet or that piece of cardio exercise equipment? Unfortunately the ability to lose weight and keep it off is controlled by your body’s calorie burning engine. That engine is referred to as your metabolism. It’s simple really, the higher your metabolism the more calories you burn, even when doing nothing. That’s right, burn away that unwanted fat even when doing nothing.
So how do you increase your metabolism to the point that it is a constant fat burning machine?
It will come down to your dedication to do the things required to permanently lose the weight and keep it off because the rate at which your metabolism runs is based on the diet you eat and how active you are. It takes calories to burn calories, that’s the way your body’s metabolism works. But it is the type of calories that determines this. The healthier your diet the more calories you can eat without adding any additional fat.
But diet is only one part of the equation. The other is your level of fitness. There are two parts to any good exercise program, aerobic conditioning and weight training. Aerobic conditioning does burn calories, but once you are done with your workout your metabolism gradually slows down. You burn calories only during the time you are exercising. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do aerobic exercise because strong cardiovascular health is very important in this day and age.
But if you are truly looking for the ultimate in metabolism boosting fat burning exercises then you need to weight train.
And here’s why.
Weight training forces your body to build muscle. This muscle building process does not happen while you are lifting weights, it occurs for hours after your workout is over. Lifting weights actually breaks down muscle fibers, which react by getting stronger during the time after your workout is over when you are resting. It takes energy to rebuild these muscles. Calories, lots and lots of calories. Not only that, but the more lean muscle mass you posses the more calories are needed just to maintain that muscle. And we’re not talking about getting huge massive muscles. When you weight train you can adjust the amount of weight you use and sculpt your body anyway you see fit. Just firming up your overall musculature will tone and shape your body while at the same time making it possible to keep the weight off. It’s a win-win situation for anyone who is serious about losing weight and then keeping it off.
Weight training is the best way to boost your metabolism to its fat burning heights. Not only does it strengthen your body it burns calories while you are sleeping, turning your metabolism into a fat wasting machine.
If you have tried the diets and the aerobic machines but have little to show for it try combining them with actual weight training. You may be surprised by the changes you see.
Andrew Bicknell
http://www.articlesbase.com/women’s-issues-articles/women-weight-training-and-metabolism-109040.html
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December 2nd, 2009 at 1:04 pm
Suggestions for a woman weight-training for weight loss?
I don’t want to be all muscley or anything, but I keep hearing how if you want to lose weight you have to weight train so you lose fat not muscle and increase your metabolism.
So I am wondering what kinds of things I should be doing each day and for how long. Just some simple things I can do at home. I don’t have any weights but I’ll get some when I know what to do.
Thanks!
December 2nd, 2009 at 6:06 pm
Hey! You have the right idea, weight training is the best idea anyone can have for wanting fat loss. Plus, it helps burn calories doing the day, youll have more energy and "pep in your step" haha.
But its kind of hard to do that stuff at home……. If you have any friends that live in an appartment, id suggest asking to use the appartment complex gym… or just signing up for a gym membership so u can use the weights and machines. The machines are the best though because u can up the weight and resistance…………….
But if you must do stuff at home, id buy ankle weights, and 5-10 pound dumb bells … Most of the gadgets they sell for ab work outs are gimmicks and dont work.
Id start off also by jump roping/jumping jacks for 15 min straight…. walk up and down stairs for 10 min…… etc…
The ankle weights are good for leg lifts and squats, [ u can find videos on how to do this, if u do a google search for work out routines] and arm circles with the weights…
OH ! and make sure you have music going!!
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My routines before i went to a gym
December 2nd, 2009 at 6:08 pm
Join a gym and talk to the trainer.
Don’t want to do that?
Buy a pair of ankle and wrist weights and go for a brisk 20-30 minute walk each night.
Buy a (light) set of dumbells (5 kilos max), and start doing lifts and curls.
Also, tone your abs by doing sit-ups (just remember to do them properly).
Buy a Bowflex or similar machine and use it as directed.
There are almost as many ways to build muscle and burn fat as there are people in the world.
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December 2nd, 2009 at 6:10 pm
Squats, lunges and push-ups are very good weight training exercises that you can do at home.
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December 2nd, 2009 at 6:12 pm
Uh, hold up. Who ever told you weight training was the best way to lose weight was completely wrong. I’ve been invovled in the fitness industry for the past 20 years and I can tell you if I ever heard someone tell a client that, I would have them fired. There are two ways to lose fat (3 if you count surgery but let’s assume you are smarter then that). 1.) Burn more calories and 2.) consume less calories. YOU WILL NOT EFFICIENTLY BURN MORE CALORIES THROUGH WEIGHT TRAINING. What you need to do is increase your heart rate and keep it up for a sustained period of time (15-45 min.) Things you can do at home? go jogging, jump rope, do stairs…..add some variety but know that in the end it takes focus and determination. Again, if it was easy there would not be so many out of shape people. Another thing: Avoid diets. They ALWAYS fail on there own. If they worked, you would not see so many diet books on bestseller lists or have so many competing diet plans. As for losing fat not muscle? That’s how your body works. It does not consume muscle unless there is no fat to burn. Likewise, you can not target fat. If you do more ab work, you will NOT focus fat loss around the abs. Understand: you have a finite amount of time for working out. You have to decide your priorities. If you spend 60% of your workout time weight training, you are only giving 40% to cardiovascular and therefore only 40% effecient in losing weight. Also, eating habits are important, but do not get too caught up in it. People tend to ‘diet’(starve themselves) then at some point they ’snap’ and binge. Again, diets fail. So, just be aware of what you are eating. Try to make some changes. If you heavily consume alcohol then cut back (lot of empty calories there), make and store tupperware containers full of healthy pastas, salads, vegetables so that when you just want a quick bite you can easily have something healthy as opposed to ice cream, cookies, etc….well, I’m getting off topic. Bottom line: Weight training is for gaining weight/muscle. Muscle does burn fat, but as studies have shown, not on any level that would allow a competent person to suggest weight training as a foundation for losing weight.
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