Want to know how to lose body fat?
This popular question may have more than one answer. And some of the answers you will get are misleading.
Some say do some crazy elimination diet like the Keto diet.
Others might say try some crazy insane exercises on TV, like insanity or a boot camp.
But the real trick to losing body fat is strength training.
Why strength training? You ask.
Because the key to losing body fat is burning calories.
But why can't I just do some cardio and start a diet?
That's a great start; however, there is a little more to losing body fat.
Allow me to explain.
I've been a personal trainer for over ten years, and I've worked for two of the biggest gym franchises in the world.
And the most common thing I see is that most people tend to gravitate towards cardio machines.
But that doesn't necessarily help a person lose body fat.
It doesn't help with losing body fat because when performing cardio, especially when performing excessive cardio, your body starts to burn your muscle and make you skinny fat.
What is skinny fat?
Skinny fat is when someone looks thin but has a high body fat percentage and a low muscle percentage.
See, most people tend to gravitate towards the cardio machines in the gym because they don't exactly know what they are doing in the weight room.
And I get it; the weight room can be very intimidating, especially with all those fit muscular people.
You might be thinking people are looking at you and judging you because you don't feel comfortable with the way you look.
I can assure you that everyone in the weight room had to conquer the same fear and start from step one, just like yourself.
So I encourage you to step out of your comfort zone and join the others in the weight room.
Remember, there's no growth in the comfort zone.
So get comfortable with being uncomfortable.
The next time you go to the gym, stop and look around the gym and look at most people on the cardio machines.
What do the people on the cardio machines look like?
Chances are, the majority of them are overweight or skinny fat. Both have a higher percentage of body fat.
Now, look at the majority of the people in the weight room.
What do the people in the weight room look like?
Chances are, the majority of them look muscular and have low body fat.
Now I know what you're probably thinking.
I see fit people on the cardio machines, so why should I stop cardio?
Tap them on the shoulder and ask them if they do some form of strength training.
Chances are they do strength training and a little bit of cardio, but the majority of their training regimen is strength training.
How does strength training help me lose body fat?
The simplest way to explain why is this.
When you do strength training, your muscle grows after it heals, and the more your muscle grows, the more calories your body needs to keep the tissue alive.
As a result, your body turns into a fat-burning machine.
So the more pounds of muscle you add to your body, the more pounds of fat your muscle uses for energy.
Now, of course, you have to compliment your training regimen with a sensible diet, but I'll explain more of that in another article.
So when it comes to losing body fat, the "meat, and potatoes" of losing body fat is through strength training.
Suppose you just got a gym membership and find yourself gravitating to the cardio machines.
In that case, I highly recommend you hire a personal trainer to teach you how to create a strength training program and familiarize yourself with the strength training room.
It'll be the best investment you make towards your physical and mental health.
Check out the photo above of my client, Rachel. She has been training with me for three months now and has lost eight pounds of body fat and gained four pounds of muscle.
My clients warm up with ten to fifteen minutes of cardio before their session.
Then we do strength training for thirty minutes.
So the "Meat and Potatoes" of what we do is Strength Training.
Within ninety days, you can expect to lose at least ten pounds of body fat and gain five pounds of muscle.
If you're in the San Antonio area and interested in learning more about strength training and how to lose body fat, click the link below to hire me as your friendly neighborhood personal trainer.
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