For many, having lean, sculptural muscle is at the top of the list of seemingly unattainable goals. Losing weight and building lean muscle is a commitment that takes a lot of time, energy and money, right? Not really. In fact, there are ways to get rid of excess fat in a relatively short time. You just have to be disciplined and have practical knowledge of how the body burns fat. By increasing physical activity, avoiding fattening foods, and making slight lifestyle changes, you can maximize your fat burning potential and eventually have the muscle you crave.
Step
Part 1 of 3: Exercise to Burn Fat
Step 1. Train the muscles
Lift weights or do other intense resistance training 3-4 times a week. If you can access a gym, start with the usual muscle building exercises (targeting 2–3 muscle groups per session) so that by the end of the week you've worked all the major muscle groups. If you exercise at home, push-ups, pull-ups, water squats, and crunches will suffice. While it may seem counterintuitive, exercising your muscles can actually burn more calories in the long run than running for hours on a treadmill.
- Pay attention to all the important muscle groups (legs, back, core, chest, shoulders, arms, etc.), don't just stress the visible muscles like the abs and biceps. Exercises like squats, lunges, rows, dips, and shoulder presses that require a high level of coordination are great for building muscle in different parts of the body.
- The body will continue to use calories to maintain muscle tissue, even at rest. The more muscle mass you have, the more calories you will burn.
Step 2. Focus on strengths
Use a strength-based approach to program training sessions, 4-5 sets of each type of exercise, with 5-10 reps per set. Because you're also cutting calories from your diet, excessive physical exercise will break down muscle without having time to receive enough nutrients to repair it. Exercising within the right limits while building and maintaining quality muscle mass is really just a matter of shifting the focus from endurance to strength.
- Weight training sessions should be relatively short (no more than an hour) and emphasize mixed exercises (squats, deadlifts, and benchpresses).
- Rest 2-3 days per week to give your body a chance to recover.
Step 3. Pay attention to the core muscles
Dedicate a portion of the exercise to strengthening and building core muscles. You can set aside the last 15 minutes of a weight training session, or add one or two core-only sessions each week. Core exercises should focus on the abdomen, such as sit ups with weights, crunches, leg lifts, planch, and suitcase carry. For most people, a muscular body is identical to a six pack stomach with sculpted muscle ripples around it. The more often you train the muscles in the middle and lower abdomen, the clearer the shape of the muscles once the fat has been removed.
- Your core will also build when you do exercises to build strength and muscle mass (especially squats and deadlifts).
- Specific core workouts will make your abs visible, but to get the muscular body you want, you'll need to train your entire body, do a few hours of cardiovascular exercise each week, and stick to a low-calorie diet because 80% of your success in achieving a lean, muscular physique depends on nutrition.
Step 4. Do cardiovascular exercise
In addition to weight training, add a few hours of steady cardio each week. You can jog, swim, bike, row, kickbox, or walk. While resistance training produces a more lasting calorie-burning effect, cardiovascular exercise provides a consistent fat-burning rhythm. When done together, these two exercises will show amazing results in no time.
- Increase your heart rate, but don't torture yourself. Find a pace and intensity that you can keep up with for the duration of your workout.
- End weight training with an hour of cardio. You've used up all the glycogen in your muscles when you lift weights. So, the body will immediately use stored fat as an energy source.
- Try doing cardio exercises in a fasting state (have not eaten anything). For example, jogging before breakfast. Choose a moderate intensity and duration. Again, without glycogen as an energy source, you will burn fat if you do cardio before eating.
Step 5. Push yourself with metabolism-challenging workouts
Several times a week, set aside time for short Tabata or HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) sessions. This exercise is not long, but very tiring, and has a huge impact on fat storage. HIIT and other difficult programming methods are known to be metabolically dense. That is, accelerate the mechanism of burning fat as an energy source and instantly lose weight. HIIT programs and similar training methods are usually offered in gyms in special classes.
- Tabata usually starts with a 20-second workout, then a 10-second rest. It was repeated 8 times. The whole workout only takes 4 minutes, but you will get amazing results.
- Apps like Tabata Timer and Tabata Stopwatch Pro make it easy to track your activity and rest intervals with your phone.
- HIIT training involves exercising at a high speed or intensity over a period of time (called “intervals”), then lowering the intensity over a short interval before picking up speed again.
Part 2 of 3: Losing Fat with Proper Nutrition
Step 1. Reduce calorie intake
Watch your diet by not consuming more calories than you burn. The simplest and most effective way is to record the approximate number of calories consumed in each meal. When it comes to losing fat, it's best to reduce your daily calories as much as possible, but still get all the nutrients you need to maintain lean muscle. If the calories used during exercise are greater than the intake through food, fat will continue to decrease.
- The number of calories that should be consumed varies from person to person, and is highly dependent on weight and body composition (people with greater muscle mass need more calories to maintain it), activity level, and other factors.
- Consult a doctor or nutritionist if you decide to adopt a low-calorie diet. Experts can tell you how many calories you need to maintain a healthy body composition according to your size, age, and activity level. They can also provide food and supplement recommendations which will be very helpful.
- Use a nutrition app (like My Fitness Pal, My Diet Coach, or Lose It!) or a regular food journal to keep track of the number of calories you eat each day, week, or month to ensure you're reaching your goals.
Step 2. Choose foods high in protein and low in fat
Rearrange the food pyramid so that your diet consists mostly of protein-rich foods. Also, reduce oily and high-fat foods to a minimum, or avoid them altogether. High-fat foods are so rich in calories that it doesn't take much to sabotage your plans. However, foods high in protein and low in fat generally contain only a few calories. The protein content will form muscle mass that can burn calories, and keep you full longer.
- Get protein from food sources such as lean meat, eggs, beans, tofu, etc. Stay away from fried foods, chips and other snacks.
