Lean and Mean, Or Just Plain Huge? By Jim Robertson At Isnare.com Ezine Articles

Being “in shape” can mean any number of things these days. There’s lean and mean, there’s just lean, and there’s large and in charge. If your goal is to add muscle mass to your frame, which is one of the two critical steps toward jacking your metabolism (the other is your diet regimen), the first thing you need to understand is that there are several ways to go about it. Because while one can turn you into a candidate for a Calvin Klein underwear ad, another could turn you into someone who looks like they should be arm wrestling for quarters at the corner tavern.

One needs only to look at competitive runners to understand that there’s more than one way to shed pounds and build muscle mass. In fact, you need look no further than the track to see the rules of exercise physiology in full bloom. Because on that track are two kinds of runners: distance runners, and sprinters. They both train with equal intensity, they spend the same amount of time doing it, and they eat at the same training table. And both have off-the-charts fast metabolisms. But look closer. They look nothing alike. The distance guy looks like an anorexic, while the sprinter looks like he could bench press your Buick. They’re both athletes, both runners, so how can this be?

Body fat isn’t the issue here. Fact is, neither of those athletes have much of it. The body fat percentage of the sprinter, who is obviously thicker and more muscular than the distance runner, is probably every bit as low, if not lower. So why is one more muscular than the other? Because the distance runner creates a larger daily calorie deficit through the nature of his training, the nature of which doesn’t ask his body to add lean mass. In fact, it asks him to shed it. The sprinter, on the other hand, needs explosive strength, and the muscle required to do it is built upon a specific training regimen that doesn’t impinge on the body’s ability to create it. Each athlete manages their diet and training differently, and they have different body types to show for it.

So it follows, then, that if your goal is to lose weight and maintain all the muscle you can while you’re at it, you must learn how to train like the sprinter. You must put your body through a specific training regimen that will not deplete muscle cells to feed energy needs, yet one that will push the body’s energy stores to the point at which they must go to reserve sources – body fat – to fuel the demands you are placing upon it. And in your case, this doesn’t mean doing sprints, it means weight training that adds the muscle mass you need to calibrate your metabolism in such a way that you will burn fat more efficiently.

Because at the root of all this is one scientific fact: muscle burns more calories than fat. The more of it you have, the more calories you will burn per day, even when you’re not using those muscles. And the way to add more muscle without looking like a wrestler is to speed up your metabolism and eat properly, with five to six smaller yet high quality meals each day, rather than the traditional three square meals. Metabolism is the key to managing your weight and reaching a high level of fitness. And if you doubt this, just ask yourself which body you’d rather see in the mirror, a marathon champion or that of a high hurdler? The choice is yours.

Published At: Isnare Free Articles Directory http://www.isnare.com
Permanent Link: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=345750&ca=Wellness%2C+Fitness+and+Diet

Important Notice DISCLAIMER: All information, content, and data in this article are sole opinions and/or findings of the individual user or organization that registered and submitted this article at Isnare.com without any fee. The article is strictly for educational or entertainment purposes only and should not be used in any way, implemented or applied without consultation from a professional. We at Isnare.com do not, in anyway, contribute or include our own findings, facts and opinions in any articles presented in this site. Publishing this article does not constitute Isnare.com's support or sponsorship for this article. Isnare.com is an article publishing service. Please read our Terms of Service for more information.