With images in their heads of huge muscle clad bodies prancing around the free weight room, newbies to the World of fat loss exercise stay clear of anything that looks like weight training for fear of taking on this appearance themselves. This is especially true of the ladies.

The real story though is that if you are looking for a toned, lean muscle bound low fat body then intense weight training is exactly what you should be doing. There is one simple reason why weight training is important for lat loss, and that is that it promotes the development and maintenance of lean muscle mass.

Why do you want to promote the development of lean muscle mass? I’ll tell you.

First. Muscle tissue is what we call metabolically active. The percentage amount of your body which is made up of lean muscle tissue has a direct effect on the amount of calories your body burns even when you are resting. This is known as the basal metabolic rate. The mitochondria in your muscles, which is where nutrients you take in are converted into energy are stimulated when you train intensely with weights. The more they are stimulated then the more energy they require which means they burn up more nutrients. In other words the more lean muscle tissue your body consists of then the more fat you will lose.

Second. A nicely defined muscle toned body looks good! Surely one of the main reasons for losing fat is to end up looking good in the mirror or on the beach. If you don’t develop a decent amount of lean muscle tissue then you will end up with a smaller body which consists of less fat but it won’t have that fit and healthy look that comes from having cut muscle definition. So, low body fat levels is good, of course it is, but you also need to have a good amount of muscular development to go along with it.

Ok, so now you’re thinking that what I started out by saying at the beginning of this myth has been contradicted by what I just said about muscle development being crucial aren’t you?. You’re back to thinking that I want you to bulk up like a night club bouncer aren’t you? Well, get that image out of your head right now! The truth is that muscle development happens over a long period of time, not overnight. You will see changes to your body shape happen gradually and you will come to anticipate what is happening to your body well before it actually takes place. This is especially true for you ladies out there because as we have seen before, muscle development is primarily triggered by the hormone testosterone which is present in the female body in much lower quantities. Unless you are incredibly gifted at a genetic level then the fear of becoming a bulky mass of muscle is just completely irrational and you should not worry about it at all.

So, in conclusion, if you want to lose fat quicker and end up with a great looking toned and cut body that you would be proud to show off on the beach then it is essential that intense weight training exercise becomes part of your fitness regime.

This characteristic is the tendency for the body to continue burning fat well after the initial exercise is complete. If you add this amount of fat loss to the fat loss you achieve during the exercise itself, then the overall fat loss is greater than that of the low intensity workout which may itself last as much as three times longer. This is because after the low intensity workout the body doesn’t continue to consume fuel for anywhere near as long.

The high intensity short duration workout causes the body’s fat burning metabolism to spike, kick starting it into high gear. This short term shock causes the body to work extra hard and crucially requires that calories are expended for several hours afterwords in order to recover.

It is true that the during the exercise the primary fuel source will be carbohydrate, but overall the amount of calories burned off during, and crucially, following the session will be higher than that of the more traditional low intensity workout. After having ignited the fat burning metabolism, the body continues to use up fuel even when you are resting. This is just not the case with low intensity exercise as the fat burning metabolism never gets that initial spike.

There is another benefit of following this advice too. What would you rather do, work quite hard for 15 to 20 minutes or work slightly less hard for 40 to 45 minutes? I don’t know about you, but my time is precious and if I can achieve better results in a shorter amount of time by working a bit harder, then that’s what I will do.

Also, there is the possibility that exercising for longer gives you more chance of sustaining an injury and a low intensity exercise regime does not promote muscle development. We know from some of our previous myths that having a decent amount of lean muscle fibre enables your body to be more efficient at burning off fat. So, in short, work hard with high intensity workouts for 15 to 20 minutes at a time using interval based cardio exercises and you will lose fat at a much increased rate.

This is “Myth #6″ in our “12 Myths of weight loss” series. To read the previous Myths, click on the following links -
Fat Loss Myth $5 – A Fat Burning Diet Requires No Exercise
Fat Loss Myth #4 – Lose the Carbs, Lose the Fat?
Fat Loss Myth #3 – Lose Fat by Eating Less Fat?
Fat Loss Myth #2 – Lose Fat by Eating Less?
Fat Loss Myth #1 – Drop the Calories, Drop the Fat?

These so called diet experts might sell a lot of books and DVDs off the back of this empty promise, but let me tell you right now, they are selling you snake oil, and I’ll tell you why. A diet without exercise will see your body’s metabolism gradually slow down, and if you have read myths 1 to 4, you will know that this is not a good thing. If you want to lose fat, then you need to keep your metabolism high so that your body will use up its excess fat as fuel. A slow metabolism promotes the storage of fat and the breakdown of lean muscle fiber. This is exactly the opposite of what you are trying to achieve. If you set yourself up with an exercise program suitable and structured just for you, then your muscles will thank you because you will be enabling them to hang on to that all important lean muscle fiber. We have mentioned before that muscle is nutritionally expensive. This means that the more muscle you have, then the quicker you will use up those calories.

