Okay, you've decided that you want to burn fat and build muscle. Congratulations, that is a noble endeavor! Many people make that decision, but soon end the quest in despair. They did not achieve the results that they envisioned, and gave up, disappointed and disillusioned. What went wrong?
In a nutshell, ignorance is the culprit. We live in a fast-paced society, and time for any project is allotted by the minute. Americans are impatient, and though that is a big part of what made us a great nation, sometimes it's been our downfall as well. When we decide on a course of action, we want to start TODAY, whether we know what we're doing or not. I'm well known for "leaping before looking" myself!
Many people read an article or two and feel they are ready to jump off into "Burn Fat, Build Muscle" wonderland. It all appears to be a matter of logic and common sense, but in reality, it is a little more complicated than that. Since you don't have time to read tomes on the subject before beginning the process, here are a few facts to help you get started off on the right foot. You can learn more from a reliable source as you go.
You can't burn fat and build new muscle at the same time. Based on your "maintenance" caloric requirements, you have to be in a calorie deficient state to burn fat. You have to be in a calorie surplus state to build muscle. You can firm and strengthen the muscles that you have while losing weight, but you cannot enlarge them.
If you want to build muscle, it is recommended that you obtain the services of a personal trainer, or at the very least purchase an authoritative book on the subject. You will have to eat a lot of food, but just eating all you can stand won't work. You have to eat the right foods that provide you with the proper micro-nutrient ratios for building muscle and maintaining good health.
When Michael Phelps was training for the Olympic swimming events, he was consuming 12,000 calories per day. That 's six times the caloric intake of the average person! Of course, he was expending as much as he was taking in, but building bigger, stronger muscles in the process.
Once you have gained the new muscle mass you desire, then you need to go on a calorie deficient diet to burn off excess body fat. There are two schools of thought on this, and it depends somewhat on how fast you want to gain muscle:
One, you use a combination of resistance and cardiovascular exercises so that you don't put on too much fat while building muscle;
Two, you build muscle faster by gaining fat along with it, then burn off the fat later. Be aware that the latter method requires a lot of discipline. Once you have built the muscle structure that you have dreamed about, it may be hard to motivate yourself to burn fat.
Are you unhappy with your body in it's present state? Do you see yourself with bulging biceps and ripped abs? Being soft and flabby can result in lack of confidence. You may feel that you do not get the respect that you deserve, and you may be concerned about how you look in the eyes of the opposite gender. Most of all, your physical state affects the way you look at yourself. There is a way to bring out the real you, the attractive, confident person that you know yourself to be. There is an old adage that says it all. "Knowledge is Power".
So if you are thinking about building muscle and burning fat, the all important first step is to educate yourself in the process, or hire a personal trainer and follow his instructions to the "T". If you don't exercise one or the other of these options, you are setting yourself up for certain failure and disappointment. If you approach the project with knowledge or the leadership of a professional, you can achieve your loftiest goals in a safe and healthy manner. The personal satisfaction and gains in confidence will make the process very worthwhile and satisfying.
In a nutshell, ignorance is the culprit. We live in a fast-paced society, and time for any project is allotted by the minute. Americans are impatient, and though that is a big part of what made us a great nation, sometimes it's been our downfall as well. When we decide on a course of action, we want to start TODAY, whether we know what we're doing or not. I'm well known for "leaping before looking" myself!
Many people read an article or two and feel they are ready to jump off into "Burn Fat, Build Muscle" wonderland. It all appears to be a matter of logic and common sense, but in reality, it is a little more complicated than that. Since you don't have time to read tomes on the subject before beginning the process, here are a few facts to help you get started off on the right foot. You can learn more from a reliable source as you go.
You can't burn fat and build new muscle at the same time. Based on your "maintenance" caloric requirements, you have to be in a calorie deficient state to burn fat. You have to be in a calorie surplus state to build muscle. You can firm and strengthen the muscles that you have while losing weight, but you cannot enlarge them.
If you want to build muscle, it is recommended that you obtain the services of a personal trainer, or at the very least purchase an authoritative book on the subject. You will have to eat a lot of food, but just eating all you can stand won't work. You have to eat the right foods that provide you with the proper micro-nutrient ratios for building muscle and maintaining good health.
When Michael Phelps was training for the Olympic swimming events, he was consuming 12,000 calories per day. That 's six times the caloric intake of the average person! Of course, he was expending as much as he was taking in, but building bigger, stronger muscles in the process.
Once you have gained the new muscle mass you desire, then you need to go on a calorie deficient diet to burn off excess body fat. There are two schools of thought on this, and it depends somewhat on how fast you want to gain muscle:
One, you use a combination of resistance and cardiovascular exercises so that you don't put on too much fat while building muscle;
Two, you build muscle faster by gaining fat along with it, then burn off the fat later. Be aware that the latter method requires a lot of discipline. Once you have built the muscle structure that you have dreamed about, it may be hard to motivate yourself to burn fat.
Are you unhappy with your body in it's present state? Do you see yourself with bulging biceps and ripped abs? Being soft and flabby can result in lack of confidence. You may feel that you do not get the respect that you deserve, and you may be concerned about how you look in the eyes of the opposite gender. Most of all, your physical state affects the way you look at yourself. There is a way to bring out the real you, the attractive, confident person that you know yourself to be. There is an old adage that says it all. "Knowledge is Power".
So if you are thinking about building muscle and burning fat, the all important first step is to educate yourself in the process, or hire a personal trainer and follow his instructions to the "T". If you don't exercise one or the other of these options, you are setting yourself up for certain failure and disappointment. If you approach the project with knowledge or the leadership of a professional, you can achieve your loftiest goals in a safe and healthy manner. The personal satisfaction and gains in confidence will make the process very worthwhile and satisfying.
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