Endurance and sprinter male physique
When I first decided to lose some weight and get fit in the process, I did what most people do. I took up aerobics. In my case it was jogging. I started off with 20-25 minutes, three times a week, and as I got fitter, then I extended my aerobic sessions to 30-45 minutes, five or six times a week.
I must have done this consistently for two or three years. In all this time I never quite lost the spare tyre around my middle, and the rest of my physique looked weak and saggy. I never got the lean, toned, athletic look that I thought I would get from my aerobic workouts.
Ironically enough, I was working with a guy who was a keen cyclist. Keen enough to be able to pedal at around 30 miles an hour on the flat, and keep it up for several miles a day. He too had a ‘spare tire’ around his middle.
I Had A Spare Tire And A Saggy Physique
I now know that both he and myself were getting more efficient at using less energy for each workout. The more aerobics we did, the less energy our bodies were using. Hence, for me personally, I never lost all the fat I wanted to and never attained the lean and toned physique I wanted. And if I took a break from my training then the fat returned far quicker than I lost it.
I didn’t know it at the time, but I was about to add an important element to my exercise routine. I saw an advert for device called a Bullworker. The guy who was pictured advertising this exercise device had the sort of lean, toned look I had been trying to get from my time spent jogging.
To cut a long story short, my use of the Bullworker lead me to realize that to get a lean and toned body, you need to add some kind of resistance training to your fitness routine. While aerobics are an important part of getting fit and healthy, and maintaining a lean physique, they are only one part of the equation.
Good Muscle Tone Burns Calories Without You Doing Anything Extra
Unlike fat, muscle tissue is biologically active and uses energy all the time. Even while you’re asleep. Not massive amounts, but enough to speed up your base metabolism, the rate at which you burn calories when you’re inactive. And as I’ve pointed out in a previous post, whether you’re male or female you won’t magically turn into a bulky bodybuilder over night!
By substituting or adding some kind of resistance or weight training sessions to your fitness routine, you can get fitter and stay lean with shorter and more effective workouts. You can do less aerobic workouts and still keep your weight under control, because as your muscles strengthed and develop you’ll be using more energy. Even when you’re resting!
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