You’ve just done your obligatory 30 minute run on the treadmill or elliptical. You go to the mat to do some crunches, maybe stretch a little and whew!-- what a great workout. You dropped a few pounds in the beginning, but you’ve been at this for several weeks, a few months even and yet, your arms still jiggle and your jeans are still too tight. Maybe if you could just squeeze in a few more workouts a week, maybe if you take an aerobics class you will see the results. Maybe, but it’s not likely.
If you are looking to lose weight, get strong, and tone up for the summer, running on the treadmill, elliptical, or any cardio machine for 30, 40 or even 60 minutes, 3 days a week won’t get you there, at least not anytime soon. The truth is doing more cardio is not the answer to getting the results you want. And those few pounds you dropped initially by running are more a combination of water, muscle and fat. While your favorite treadmill or elliptical are great for working up a sweat, meditating or reading (you know who you are), they are doing very little to raise your resting metabolic rate (RMR). Your resting metabolic rate is the rate at which your body burns calories on a daily basis when you are not exercising. For example, when you are sitting at your computer all day or handling that important call, your body is burning calories to keep your body systems functioning. The great thing is, you can change how many calories it burns while you are at rest. Now, how great would it be to be burning 20 or 30 more calories more per hour than your pudgy coworker?
To achieve that lean, healthy body while you check your email or prepare that presentation you need to incorporate anaerobic or resistance training into your workouts. Lifting weights or intense interval training is the best way to not only burn more fat, but to increase strength and definition. When lifting weights at the proper intensity, for the proper duration, you are depleting your body’s stored glycogen (carbohydrates in your muscles), so that your body is forced to burn fat for the rest of the day. Studies show that after a high intensity resistance workout, your body continues to burn calories up to 24 hours after working out! Compare that with around 2 – 5 hours of burn after a stint on the elliptical. So that means you are literally burning calories in your sleep.
Another benefit of resistance training is that you don’t have spend as much time in the gym. The intensity of a correctly programmed resistance training regimen will force your body to expend more energy and burn more calories in 30 minutes than you would in 60 minutes on a treadmill. So if you want more time with your family, less frustration with your workouts, and most importantly, results, you need to incorporate resistance training into your workout program.
Don’t know where to start? Need to fine tune what you have? Ask a trainer! Email Aja Davis at aja.davis26@gmail.com
