How to Be a Burning Fat, Building Muscle Machine

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By Raphael Calzadilla, BA, CPT, ACE
eDiets Chief Fitness Pro

"Start by doing what's necessary; then do what's possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible."
-- St. Francis of Assisi

Honestly -- you really can melt away inches. It’s not marketing hype and it’s not based on some strange supplement or magic formula. It’s grounded in physiology and is based on fact. I’ve always had this fantasy of doing an infomercial and actually telling people the truth about how to lose fat. You know what I mean -- not the usual quick fix or fantasy machine that has you achieving six pack abs and a tight butt in 10 seconds a day. My fantasy may have to wait awhile, but at least I can share some of my insights with you here.

This week, an eDiets employee told me how happy she was because her clothes were fitting much looser and that she had lost inches all over her body (yes, including her thighs, butt and "love handles"), however, the scale had not gone down! She went on to tell me that when I originally told her how to lose inches, although she respected my opinion, she just couldn’t seem to buy into it. Guess what? She’s a believer now. She knows scale weight will drop in time, but that losing inches and a few dress sizes while maintaining the same weight has an almost magical quality to it.

I want to first explain some things about muscle versus fat and then provide the antidote. I promise to keep this short and simple to understand.

If you’ve ever compared one pound of fat to one pound of muscle, you would have found that the fat was much larger in size and volume compared to the one pound of muscle. The one pound of muscle may have appeared to be the size of a small compact tennis ball whereas the one pound of fat may have been three to four times the size and actually resembled Jell-O. That alone tells us that muscle is leaner and tighter than fat.

For every pound of muscle you gain, the body burns 30-50 additional calories per day. If you gain five pounds of muscle, that’s 91,000 additional calories per year that you’re burning. Increasing muscle helps to burn fat, stokes the metabolism, increases bone density and makes one look more pleasing to the eye. When fat is decreased on the body and slight muscle gains take place, it creates a more fit and symmetrical look.

I can hear the screams now, "Yes, but I don’t want to get bulky -- I don’t want to look like a bodybuilder." Who says you have to? Testosterone is the main hormone for making major increases in muscle. A woman has approximately one-third the testosterone compared to a man. So, you have nothing to worry about.

If you gain muscle and you increase your body fat, well then yes, you will look bulky. However, that’s because you’re simply eating too much. You’ll have to blame the excess calories on that one, not the muscle increase.

It doesn’t matter how old you are, how out of shape you are or how much total weight (body fat) you need to lose. Everyone should be doing some form of resistance exercise. Are you over 65 and injury-free? Do you need to lose 50 pounds or more? Yep, you still need and will benefit from resistance exercise.

The initial result will be a melting away of inches. The slight increase in muscle will stimulate the metabolism and help to burn more calories and fat. This might result in a loss of body fat, but a gain in muscle -- which would show as no weight lost on the scale. However, you would have actually lost fat. Talk about the scale being deceiving!

Now you know why the eDiets employee I mentioned has much to be happy about.

The total solution is weight training to build muscle and burn calories, cardiovascular exercise to burn additional calories and an intelligently designed nutrition program to make sure you’re taking in just enough calories to burn fat, but sustain energy levels.

I’m providing three weight training exercises I want you to do for the next 30 days. If you’ve never lifted weights, I ask that you commit to this routine for six weeks. It won’t take long at all, but it will go a long way in helping you begin the process of melting away inches.

I’m asking that you only perform three exercises on three alternate days of the week. Two to three sets of 10-15 repetitions with perfect form. You’ll be doing one lower body movement, a shoulder exercise and one biceps exercise. An experienced trainer might question why I’m providing an exercise for the small biceps muscle. Due to the fact that it’s an easy muscle to see and feel results quickly, you’ll gain the psychological advantage of quick results.

Let’s go!

Dumbbell Close Stance Squat

Starting Position:

Stand tall with your feet closer than shoulder-width apart with a slight bend in the knees.

Hold a dumbbell or can in each hand and rest one on each shoulder.

Movement:

Lower your body by bending from your hips and knees, stopping when your thighs are parallel to the floor.

Contracting the quadriceps muscles, slowly return to the starting position stopping just short of your knees being fully extended.

Key Points:

Exhale while returning to the starting position.

Inhale as you lower down.

Do not let your knees ride over your toes (you should be able to see your feet at all times).

It helps to find a marker on the wall to keep your eye on as you lift and lower, otherwise your head may tend to fall forward and your body will follow.

Think about sitting back in a chair and stick your butt out as you are lowering down.

Push off with your heels as you return to the starting position.

You may want to try this exercise without weights until you master the movement. It is a very effective exercise that involves most of the muscle groups of the lower body, but if done improperly can lead to injuries.

Dumbbell Two Arm Lateral Raise

Starting Position:

Stand with feet shoulder-width apart with a slight bend in your knees.

Hold a dumbbell or cans in each hand with your arms down at your sides and palms facing your legs.

Movement:

Contracting the middle shoulder muscles, raise both arms out to the sides, stopping when your arms are slightly higher than shoulder level.

Slowly return to the starting position, stopping just short of the weights touching your body.

Key Points:

Exhale while lifting the weights.

Inhale while returning to the starting position.

You may also perform this exercise from a seated position.

The Biceps Curl

Starting Position:

Sit on a bench or chair with both feet in front of your body and your back straight.

Hold a dumbbell or cans in each hand with your arms at each side and palms facing forward.

Movement:

Contracting the biceps muscles, raise the weights toward your shoulders, stopping just short of the weights touching the shoulders.

Slowly return to the starting position.

Key Points:

Exhale while lifting the weights.

Inhale while returning to the starting position.

Your upper arms should remain stationary throughout the exercise.

This routine is effective and produces results when you’re consistent on your eDiets nutrition plan and overall exercise program. It’s all about balancing all the components to achieve that great look.

As always, please check with your doctor before beginning any exercise program.

How about a program where these types of tips are personalized for YOU? This is where eDiets's eFitness can help! You will have the luxury of continuous personal training at a fraction of the cost of hiring a trainer at a health club. Let us do the work for you! If you need help with your nutrition program, our sister company -- eDiets -- can help. With 21 customizable plans, you'll find the right diet for you!

A competitive bodybuilder and former 2001 Mr. Connecticut, Raphael Calzadilla is a veteran of the health and fitness industry. He specializes in a holistic approach to body transformation, nutrition programs and personal training. He earned his B.A. in Communications from Southern Connecticut State University and is certified as a personal trainer with ACE and APEX. In addition, he successfully completed the RTS1 program based on biomechanics