- The general rule of thumb in this program is a minimum of 1 gram of protein for every 1 kg of body weight. So, if you weigh 75 kg, you should try to get 75 grams of protein every day.
- Increasing your intake of protein crackers or protein drinks will help meet your protein needs without having to eat every two hours.
Step 3. Choose natural and fresh foods
Stay away from fast food, frozen food, and other processed foods. Try to always eat natural and fresh foods. Your diet should consist of whole grains, green leafy vegetables, raw nuts, and fresh fruit. These foods are full of macronutrients that the body needs and will use to build a strong and muscular physique. Fresh food also does not contain preservatives and other chemicals that are difficult to digest and break down into energy.
- Organic food is a bit expensive, but worth the benefits offered. Every food made from organic ingredients will make you satisfied and full.
- Plan your shopping and cooking prep ahead of time. That way, you know what to eat, can track calories and other nutrients, and always have food when you're hungry so you won't be looking for unhealthy options.
Step 4. Limit sugary foods
You have to forget about candy, donuts, and other very tempting sweets. Nothing slows down the fat burning process faster than sugary foods. Although sugar can provide instant, short-term energy, most of it will only end up as fat tissue if it is not used directly as an energy source. For best results, reduce sugar intake to 50 grams per day or less. If you must eat something sweet, opt for ripe bananas, berries, or a filling snack like yogurt with raw honey.
- Be careful with packaged juices, as well as fresh fruit. Although sugar is best obtained from natural sources, it will build up over time.
- Check food packaging carefully when shopping. Sugar is not only contained in cakes, other foods sometimes contain excess sugar.
Part 3 of 3: Making the Body Work Efficiently
Step 1. Get plenty of rest
Try to get 7-8 hours of sleep every night. The body will recover on its own and form new tissue when resting. It is at this time that the muscle mass that you have worked so hard to build will begin to develop. A good night's sleep also recovers from fatigue, injury, and aches, and leaves you refreshed and ready for the next workout.
- Turn off the TV, stereo, cell phone, tablet and other electronic distractions before going to bed so you can have a restful, restful sleep.
- If you're having trouble sleeping undisturbed at night, try taking a 20–30 minute nap.
Step 2. Maintain adequate body fluids
Drink plenty of water, especially during intense exercise, to replace fluids lost through sweat. Every cell in the body contains water. So, it goes without saying that fluids are essential for optimal growth and function. You'll feel more energized if you stay hydrated, and water can suppress the urge to eat when you crave unhealthy food.
- Choose water to replace soda, sports drinks, alcohol, and other drinks full of carbohydrates from sugar.
- As a general rule, you should drink when you feel thirsty. Try to drink 2-3 liters of water per day. When you urinate, your urine should be light or clear.
Step 3. Drink black coffee and green tea
Choose black coffee in the morning or a cup of organic green tea when relaxing in the evening. Coffee beans and tea leaves contain antioxidants that reduce inflammation in the body, fight age-related diseases and obesity. Caffeine and other components in tea and coffee have been shown to have mild thermogenic effects. That is, it can help destroy fat cells.
Do not add cream and sugar to coffee and/or tea. It will only add unneeded calories
Step 4. Try intermittent fasting
You may often hear the advice that to lose weight, you should eat smaller meals more often. In reality, it will only make the calories accumulate and exceed the daily limit. Alternatively, try fasting 8–10 hours every 1 or 2 days a week. Over time, fasting will suppress appetite and return the body's hormone levels to normal. Plus, by not eating, you'll be burning calories all the time and that's great on a low-calorie diet.
- For intermittent fasting, start with breakfast as usual, but don't eat again for the next 8–10 hours. Or, start fasting as soon as you get up in the morning, and eat in the afternoon or late at night.
- Fasting is very safe, as long as you don't starve. Make sure you eat properly at least during iftar. The perfect choice is a high-protein meal with moderate fat and carbohydrates.
- Consult your doctor or dietitian before trying intermittent fasting. Discuss what kind of nutrition, schedule, and frequency will be most beneficial for you. Fasting may not be suitable for everyone, especially those with hormonal or metabolic disorders.
Tips
- Be patient. While a lean, muscular body can be built in no time, the exact duration really depends on your body composition, hard work, and discipline. Set realistic goals. Losing 1–1.5 kg per week is already great progress.
- Reduce your calorie intake gradually to make dieting easier and to prevent shocks to your system.
- Schedule specific days of the week to target specific muscle groups. For example, squats on Mondays, bench presses on Wednesdays, deadlifts on Fridays, and so on. This ensures the body has time to recover before being used again. If you do bodyweight exercises at home, take a day off between each total body workout.
- Supersets (exercises that involve one muscle group and rest another) will provide metabolic benefits, while keeping the training time short.
- Eat a protein source right before or after a workout as a muscle reward.
- Use protein drinks as a meal replacement if you're counting calories, or right before fasting to keep your body functioning properly.
Warning
- Building lean muscle is a common and achievable goal, but some people have a harder time achieving it. If you tend to be fatter or have a stocky physique, this process should be continuous. In addition, your energy levels may drop once they fall below their natural body composition levels.
- Avoid fat-burning drugs or other supplements that claim to help you lose weight. Such products are not only untested, but also have side effects on health by overstimulating the body and imposing chemical changes on the metabolism. Pay attention to what you put into your body and how it responds.
- Rest is an important part of training. Never exercise more than six days a week without a day off.
- Intermittent fasting and cardio exercises on an empty stomach can help with unwanted weight loss, but are dangerous when taken to extremes. Never go more than 12 hours without eating, and don't push yourself too hard on an empty stomach. The body needs food to function.
- Make sure you're in good enough physical shape to do high-intensity exercises like Tabata or HIIT.
