 STEP 3: Focus on a Muscle buiding regimen In the last post of losing fat and building muscle at the same time, we talked about how strength training along with cardiovascular activity is the most effective way in changing your body composition. In order to minimize your body fat and to transform your body into a fat burning machine, your primary focus should be centered on procuring as much muscle mass as you can. So how do you do it? Well, there are several ways to go about it. The more popular approach is weight training. This encompasses the movement of weights in a series of sets, each comprising of repetitions. Equipment used includes dumbbells, barbells, cable pulleys, machines. Another approach is resistance training. The basic principle is the same as weight training; however, the equipment used differs. Elastic bands (resistance bands) or hydraulic resistance is involved to force muscle contraction rather than gravity (as applicable in weight training). An effective strength training approach is calesthenics. The primary means of resistance in this approach is your own bodyweight. Calesthenics encompass movements such as pushups, standing squats, situps, pullups etc. Isometric training is a strength building approach that strengthens the muscle at a specific joint angle. Some examples for Isometric training are wall sit, the plank Plyometrics is another effective strength training regimen that is often overlooked. It involves fast and powerful movements that improve ones overall explosiveness. Some plyometric moves include box jumps, clean and jerks, a dumbbell snatch Also noteworthy is that all these aforementioned strength training approaches involve different techniques/routines within. Some of these include: Super-setting: This technique involves performing one strength training exercise after another without any breaks in between. The muscle groups worked in the 2 consecutive exercises could be the same or different. An example of super-setting would be performing a flat bench press followed by dumbbell chest flys Drop-setting: This kind of routine encompasses performing the same strength training exercise successively (with no breaks) but with a lighter load. This works well with weight training. An example of drop-setting would be performing a flat barbell bench press at 145 lbs for 10 reps and then doing another 10 reps successively at 90lbs Circuit training: It is a combination of cardiovascular activity and strength training activity. Minimal to no break is involved when transitioning from one to another. When one circuit is finished, you rest and move on to the next circuit. An example of a circuit could be 10 pushups followed by 10 lunges followed by 10 pullups, with minimal to no rest between exercises. Ideally, you would want to incorporate as many of these strength training approaches and techniques into your own exercise routine. Sticking to one single training regimen for an extended period of time will eventually result in you reaching a plateau. Your body is going to get very efficient at performing repetitive exercises. In addition, changing your routine from time-to-time will keep things fresh mentally and keep your excitement and motivation up! CommentsLeave a Reply |
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