Build Your Fat-Burning Engine

For every pound of muscle on the body, 50 calories a day are burned at rest. That's not counting the calories using the muscle or building the muscle. That's just the number of calories needed to maintain the muscle. That's why professional body builders have to eat thousands and thousands of calories every day. If they don't, they lose muscle mass.

So, by putting on ten pounds of lean muscle, a body will burn an extra 500 calories every day seven days a week. Seven times 500 equals an extra 3500 calories burned every week at rest and that equals one pound of fat. Muscle is a fat-burning engine and, once the desired body-fat level has been reached, more calories can be consumed to maintain.

The food, of course, must be the right food. Not all good foods are good for everyone but added sugars and processed foods aren't good for anyone. In general, get foods that are as close to natural as possible. Locally grown, organic and in-season foods are always best. Eating less more often is another good rule of thumb.

Cardio also needs to be done correctly to maintain good metabolism. High intensity cardio is great for the heart and lungs but it also burns muscle. So, don't overdo it; once a week is enough. The rest of the time, keep cardio in the fat-burning zone, which is 60-70% of maximum (maximum=220-age).

Cardio should also be done after strength training and not before. Strength training should be done after a brief warm up, while the body is strongest. Post-workout cardio in the fat-burning zone simply throws a little kerosene on the fire created by the strength training and can actually be used to cool-down. Cardio in the fat-burning zone is literally like a walk in the park.

Most people want a flat tummy, so they do all sorts of ab work and core exercises. Unfortunately, tons of crunches will not produce a visible six-pack. Fat-loss cannot be spot-trained; only muscle building can. So, tons of crunches will only build bigger abdominal muscles and push the stomach out further. Fat must be burned from head to toe to reveal those abs and, unfortunately, belly fat is the last fat to go, which gets back to keeping the metabolism revved-up by building all of the major muscle groups.

Most muscles require 72 hours to recover. Most people who are serious about working out exercise at least three times a week. If a workout routine tears down the same muscles every time, the muscles never get enough rest or a chance to rebuild. Workouts should be divided so that pushing muscles are worked one day, pulling muscles another day and legs on a third day. This gives each of the muscle groups time to recover and develop.

The body, however, is a very adaptive organism. So, every two to three weeks, every exercise routine needs to be changed up. Different sets, reps, weights, exercises, tempos and ranges of motion can be used to keep your body advancing and away from plateaus. Slow reps with light weights, isometrics, plyometrics, and yoga are all great options.

One of the best ways to get fit and stay fit is to utilize a personal trainer. They know dozens of ways to work each muscle group, can tailor training regimens for any fitness goal and provide a level of accountability that cannot be duplicated in any other way. If a private trainer who makes house-calls isn't in the budget, local gyms are a great alternative and many times it's the same trainer but, because the gym provides everything, the rates are much more affordable.

Besides, what's more important than good health?

Jeff Cordeiro has spent years researching newhealthbasics.com the basics to good health. For details on the proper diet, exercises and sun exposure amounts for your body type in addition to articles on specific health concerns and a FREE gift, please visit newhealthbasics.com/articles.shtml the New Health Basics archive.