When it comes to burning fat in my opinion there are 3 key ingredients to rapid results. Removing any one of these ingredients will still achieve a result however to a lesser extent then the combination.
The key ingredients are as follows;
1) Cardio – calorie burning
2) Resistance Training – increase muscle mass
3) Increased Metabolism – weight training and nutrition
Cardio is important for a number of reasons however primarily it is where most of the calorie burning is done during the work out. Compared to a resistance training workout, cardio is far superior for its fat burning capabilities. Further to the calories burning process, cardio improves aerobic capacity (heart and lung fitness) which essentially means the body becomes more efficient/healthy. This is never a bad thing!
With that in mind the leanest athletes on the planet – body builders know there is more to it than just cardio and some don’t believe in cardio at all. How can this be?
That brings us to keys 2 and 3!!
Increasing muscle mass through weight training and increasing metabolic rate through resistance training and good nutrition is the answer. While the fat burning properties of cardiovascular training are undisputed the advantage of having an increased muscle mass and a high metabolism speak for themselves.
While cardio burns fat during the session itself a high metabolism and muscle mass keep calorie consumption high during rest. This increased calorie consumption is twofold;
- It’s bad news for fat stores as these are the fuel sources at a low intensity.
- It helps to protect against the consumption of the junk type foods that we all sometimes consume. With an increased muscle mass and metabolism your body is able to handle a calorie dense meal significantly better than if you were not to have these keys.
For best results I recommend a resistance based training program that incorporates a combination of steady state cardio and HIIT (high intensity interval training).
Furthermore I recommend you seek the advice of a nutrition and exercises professional to build a meal plan designed to cater to your needs.
Happy training!