Among all of the fitness goals that most people are hoping to achieve there are two that stand out: burn fat and build muscle. After all, who doesn't want to do both. Most of us have at least some fat that we would like to get rid of and most of us would like to add a little muscle to our frame if for no other reason than to make us look better.
Often people break apart these two goals as if they can only be accomplished by two different types of workouts. Some popular fat burning routines have included getting on a treadmill or elliptical machine and exercising for 30 minutes or so. Some have just headed out into their neighborhood for a jog. If you wanted to build muscle then your first thought was some sort of bodybuilding routine.
It is my contention that you do not have to create a division between the two different types or workouts. You can accomplish fat burning and muscle building all within the same type of workout. To do so you need to develop a program that includes weight training that is done in rapid succession without much rest between the sets that you are performing. The lack of rest in between sets creates a metabolically demanding workout that will get your heart rate going unlike any jog through your neighborhood.
What would a workout like this look like? Below you will find an example of one such type of workout.
Dumbbell Squats x 15 reps
Push Ups x 20 reps
Dumbbell Step Ups x 12 reps (each leg)
Bent Over Rows x 8 reps
Each of these four exercises would comprise one circuit. You would do each of the exercises within the circuit back to back without any rest. At the end of the circuit you would give yourself a 30 - 60 second rest and the begin the circuit again. Perform the circuit 3 - 4 times. If you have never done this type of training then you need to give it a try. You will be amazed at how metabolically challenging that it is. These types of workouts will burn fat at an elevated pace and will build muscle.
Now this will not pack on large slabs of muscle. For that you will want to build into your workout program different type of training modalities. You will want some density training, dynamic training, interval training, heavy strength training, and lactic acid training into your programs. If you do you can't help but find success at burning fat and building muscle.
If you want more information on a program that incorporates each of the above training modalities into one great workout program that helps your burn fat and build muscle then follow the link. Troy Eads enjoys writing about the topics of investing and fitness. He also enjoys writing about home improvement topics, such as, replacing toilet flush valve.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Troy_Eads