It is a common misconception that aerobic and cardiovascular exercise tones and firms body muscles but actually it accomplishes very little firming and toning. Resistance exercise or weight training is where real toning and firming of body muscles occurs.
Doing both aerobics and weight training is the best way to lose more fat and gain more muscle effectively. If a person is trying to lose weight, studies show that weight loss increases by 56 percent with strength and aerobic exercises combined.
Muscle mass may weigh more, but when some one increases his muscle composition, the body is able to burn more fat, even when he is resting, because his metabolic rate is higher. A pound of muscle will use 350 to 500 calories per week to survive, while a pound of fat only needs about 14 calories per week for this reason. New studies have shown that building body muscle helps our body to fight disease better, too.
Weight training benefits everyone, no matter what age or sex, and is becoming recognized as an important component of fitness. Research is indicating that the muscle loss found in elderly people does not come from age, but lack of physical activity. Even a young person who does not get enough exercise can lose muscle mass and strength in turn. Strength training, such as lifting weights or performing weight-resistance exercises, as little as twice a week can help maintain or increase muscle mass in the body. Strength training involving several sets of multiple repetitions using moderate weights will not result in huge muscles gain. Instead it builds bone mass and increases the metabolic rate, as well as toning and firming the muscles, giving a leaner look.
It is very important to do both strength training exercises and aerobics. The aerobic exercises help the heart and lungs to get stronger and help the body to utilize oxygen more efficiently, which in turn helps with strength training and overall fitness. The strength training exercise helps develop muscle, reduce body fat and maintain bone mass.
Aerobic Exercise is a type of exercise that lifts up the heart rate and breathing for a continuous sustained period. This overloads the heart and lungs and causes them to work harder than at relaxed state. There are many options available to choose from today; like, bicycling, swimming, aerobic dance, walking, and stepping are all examples of aerobic exercise; which ones to choose depend on several factors like, the physical condition, the health history, personal interests and the goals. Many health experts believe it is better to alternate between 2 or more types, to get a better exercise regime.
There are two main types of aerobic exercise; high impact and low impact. It is good to alternate between high impact aerobics which are harder on the body and may cause more damage, and low impact aerobics, such as swimming and walking. This is called cross-training, and helps in reducing the chance or injury and overuse of certain muscle tissues.
One will need to perform aerobic exercises at least 20 minutes a day for at least 3 to 4 days a week. If he is trying to lose body fat, or his physical condition is very good, then he may want to work longer at it. One must try exercising up to 40 to 60 minutes 5 to 6 days a week.
The fact is that, there is no real need to go overboard. Moderate intensity of exercise is almost always better, and is more enjoyable. Low to moderate intensity is an especially good idea when starting out after a layoff or recovery from illness or injury, or if a person is significantly overweight.
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