MUSCLE v FAT - LOSING weight isn't just about shedding the pounds.
Any weight-loss programme has to go hand-in-hand with exercise for it to have any long-term success. HERE'S WHY...
If we diet or restrict our calorie intake and don't exercise, OR choose traditional 2-dimensional forms of cardiovascular weight-loss (e.g steady-paced aerobics, running, swimming or cycling) we'll lose weight at the start but in the process we'll probably lose muscle mass too AND slow down our metabolism, thus creating a vicious circle. Once we get back into our normal routines following a diet we will find it impossible to maintain results and harder to lose weight in the future. The end result is we'll lose weight, gain it back and probably more besides!
SO HOW DO WE GET ROUND THIS CONUNDRUM?
Adding muscle to our body is an essential part of any weight-loss plan, not least because it increases our metabolic rate which is key to any successful diet. (OOBERTIP: Metabolic Rate is the measurement of the amount of fuel our body use). A negative aspect of dieting is that it reduces our metabolism, which means to maintain weight-loss we have to keep eating less and less or exercise more and more and that's a recipe for disaster!
Muscle needs more energy to maintain itself on the body than fat does, but the great news is its smaller, leaner and meaner than fat. But when we diet, we reduce our muscle tissue and that's a disaster for our body shape.
BUT I DON'T WANT TO END UP LOOKING LIKE ARNIE SCHWARZENEGGER!!
Guys can put on muscle mass on Ooberfit's HIIT and Toning programmes because they produce more testosterone than women, but ladies you can relax. Toning the muscles means you'll just get leaner, firmer and more shapely - it's simple biology. To gain any serious muscle mass you'd have to take lots of hormone supplements, consume huge amounts of protein (red meat etc) and lift very heavy weights. Ooberfit works on the premise of progressive overload - as we become more efficient at lifting our lighter hand-weights we can increase repetitions until we are ready to increase the kgs. In ooberfit sessions, 3kg is the maximum weight we lift.
High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT), Plyometrics and Resistance sessions ensure our body stores fuel as Glycogen in the muscles, rather than fat. This is then quickly released during the fast-paced, power-driven activities the body is used to performing. Better still, there is an Afterburn Effect that we don't get with the 2-dimensional cardio workouts like steady-paced running, cycling and swimming. Train hard and we send our Metabolic Rate (MR) through the roof. The added bonus is that our MR stays high afterwards because our body continues to adapt and recover. Depending on the intensity of our workout, we can continue to burn more fat for 24-48 hours after the session, and our health and fitnesss improves as a result of working our heart, lungs and muscles harder. HIIT IS A NO-BRAINER!
So, in a nutshell, with HIIT you.... 1. Shed more fat 2. Sustain fewer injuries due to shorter workout spells 3. Have increased energy levels 4. increase your MR, which means any weight-loss is easier to maintain 5. See improvements in your health 6. Have better body shape through improved muscle tone And to top it all, since most of us can find a million and one excuses why we don't have the time to exercise, HIIT means we need to spend less time exercising for greater results!
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