So, in other words if you reduce your calorie intake too much without exercising, you will gradually waste away your muscle. Don’t forget that this almost becomes a self fulfilling prophecy too, because the less muscle you have, the less your body will be able to burn up the calories. Consequently the opposite is also true. If you stick to a healthy fitness program at the same time as a healthy fat burning diet, you will maintain your lean muscle fiber and this in turn will help you burn up and lose the fat.

There’s another thing too, and we have visited this in the earlier myths as well. A prolonged, large reduction in calorie intake triggers the body’s defense mechanisms, one of which is a desire not to starve. Your metabolism slows down, leading to the storage of more fat and the break down of lean muscle mass.

So, what should you be doing? Well, you should reduce your calorie intake to just below that which is needed to maintain your weight. Add into the mix a healthy, structured exercise program and you will lose fat the healthy way. If you do it this way, then you will use up extra calories but you will also promote the maintenance of your body’s lean muscle tissue which will help you lose fat quicker.

Remember to include both resistance exercise as well as cardio exercise to get that all round fat burning, muscle maintaining effect.

This is “Myth #5″ in our “12 Myths of weight loss” series. To read the previous Myths, click on the following links -

Fat Loss Myth #4 – Lose the Carbs, Lose the Fat?
Fat Loss Myth #3 – Lose Fat by Eating Less Fat?
Fat Loss Myth #2 – Lose Fat by Eating Less?
Fat Loss Myth #1 – Drop the Calories, Drop the Fat?

HITT stands for “high intensity interval training” and it works exactly the way it sounds like it does. It involves working out at very high intensity levels in intervals ranging from light to moderate, as opposed to continuously the way you do with traditional cardio routines. HITT first came about as a way to combat an irksome problem when it comes to calorie burning and fat loss. When you work out too regularly at the same intensity, your body actually begins to get used to things, and once this happens, you don’t burn as many calories as you otherwise might. HITT helps mix things up so that you get the most out of your workout every single time. The downside to HITT is that the level of intensity makes it something that is not necessarily a suitable choice for those with heart issues or other cardiovascular concerns.

On the other end of the spectrum, you have low impact cardio. Low impact cardio is a good choice for those who are new to exercising, people who are pregnant or excessively overweight, or those who simply dislike more strenuous high impact exercise and find they can’t stick with it. It is also ideal for people who have chronic issues that affect the joints, bones, or connective tissue, (such as arthritis or osteoporosis) because it does not involve all the jarring and jostling that traditional cardio exercises like jogging or running do. Like other forms of cardio, low impact cardio also is key when it comes to helping you lose weight, burn off extra calories, and get in better shape.

So which one is the better choice? It honestly depends on what your needs, preferences, and limitations are. If you’re looking to lose the maximum amount of fat possible through your cardio routine, and don’t have any physical limitations that would make you a better candidate for low impact, then HITT would be best as it optimizes fat loss and has a greater level of post workout calorie burn. However, if your joints or bones are a concern, or you’re a beginner, then it would be preferable to begin with low impact cardio and go from there. You can also combine and alternate the two to really maximize your routine.

Aerobic Exercise

Aerobic exercise is exercise that raises your heart and breathing rates, as well as works your muscles, and is considered by the American College of Sports Medicine to be exercise that “uses large muscles groups, can be maintained continuously, and is rhythmic in nature. This type of exercise is essential when it comes to strengthening and maintaining a healthy heart and a strong set of lungs, as well as healthy, efficient circulatory and respiratory systems in general. It’s also an important part of any routine that focuses on calorie burning and weight loss. The recommended daily amount of aerobic exercise per adult is generally about 30 minutes a day at least 5 days per week, and to be done properly, both warm-up and cool-down periods should be included. Examples include running, jogging, swimming, dancing, tennis, and brisk walking.

Anaerobic Exercise (Strength Training)

Unlike aerobic exercise, anaerobic exercise is not something that is done for a sustained period of time. Instead, it is done in short bursts and utilizes stored energy within the muscles themselves. It helps build and maintain strong, healthy, and efficient bones, tendons, ligaments, joints, and muscles, which means improved ability when it comes to many everyday activities, as well as a reduced risk of injury in general. Incorporating anaerobic exercise into your fitness routine several times a week not only helps keep you at your strongest, but it helps keep you looking good as well. Examples include weight lifting, sprinting, and other types of interval training.

