Low Intensity Cardio + Calorie Deficit = Effective Fat Loss

Burning fat is not rocket science, so don’t complicate it. In order to effectively burn body you need to be consuming less calories through food then you burn, plus you need a vehicle in which to convert the fat into fuel (cardio). Performing low intensity cardio after 30-45mins of weight training is a great way to burn fat. Once your body has used it’s primary fuel source (glycogen), it will turn to other sources for fuel. If you train with weights first, you give yourself a head start by depleting glycogen levels.

Three time per week, do 30 mins of weight training followed by 30-45mins of low intensity cardio. Measure your results at the end of the week and if you didn’t lose the weight you wanted, drop your calories by 300 per day and try again. Repeat until you get the results you want!

Always Choose Slow Digesting Carbohydrate Sources

Humans were not built to ingest large amounts of fast digesting carbohydrates in large quantities. When you consume excessive amounts of fast digesting carbs like white bread, candy, cakes etc you’re basically giving your body a ton of energy that it can’t do anything with. So what does it do? Stores the excess fuel as fat.

Good sources of slow digesting carbohydrates are brown rice, pasta, whole wheat bread, oats etc. These sources digest slowly and release energy over an extended period. Not only are these sources better for weight control, you’ll have more consistent energy throughout the day.

Building Shoulder Muscles Means Lifting Heavy Weights

Building impressive wide, thick shoulder muscles is essential to having a well rounded physique (plus the ladies love em’!). A lot of guys get stuck on shoulders doing the same unsuccessful exercises week in week out with little results. If you want big shoulders you need to be moving some heavy weight. This means doing one of the 2 big shoulder movements every time you work your shoulders. These movement are Military Press and Dumbbell Shoulder Press (pictured).

You want to be getting about 6-10 good reps on these movements, for at least 4 sets. Focus on progression of weight and reps and mix these 2 exercises up to keep your muscles guessing. Don’t forget to warm your shoulders up thoroughly before every heavy shoulder workout. You won’t be lifting anything with a torn rotator cuff 

Use Protein Powder To Help Recover From Intense Workouts

Protein is the building blocks of muscle, without enough daily protein you will not build muscle — it’s that simple. The common belief is tat muscle building takes place in the gym when you’re working out. This couldn’t be further from the truth. When you lift weights you’re actually breaking down muscle tissue, tearing it up, literally! This is what makes your muscles up to 20% larger after training. The actual muscle building process (growth of lean muscle) happens when you’re resting.

To aid in recovery from intense workouts and kick start protein synthesis (muscle repair and regrowth) drink a protein shake within about 30 mins after you finish your workout. There’s no concrete evidence that tells you exactly how much protein to have, but 30g is a good guide. That’s about 1.5 scoops of most good whey protein powders. Gym junkies is a great source to look for protein and other supplements.

For Women, Do Glute Kickbacks To Tighten And Tone Your Butt

For Ladies looking to tighten and tone the butt, try doing glute kickbacks. Glute kickbacks are an awesome exercise to target your butt muscles and really firm the butt. You can start by doing the exercise with your own body weight (as pictured above) and then move on to adding resistance with bands or machine (gym). The movement of “kicking back” directly targets the butt muscles, which you’ll really feel if you try this exercise!

Don’t be afraid of adding on some weight. Females don’t have the testosterone to build muscle like men, so adding some weight will simply build you a more shapely butt, not a big one! A general guide for rep numbers would be 10-20, and 3-5 sets.

Set Short Term And Long Term Goals To Stay Motivated

Keeping motivated is one of the hardest part of reaching your fitness goals. Getting to the gym, on the bike, or out for a run is hard when you’re deflated and demotivated. The big mistake many people make is setting one big goal and trying to reach it. For example, you might say, “I want to lose 50 pounds”. This is a great goal, but is going to take a while to reach. Keeping motivated when you’re losing 3-4 pounds per week (which is great weight loss!) can be tough.

One of the best ways to keep motivated is to set small attainable goals that you can hit every few weeks, as well as larger more long term goals. So in this case what would be a better approach is to set yourself a goal that you can hit every few weeks, and keep your 50 pounds overall goal. You’ll feel great when you hit your mini goals and make sure you stay on track to hit your main goal.

Reduce Your Calories By Making The Right Drink Choices

One of the hardest things for some people when they first start their weight loss journey is reducing their calories down to a point where the body will stop storing fat and start using it for energy. One of the easiest ways to reduce your daily calories is by choosing the right drinks. You’ll be amazed at how many calories are in a couple of large sodas or sweet teas, and how much of your daily calories actually come from these drinks.

Start getting used to drinking water. Water contains no calories. Always choose water when you go out to eat. If you need some flavor (and we all do) choose diet sodas. Diet sodas also have no calories and are a good choice for those looking to drop some fat. But keep in mind that diet sodas also contain caffeine and chemical flavorings, so drink them occasionally.