Most people in the gym don’t have a single goal - they have a few goals. They want to add new muscle, but they also want to get leaner as well. Most of the time, people treat them as separate goals. This doesn’t have to be the case for you! The body is a giant collection of systems which are dependent upon one another. When one does well, they can all do well. Let’s learn about how you can build muscle while at the same time burning fat. The secret is managing your metabolism - let’s learn how!
First off, you have to get the muscle-building process rolling. You do this very simply - by lifting some heavy weights for moderate sets. You stimulate your muscle fibers with hard workouts, then you eat well and give your body plenty of sleep, and you grow as a result. Muscle mass requires a great number of calories just for maintenance alone, so you will always be in this elevated fat burning state just by having more muscle. A lot of the top bodybuilders you see will consume well over 4000 calories each day, just to maintain the muscle mass they have. To gain new muscle, they’ll have to spike their calories further, thus creating an even greater demand for calories. The same process applies to you as well! Train hard in the gym, and you’ll build new muscle, raising your metabolism in the meantime.
Next, let’s address cardio. You should be adding moderate cardio to your training program in order to see the best possible results. Moderate involves a pace of 2.5 to 3.5 mph, or whatever is required to keep your heart rate at a clip of 120 to 135 BPM. Going any higher means you’re probably using muscle mass to fuel your run as opposed to stored body fat. Walking always trumps jogging or running when it comes to burning up fat. Train for about 30 minutes, three to four times each week. Remember that you are looking to bump up your metabolic rate, not win the 100m dash or the Boston Marathon here. Focus more upon getting your body into a fat burning state than about the numbers on the screen in front of you, or keeping up with the person on the treadmill next to you.
Diet is the final part to the getting big and lean puzzle. First off, you should place your health before all other things. Spike up the fruit and vegetable consumption and you’ll discover your body to run much more efficiently. Then add clean & lean protein sources for muscle recovery and hardness. Choose sources such as lean beef, chicken breast, turkey and whey protein powder. Drink a lot of water. Choose supplements for muscle gain such as Mesobolin, and always take a daily Multi-vitamin with fish oil for organ function and healthy fats. Remember that the more efficiently your body runs, the more effective the internal fat burning processes will be.
Initially, we should realize that in order to build muscle and shed midsection fat simultaneously, we have to attack the metabolism. Once you have made that realization, the rest is easy. Train hard in the gym to build muscle, which burns more calories. Add moderate cardio to your routine, further raising your metabolism. You’re not trying to burn X amount of calories when you eat or train. Rather, your goal should be to change your body composition and function so that you burn Y amount of calories every day without fail. Master the metabolism, and you’ll be able to build muscle and burn fat - at the same time!