Flexibility Exercise

Also called stretching exercises, flexibility exercises help you develop a wider ability and range when it comes to movement, as well as reduce your risk of injury while engaging in other types of activity. This type of exercise describes any type of activity that involves extension of the limbs and many types of basic flexibility exercises focus on specific muscle groups. Making sure you maintain an optimum level of flexibility also helps reduce the tendency to naturally become more stiff and restricted with age. Examples of exercises that help build flexibility and improve range of motion include pilates, yoga, and tai chi.

While all people of all ages can benefit from becoming more active in general and incorporating any type of physical activity into their routine, a well-rounded and effective workout routine will incorporate at least some exercise of all three types. Some activities will, of course, fit into more than one category. Depending on what type of results you are looking to achieve from your workout routine, you may want to put special emphasis on any one of the above categories

However, it is extremely important to realize that BMI isn’t all it’s been cracked up to be. As a matter of fact, it can be downright inaccurate and misleading. BMI is generally considered by many experts today to be a rather outdated concept for the simple reason that it fails to take into consideration many very important health factors, as well as body types that feature varying levels of muscle tissue.

For instance, what does BMI say about body builders or athletes who possess a very high level of muscle mass? It classifies them as “overweight” and unhealthy, when really they’re in better shape than average. It similarly places other groups who are naturally going to possess a lower level of muscle mass, such as elderly people or those who are petite by nature, in the underweight class where they don’t belong.

So is BMI accurate when it comes to the average Joe or Jane? After all, the great majority of the populace does not consist of muscle-bound bodybuilders or other extreme body types. Studies actually show that the answer there is still “no”. In fact, it can actually be a dangerous shortcut to rely on, as it ignores so many other factors that are much more important and telling as to a person’s overall health. There are just too many anomalies between even average bodies for this one simple calculation to accurately have everyone covered.

Far more accurate indicators as to whether or not an individual ought to gain or lose weight are measurements such as blood pressure, body fat percentage, waist circumference, and cholesterol level. The two key indicators are body fat percentage and waist circumference. Experts in the know say that these are the two most reliable clues as to a person’s overall health. An abundance of abdominal fat in particular is considered an important sign that an individual is especially susceptible to diabetes, heart disease, and other very serious ailments. (The current ideal waist measurements are under 40 inches for males and under 35 inches for females.)

So instead of relying on your BMI calculator to guide you when it comes to deciding what to do in regards to your own weight, invest in a measuring tape or learn how to calculate body fat instead! It’s ultimately a much smarter choice and a much more accurate indicator of where you and your health stand at a given moment.

Ectomorphs generally have a tall, skinny, lean build with an overall fragile appearance and sharp facial features. They also tend to possess characteristics such as a weak lower jaw, sensitive skin that burns easily, and sensitivity to heat or cold. The bones and joints of an ectomorph are relatively small compared to other body types, and they don’t tend to possess a high volume in terms of muscle. This makes them the body type that has the most trouble with building muscle mass.

As far as a workout regimen goes, ectomorphs should concentrate on building muscle mass. They can definitely benefit from weight training, but they should be careful not to overwork themselves or train for too long at a time. They should also avoid activities that burn tons of calories, such as high impact aerobics, and opt for activites such as tai chi, yoga, or walking instead. As far as nutrition, ectomorphs should consume high-calorie diets, but the must be sure that they are nonetheless consuming good, nutritious foods instead of junk and empty calories.

Mesomorphs typically have naturally fit bodies that feature small waists and tapered body torsos. They also have well-defined facial features and bone structure, and limbs that are well-developed and well-muscled. Mesomorphs also typically have thick hair, as well as thick skin that tans much more easily than that of ectomorphs. Mesomorphs also put on muscle much more easily than ectomorphs and typically have a much higher endurance level.

Mesomorphs should also work on building muscle mass, and are able to train for longer periods than ectomorphs and they can also train using moderately heavy to heavy weights. They should also make sure to get plenty of good quality cardiovascular exercise in the form of aerobics, cycling, running, or sports. The diet should be balanced and rich in nutritious, wholesome foods, but unlike ectomorphs, mesomorphs must keep an eye out for gradual weight gain.

Endomorphs generally possess round, soft, stocky bodies that put on weight easily and feature limbs that typically appear short or stubby. Hands and feet tend to possess a relatively small appearance. The upper body also tends to be more developed than the lower body. Endomorphs also tend to have features like round faces, fine or wispy hair, and soft skin.

An endomorph’s biggest issue is usually fat loss and the focus should be on trimming down and replacing some of the lost fat with muscle mass instead. Training with weights is recommended to help improve the body ratio of muscle to fat, which will in turn help with staying trim and warding off future weight gain. Daily activities such as aerobics, brisk walking, and cycling are recommended to help burn excess calories and develop an active lifestyle. The diet should be nutritious, rich in low-calorie and low-fat foods, and completely lacking in any type of junk food.