Most people have a general idea as to what is needed to lose weight. There understand they need to clean up their diet and reduce the amount of excess calories they ingest. They also realize they need to exercise in order to burn up the stored calories they may have on their frame. However, there definition of exercise is often limited. They consider fat burning weight loss exercises to be solely cardio and do not see the value of weightlifting as a means of fat burning. Well, contrary to popular belief, lifting weights is not all about adding muscle. It also places great emphasis on the ability to burn stored body fat.

The Metabolic Process of Muscle Building

When you lift weights, the goal is to overload the muscle so that it breaks down. After the muscle is broken down, it will need to repair itself in order to grow larger. This process requires the body to use its energy reserves to properly perform the repair work. In other words, the body needs to burn calories in order to repair the muscles and it will target the stored calories in your body in order to do so.

Also, once the muscles start to grow larger in size, they will need a steady supply of calories in order to maintain their enlarged size and shape. Muscles are very lean and dense and this is what gives them their unique and distinct look. In order to maintain such a look, the muscles will burn a large number if calories. This also aids in the process of reducing stored body fat.

Does that mean you have to pack on a lot of muscle to see noticeable results? No, it is not necessary to put on 40lbs of muscle in order to achieve noticeable results from fat loss. Even a mere 5lbs of muscle gain will have a positive impact on the body’s fat burning capabilities. This is why lifting weights is so highly recommended to those looking to drop excess pounds.

Calorie Burning During the Actual Weightlifting

Weightlifting involves physical movement and that means when you lift weights you will be burning calories during the exercise process. When you lift heavy weights for low reps, however, you will not burn many calories since this involves little movement. But, when you lift low amounts of weight at very high reps, you will discover great fat burning and cardio benefits to lifting weights. Actually, you will also experience muscle growth but not to the same degree you would lifting heavier weights. However, if weight loss is your goal adding a number of high rep/low weight sessions to your lifting routine may prove to be a smart move since it is an effective fat burning strategy.

Those that exclude weightlifting strategies when looking to lose weight and burn fat are making their workout goals a lot more difficult to attain. Lifting weights delivers solid and fast fat loss results and that is why its benefits should never be overlooked.

Tags: Calorie Burning, Fat Burning Exercises, how to lose fat fast, Lifting Weights, Muscle Building, Muscle Gain, weight loss, Weightlifting