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Author:
David Olsen

It’s a given that effective weight loss is much more then simply going on a “diet”. To really lose weight and (hopefully) keep that weight off, you need to add exercise to the equation. For Most people, weight loss exercise means aerobics – running, jogging, kickboxing or some other type of routine where you get your heart racing for 30 to 45 minutes.

It’s true, that one hour of aerobic exercise probably burns more calories than one hour of weight training. However, the calories burned during exercise are only part of the story. When you’re finished lifting weights, your muscles need repair themselves; this repair process burns additional calories. Further, the result of this repair process is additional muscle mass, and guess what --muscles burn calories, even if you’re just sitting around. Recently, Curves’ Fitness centers revealed the results of two separate studies that prove just that. The studies showed that participants were actually burning, on average, an additional 265 calories per day, because of the additional muscle mass. Meaning they could actually eat more everyday without gaining weight!

Want to really pack some muscle on? Try adding these three exercises to your fitness routine. All three are “compound exercises” meaning they work multiple muscles simultaneously.

The Squat: One of the toughest exercises you can do, the squat, as its name implies, involves squatting down to an almost sitting position, then pushing yourself back up. Squats can be performed with or without added weights. Simply stated, the squat packs muscle on your lower body, muscle that will be burning calories for you, even while you sleep.

The Deadlift: Another great lower body exercise that also hits your shoulders and arms. Using a barbell, you start in an almost kneeling position, keeping your spine straight. You grip the weight(s) about shoulder width apart, then slowly push up until you’re standing with the weight at about waist level. After a momentary pause, you slowly lower the weight back to the starting position.

The Bench Press: Here we work the upper body, especially the chest and shoulders. This exercise can be performed using either a barbell or dumb bells. You start by lying on a bench, grip the weights at about shoulder width, press up until just before your arms lock, then slowly lower the weight back to the starting position.

All three of these great exercises have multiple variations; beginners should start with very low weight and practice the exercise to get proper form. Better yet, invest in an hours worth of personal trainer time and have him/her get you started and help you develop an ongoing plan.

David Olsen is the founder of 40Something Fitness, the website that helps you defy middle-age. Visit us for more muscle and fitness articles today.

| Article Keywords: Healthy Diets

A Quick Note From The Publisher... If you like the article above, you may be interested in the following article which is also related to Healthy Diets... Learn How To Boost Your Weight Loss Program and Calorie Burning to Get Rid of Obesity If you want to boost your metabolism, lose weight faster and keep the weight off, you need to maximize your weight loss program and calorie burning to get rid of obesity, meaning stored fat. Weight loss diets are not the only solution to lose weight, neither exercise alone. An effective weight loss program includes the combination of a postive attitude, a balanced diet, weight lifting, aerobic exercise, and having the right nutritional supplements. Exercises will help you to keep your body toned and avoid excessive stretch marks for losing weight. Let me clarify a myth about weight lifting that helps you burn more calories. There is a myth that weightlifting will make you develop big muscles. This is not true. To develop or build big muscles, you would need to have a detailed weight lifting body building program. However, practicing basic weight lifting, including dumbbells, will help you maximize your calories burning mode and tone your body, not make you look big. Weightlifting, meaning using weights between 5-50 pounds approximately, will help you keep lean muscles, improve strength, muscle definition, flexibility and coordination to help you lose fat. Lifting weights actually help you reduce body fat not only because you burn more calories during the workout, but also because you continue burning after training. Hence, an effective way to maximize your weight loss program and calorie burning is to combine weight lifting and aerobic exercise. You can do this based on your needs. For example, when I started my weight loss program at 230 pounds, I did cardio exercise every day. I started with 10 minutes and gradually increasing to 60 minutes. I added weight lifting later because like many, I believed the myth that I was going to...