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Weight Loss Exercise

Does Lifting Weights Burn Fat?



I always get asked does lifting weights burn fat? People who want to drop extra pounds often turn to cardiovascular exercise in order to burn fat. Many trainers recommend aerobic exercises to burn calories, saying that strength training is only good for building muscles.

Does Lifting Weights Burn Fat?

Does Lifting Weights Burn Fat?

Does Lifting Weights Burn Fat?

However, more and more people these days are becoming aware of the importance of muscle development for long-term fat loss. That is why people are beginning to ask, “Does lifting weights burn fat?”

Combine Cardio and Weight Training

Not too long ago, people who wanted to lose weight performed intense aerobic workouts such as running, jogging, swimming, or exercising on an elliptical trainer. Cardiovascular exercise elevates the metabolism during workout and for a short time after the workout session.

Weight training, on the other hand, develops muscle mass and increases the body’s metabolism long after the exercise session is over. The reason is that muscles require more calories to maintain than fat does. Thus, lifting weights actually burns fat faster.

Does Lifting Weights Burn Fat – Higher Metabolism

Strength training builds more muscles in the body. Because muscles use up more calories, your body turns into a fat-burning furnace. With more lean muscle in your body, your metabolism will increase. Lifting weights actually helps you burn fat even while you rest. After your weight lifting session, your body will continue burning more calories for a longer period than you would after an aerobic session.

Build More Muscles

Many people think that bigger muscles are developed during strength training. Lifting weights actually tears down the muscles. Muscle development and repair take place during the rest period following the weight lifting session. It is while you rest and recuperate that your muscles grow bigger and stronger.

Burn Fat Faster

Cardiovascular exercise provides a calorie-burning workout that melts fat from all over your body. However, if you want to keep the fat off it’s necessary to combine weight lifting with your cardio workout. This will increase your metabolism so your body burns more calories even while you are resting or sleeping. Strength training using resistance methods or by lifting weights helps you burn fat and keep it from coming back. For every 3 pounds of muscles gained, you burn about 120 calories more per day.

Avoid Quick Weight-Loss Diets

You may be tempted to go on a miracle or starvation diet when trying to lose weight quickly. This is bad because it will cause the loss of muscle mass. Any weight lost will be quickly regained. It is best, instead, to work towards a gradual fat loss by combining weight lifting and cardio activities. This will allow you to build up muscle mass and increase your metabolism. Although it may take longer to attain your ideal weight, the results will last longer.

So, does lifting weights burn fat? You know now that it does.


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Weight Loss Exercise

Yoga for kids


Yoga for kids

Yoga for Kids

I learned and taught a bit of Yoga for kids this morning. I happened upon a great way to do exercise with the kids. My daughter was standing with her arms out and her left leg on her right knee, I am not sure exactly how I knew it but I told her that she was doing the tree pose in Yoga.

Yoga for Kids – With Parents

My daughter of course did not believe me, few kids seem to believe old people. Anyway we went to the Yoga Journal website and took a look at all of the different poses. My daughter is a bit of a yoga practitioner as we have a couple of Yoga tapes that she has been able to sample.

My daughter and I did Yoga this way: We would find a pose with a good name, look at the pose and then try it out. Kids are very flexible so more often than not Taylor was able to do the pose somewhat and I was struggling quite a bit.

So there are many ways to learn and do Yoga with your kids. You don’t have to know how to do Yoga and you can learn while your kids learn. Isn’t that a great change where we get to discover something new with our kids. Go online, Look on Youtube, Try Yoga on the Wii, or just get a Yoga book.

The great thing about this exercise session is that my daughter and I had a great time doing some exercise and she also learned that she is better at some sports than me. I can usually run faster, ride further and lift more than she can at the age of six but here is something where Taylor is very flexible, has great balance and knows just about as much as I do when it comes to Yoga for kids.