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Resistance Training Helps With Weight Loss
By Dr. Randi Fredricks, Ph.D.
Lean body mass takes more energy to sustain than fat does. Muscle tissue is highly active even when it is resting,
whereas fat tissue is comparatively inactive. When you lift weights, you build up lean muscle. Consequently, your
body will burn 30 to 50 more calories every day for each pound of muscle you put on. As you become more muscular,
you become more of a calorie-burning machine.
Since weight training is the single most effective manner in which to
increase your muscularity, it is a great tool for augmenting the muscle tissue that will automatically burn fat all
through the day, even on days you are not working out. In this manner, weightlifting provides yet another opportunity
for increasing the body's overall metabolic rate through the increase in the resting metabolic rate.
Resistance exercises are generally accomplished by lifting weights such as barbells and dumbbells, or by using a variety of resistance machines. They can also be done using only the body as resistance, such as doing push-ups, pull-ups, and sit-ups. Resistance exercise is particularly good for building muscles.
Unlike aerobics, which can be done daily, weight-lifting exercises require a period for the muscles to rest and rebuild.
A total-body workout should be done every other day, or two to three times a week. A more advanced workout would exercise
the lower body muscles one day and upper body muscles the next.
It is also important to do 5-10 minutes each of warm-up and cool-down exercises, which will help increase flexibility
and decrease soreness and fatigue. If you have been around the fitness world for even a small amount of time, you are
well aware of weightlifting. Almost every gym has a weight room. Some gyms consist entirely of weightlifting equipment.
Weightlifting has become one of the major training tools for virtually every sport--from football to basketball
to even golf. What do most participants use weightlifting for? Most people's main goal is to building up the muscles,
and weight training is an excellent method for maximizing muscle size and strength.
It's not necessary to get into some elaborate workout program to reap significant weight training/metabolic stimulation
results. In fact, weight training systems that are too difficult to learn and/or perform can discourage those who want
to use them.
Weight training movements grouped together into one workout can work very well as a metabolic stimulating tool.
A program that contains a few basic weight training movements grouped together into one workout can work very well as
a metabolic stimulating tool. These basic weight training exercises should focus on the major muscle groups such as
the chest, legs, back, arms and shoulders.
Some of the best exercises for focusing on these areas within a short time frame are pressing movements (barbell
or dumbbell), squat movements (or hack squat machine), the bench press, the cable pulldown and curls.
These exercises are quite effective in stimulating the metabolism because they involve the major muscle groups.
Working on these muscle groups two to three times a week will give your metabolism a good challenge--and boost
fat-burning effects.
About the Author
Dr. Randi Fredricks, Ph.D. is a psychotherapist and author specializing in the treatment of mental health using integrative medicine and natural therapies.
She works with individuals, couples, and families at her office in San Jose, California and is the founder of All Things Well, a certified provider of
The Listening Program.
Dr. Fredricks' publications
include the landmark book
Healing & Wholeness: Complementary and Alternative Therapies for Mental Health.
No part of this article may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems.
Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of
Dr. Randi Fredricks as articles often present the published results of the research of other professionals. Copyright © 2012.
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