Burn Fat, Build Muscle,
and Speed Metabolism with
Weight Training and Calisthenics

Everyone knows that you can burn fat doing aerobics. Many gym members, primarily female gym members only visit the cardiovascular/aerobic area of their gym. It is almost as if they don't even see all of the dumbbells and barbells.

The truth is these gym goers would be better off in their quest for a lean physique if they paid more attention to the weights and less to the cardio. It is a myth that you will turn into Arnold Schwarzenegger if you add resistance training to your exercise program.

You also don't have to do grueling weight training workouts for hours per day. You simply have to challenge your muscles a little more than they are used to.

A good way to begin is with one exercise per muscle group for a set of 15 repetitions. After your body adapts to that (1 or 2 weeks), you can add a second set and/or more weight.

If you have already been incorporating resistance training into your exercise routine, you might want to do the same exercises but now due them on an unstable surface such as a stability ball to increase the challenge on both your muscles and your balance receptors. Of course, you should consult with a qualified fitness professional prior to beginning.

Charles Poliquin says in his book, German Body Comp Program, "You may be surprised and skeptical at this revelation, but you can lift weights to lose weight." Although aerobic exercise can and should be part of a complete exercise program, too much can be counter-productive.

Too much aerobic exercise, especially without a proper amount of nutrients can result in the loss of muscle. Once muscle is lost (a bad thing), metabolism is slowed, and now you are more likely to store fat.

The body of an average sprinter (anaerobic) versus the body of an average marathon runner (aerobic) proves my point perfectly. A sprinter does mostly anaerobic training which does not involve lots of cardio and they usually have very well defined bodies.

Marathon runners on the other hand do tons of cardio. They need to do this to compete in their chosen sport. They tend to have much less muscle definition than anaerobic (sprinters) athletes. Most people like a body that is shaped with curves developed from muscles and not bone.