Heuser Health

 

Lift Weights to Lose Weight!

Muscle is the major determinant to metabolism.  Every pound of muscle burns up to 50 calories a day.  Thus, add 2 pounds of muscle, you’ve just built in a 10 pound weight burn throughout the course of a year.  On the flip side, go on a crash diet while only doing cardio for exercise, you end up losing several pounds of precious muscle!

Say you lose just 5 pounds of muscle, that is 250 calories per day of metabolism or up to 25 POUNDS OF FAT BURN over the course of a year!!!  Weight management catastrophe!!!  You might think you’re doing well by eating less and doing more cardio…That’s not the case!  The cardio combined with the lighter eating will only BACKFIRE and cause a monumental drop in metabolism and long-term success.  Muscle will be sacrificed at an alarming rate.  Yes, you WILL LOSE WEIGHT while on this plan, but guess what, it’s coming back BIGGER AND FASTER than ever with your new dismal metabolism.

The answer always MUST include building MUSCLE.  Weight training MUST be involved in a long-term success plan. Lifting 5 pound weights for 50 reps isn’t the answer.  Lifting challenging weights where the last couple reps are very difficult in the 5-20 rep range is KEY!!  Doing this at least 2 to 3 times per week is critical.  It doesn’t have to be a 1-hour workout, but rather 2-3 sets of a total body workout to challenge the muscles and tell the body you need them.  Adding muscle means adding metabolism.  It slows the initial weight loss but makes ALL the difference down the line.

Hold back from eating less and doing more cardio; this will NOT work long-term.  If anything, eat smart and a little less and lift WEIGHTS.  If a person had to choose weights or cardio I’d tell them weights 10 out of 10 times.  Better for metabolism, great for the heart, especially circuit/complex style.

Very interesting stat:  2 people, both weigh 200 pounds, one is 15% fat and one is 35% fat.  The 15% person has a 500 calorie PER DAY HIGHER METABOLISM!  ALL because of the greater muscle mass!  Therefore, it is MUCH easier for this 15% person to stay there, they have 500 calories to play with per day compared to the 35% person.  Just like the rich get richer, the lean get leaner.

Long story short, LIFT WEIGHTS, LIFT CHALLENGING WEIGHTS if you want to control your WEIGHT.  Muscle is the #1 KEY, and neither cardio nor eating less will get it for you.  Crash diets and crash diets combined with excessive cardio are FOOL’S GOLD, they will BACKFIRE every single time.