How To Burn Fat In The Gym

One of the first questions asked by people looking to get lean is “what type of activity should I do to burn the most fat?”  The answer lies in resistance training.  Not only is this type of training really important to prevent against conditions such as osteoporosis and postural dysfunction, but it is quite simply, the only way to ensure that you develop a body that is metabolically active throughout the day (not just when exercising).  

Although many believe that linear-pattern cardio (swimming, cycling and/or running) is the way to go with fat loss, this is an incorrect and outdated belief.  While a beginner will benefit from this type of cardio for the first two or three months (due to the fact that their bodies are not used to this type of activity and therefore respond well to it), after this point, the body simply becomes better at utilizing a smaller amount of fuel over a longer period of time.  In other words, you train your body to become efficient with its fuel (the very last thing you want to achieve when looking to lose excess body fat).  

There is a time when performing linear-pattern cardio is necessary - specifically when training for an endurance event that involves running, swimming and/or cycling.  

Let’s say your goal is to lose weight, but you enjoy cardio-type exercise.  Try some interval training that takes you through the range of low to high intensities (such as sprinting, followed by walking and then sprinting again).  Spend about 15-20 minutes on this, but no more.  Alternatively, engage in an activity that challenges the nervous system and thus the brain (this organ uses up to 30% of your fuel at any given time when ‘activated’), through the use of balance and co-ordination.  Examples would be roller-blading; dancing; step classes, tennis, rock climbing etc.  

Now, back to the issue of resistance training.  Perform this type of exercise programme 3-6 days a week.  You could choose to combine upper and lower body in one session, or you could opt for specific muscle groups in each session.  Don’t train if you’re still sore from your last session, as your growth (and benefit) happens in the recovery period, not the training period.  Therefore rest is absolutely vital to a good training programme.  

Make sure you warm up well and don’t stretch out (at the end of the session) the muscles you worked during the session.  If, for example, you have just done a session that specifically targeted the chest, triceps and shoulders, you will not want to decrease blood flow to the area by stretching these muscle groups (blood flow is important for nutrition delivery and waste removal). 

You would be better off doing a long, slow cool-down after your training session as this would ensure that blood flow remains optimal for waste removal.  In an ideal world, stretching would be done as a session on its own (after a good warm up), concentrating specifically on the muscles you know to be habitually too tight, or overworked.  If you can't manage to do a stand-alone stretching session, simply stretch those muscles you have not just worked (but that are tight), since you’ll be warm from your workout.