Train to Build Muscle NOT to Burn Fat

When you go to the gym do you know what type of training you should be doing?

What are your goals, is a better definition of muscle you desire or is it just for you to lose a few inches around your waist?

Or do you go to BURN FAT? 

The type of exercising I see and hear people performing is mainly cardiovascular exercise, such as running or walking on treadmills or cycling for miles on the the stationary bike.

This type of exercise has benefits on the cardiovascular (CV) system, the heart and lungs. HOWEVER, this type of low intensity exercise does not promote a great deal of lean muscle growth and wont help in fight against fat long term.

Lean muscle is what gives our body it's definition, unfortunately it's easily covered by the layers of fat that our body stores on itself. Lean muscle is a living tissue and requires energy to survive. The energy it uses, in the form of calories, can be from the glucose from the foods that we eat or from the energy the body can release from the fat cells. 

So more muscle tissue requires more energy. If the body is in a "fat burning" environment, this means with low blood sugar levels, the muscle is able to use your own body fat for its energy! 

The goal to burn fat starts with building more muscle, to enable the body to burn more fat 24 hours a day, rather than the half hour treadmill session 3 times a week....do the maths and there's only one winner here!

Resistance training is the key to building muscle. Resistance training is exercise in the form of weight training or bodyweight exercises where there is resistance on the muscle causing it to contract. Examples of these exercise can be seen in this previous post.

The goal of the exercise is to break the muscle fibres down and then rest, recover and provide your body with all the nutrition it needs in the form of essential fats, complete proteins, vitamins and minerals. The muscle will then rebuild bigger, stronger and more calorie hungry than before.

Ladies thinking that they don't want to build muscle and look "bulky" rest assured this will not happen. To grow large muscle mass the body requires specific hormones that are a lot more prevalent in males than females. 

The theory of fat burning zones and exercising at low intensity has it's limitations. The body can only burn fat if you are in the fat burning, low blood sugar zone. It's no good having that lucozade before the hour of power walking!

Also, the low intensity exercise does not promote the the breakdown of muscle and release of muscle building hormones that can create a more defined body and calorie hungry tissue!

Start today and change the way you exercise, leave the treadmill alone and pick up the weights. 

Build muscle to burn fat 24 hours a day, 7days a week. 

Best 5 Exercises For Your Hotel Room

Exercise is something you do to achieve your specific goal and HOW you exercise should be aimed at achieving that goal.

For example, if to run a marathon is your goal then expect to do a LOT of running! 

However, if your goal is to improve your health, lose some unwanted inches and just tone your body then resistance training is way you need to exercise to achieve this.

"But how can I train with resistance in my hotel room" I hear you say, and this is what many flight crew, pilots and cabin crew question.

I'm going to give you my top 5 resistance training exercises you can do in your hotel room or ANYWHERE really! So there's no excuses, turn off the TV and let's go.......

*Always warm up properly before exercise*

1.Squats

The squat uses your larger leg muscles predominantly quadriceps (thigh) and glutes (butt). 

Technique:

1. Arms extended in front of you or overhead

2. Squat until your bum is below your knees

3. Rise back up

4. Keep your knees behind your toes, your weight on your heels

5. Keep back straight while you squat

2.Lunges

The lunge is again another exercise that targets the larger leg muscles giving you more "bang for your buck"! You'll be using quadriceps (thigh), glutes (butt) and hamstrings (back of the thigh) during this move.

Technique:

1. Keep your upper body straight, with your shoulders back and relaxed and chin up (pick a point to stare at in front of you so you don't keep looking down). Always engage your core by holding your tummy and lower back muscles tight.

2. Step forward with one leg, lowering your hips until both knees are bent at about a 90-degree angle. Make sure your front knee is directly above your ankle, not pushed out too far, and your other knee doesn't touch the floor. Keep the weight in your heels as you push back up to the starting position.

3.Press Ups

An upper body move that targets your large chest muscles, the pecs, and also works your shoulders and triceps (back of the arm). 

Technique:

1. Get into plank position, with your hands under but slightly outside of your shoulders. 

2. Lower your body until your chest nearly touches the floor.

3. As you lower yourself, tuck your elbows, pulling them close to your body so that your upper arms form a 45-degree angle when your torso is in the bottom position of the move.

4. Pause, then push back to the starting position as quickly as possible. Keep your core tight the entire time.

For beginners use your knees instead of your feet to hold the initial plank position, as shown below:

4.Bent Over Row

You'll need your crew bag for this one to work your lats (back muscles), shoulders and biceps (front of the arm). Targeting your large back muscles challenges more muscle in just one move, with the extra work being performed with your smaller shoulder and bicep muscles.

Technique:

• 1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart.
• 2. Bend your knees and lean forward at the hips, not the waist.
• 3. Your back should be straight and your neck in line with your spine.
• 4. Let the bag hang straight down at around knee level.
• 5. Retract your shoulder blades and tense your core muscles (tummy and lower back) to stabilise your body.
• 6. Squeeze your shoulder blades together and pull the bag into your chest.
• 7. Lower the bag slowly to the start.
• 8. Hold your torso steady throughout the move.

5.The Plank

Let's not forget your core muscles. Your tummy and lower back is what we are here for right! The plank causes tension in all your abdominal (tummy) muscles and lower back muscles, whilst using all other muscle groups to stabilise you. A fantastic exercise to end the session on!

Technique:

1. Hold yourself in the following position, concentrating on holding your tummy and lower back muscles tight together and parallel with the floor.

Thats a full body workout for FREE and you've not even left the hotel room!

The key to making the most of the exercises is to concentrate on achieving the perfect technique. This will ensure you work the muscle groups that the exercises are intended for and most importantly AVOIDING INJURY.

Happy Exercise,

G