Should I Do Cardio Or Lift Weights To Burn Fat?

Ah, the age old question about how to best blast away fat - with intense cardio workouts or strength-building resistance training. The answer? Active weight lifting! What exactly does that mean? Well, typically when you walk into a gym you'll see a few people sweating away on the treadmill for 30 or 45 minutes at a time, and then muscle-bound men strolling around aimlessly killing a little time between sets on the weight benches,
and NEITHER of these stereotypical gym rats is maximizing their ability to burn fat. As with most things in life, moderation is the key to a great workout, and I can share with you some information I've learned about circuit training that will help you get the most out of the time you can dedicate to exercising.

Circuit training is designed to keep your heart rate up while challenging the major muscle groups through resistance training. You should alternate between a series of 3 or 4 exercises, completing each for 60-90 seconds apiece. Repeat the complete circuit 3 times through before resting. As you build your stamina, you can try to increase your speed, or increase the number of reps or amount of weight you lift.

My favorite circuit that targets the lower body goes as follows:

Station #1: 10 Standing Box Jumps

If you don't have a tall box in your gym, simply use a step from an aerobics class with anywhere from 4 to 8 risers. Start with both feet on the ground, squat and swing your arms to carry you up into the air, landing firmly with two feet on top of the step. Carefully hop back down and repeat 10 times. Focus on explosive power rather than speed.

Station #2: Traveling Split Squats

Use the straight-away of a track, or a long corridor to complete a series of 30-50 lunges. Try to carry 5 pound dumbbells with you and concentrate on keeping your knee in line with your ankle as you lunge forward. When you get to the end of the line, turn around and walk the dumbbells back to your starting position.

Station #3: 15 Good Mornings

Take an empty weight bar (which weighs 45 pounds on its own) and lift it over your head so that it rests on your shoulders and upper back. Keeping your legs straight, bend forward at the waist until your upper body is parallel with the floor, and use the strength in your thighs and lower back to straighten yourself back up. Repeat for 15 reps.

Immediately after you finish your good mornings, return to the box jumps. The faster you transition from one station to the next, the higher you will keep your heart rate, allowing you to burn more calories as you continue to push and strengthen your muscles. The best part is that your body will continue to burn fat for several hours after your workout as your muscle tissues rebuild.

I hope you find these exercises useful, especially for guys looking for man breast exercises to reduce fat and get rid of man boobs.

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