How to Lose Fat and Gain Muscle–Vary Your Muscle Mass Workouts

Lose Fat Gain Muscle

You’re concentrating on how to lose fat and gain muscle fast.  So you’ve got into a good, steady routine with your muscle mass workouts.  You feel good.  You look fitter and you’re starting to believe that all your hard work is making a difference.  All of a sudden you start to feel weak. You find yourself putting on weight.  Don’t be concerned.  It happens to all of us. 

This happens because people rarely change their muscle mass workout exercises.  You’ve got into a rhythm and you don’t want to change your exercise regime.  You do the same exercises, the same number of times and for the same amount of time.  You need to shake things up and introduce some variety into your sessions. 

So, what can you change and keep your weight gain to a minimum and your muscle building and fat loss to a maximum? 

There are a host of aspects that you can change and vary in your bodybuilding workout:

1)    The sequence in which you do your exercises
2)    Do your exercises as part of a circuit; put them into sets, etc.
3)    The type, e.g. multi-joint, single-joint, machine-based, free weight
4)    The number of exercises per workout
5)    The amount of resistance
6)    The time under tension
7)    The stability: stand, sit, one-legged, etc.
8)    The volume of work
9)    The rest periods between sets
10) The range of motion
11)  The angle: flat, declined, bent over
12)  Frequency per workout or per week

With all these variables under your control you really can begin to take the predictable trudge out of your body building workout.

Here’s a series of variables you may like to include to add a creative side to your muscle mass workout routine:

• 10 sets of 3, with only 20 seconds rest between sets.
• use heavier weight and complete 6 sets of 6 reps, doing a 3 minute treadmill sprint between each weight lifting set.
• use a near maximum weight and do 10 sets of 1 rep, with 30 seconds rest between sets.
• using a lighter than normal weight and do 1 set of 50 reps for each exercise
• a workout based on only one full body exercise, such as barbell clean and presses or dumbbell squat and presses, and do nothing but that exercise for an intense 20 minutes.
• a workout based on all bodyweight exercises such as push-ups, pull-ups, chin-ups, dips, bodyweight squats, lunges, etc.
• a circuit of 12 different exercises covering the entire body without any rest between exercises.
• the same 12 exercise circuit on your subsequent workout, but do the entire circuit in the reverse order.
• try your usual exercises at a faster repetition speed on one workout and then at a super-slow speed on your next workout.
• try completing five 30 minute workouts one week, followed by three 1-hour workouts the next week.
• try doing drop sets of all of your exercises, where you drop the weight between each set and keep doing repetitions without any rest until complete muscular fatigue (usually about 5-6 sets in a row).

Always vary your muscle mass workout routines and you will lose fat and gain muscle most effectively.  In this way you will get the most from every exercise session and gain the maximum benefit for your effort.

Take Up Body Building and Improve Your Health

Although body building is generally seen to be a mainly cosmetic enhancement, the associated health effects can be significant and far-reaching. So, take up body building and improve your health.  An efficient body is a healthy body.  This means that the systems upon which your body depends, will work more efficiently, resulting in less stress overall.  Such a body functions better and will be less prone to damage or disease.

The exercise regime associated with bodybuilding is good for your heart.  Eating fast food and leading a sedentary lifestyle makes an individual more prone to heart attack or heart disease.  A well tuned body will last longer and work more efficiently. 

Consider the social implications.  If you have children, think about how easy, or difficult it is, to play with them.  How long can you comfortably keep up with them for?  Is it a strain to play football for ten minutes?  Do you simply want to lie down every time you take a little exercise?  If so, you need to think about how you can improve the efficiency of your body.  It’s remarkable how much a small change in diet, or the amount of activity you do, can influence how you feel on a day-to-day basis.  A little change can go a long way.

Also, consider how your body works under pressure.  Are you constantly put under stress because of your lifestyle or your work?  If you are, you might want to think about getting your body into shape.  A fit, well-tuned body can cope better with stress.  It can handle the odd bad night’s sleep better and it will look and feel better.  So, act now and take up body building and enjoy the benefit of your subsequent improved health and fitness.  If you look after your body, it will look after you.

« Previous Page