If you’re looking to lose weight and build muscle, you’ll need to get active…like right now! But you can’t just do any random exercise. There are certain workouts that can get you the results you need, and no one knows this better than Kim and Krista White.
Let The Experts Weigh In
Jim and Krista White know a lot about what it takes to stay fit, burn fat, and gain muscle mass. Jim himself is a trainer and a certified dietician, while Krista often writes on her husband’s blog to remind us it’s okay to indulge once in a while without going overboard.
You Can Lose Weight And Build Muscles
Anyone can burn off fat and build muscles simultaneously, according to Jim White. But you’ll need to be strategic about your training, how often you do it, and making sure you give your body the fuel and time it needs to recover.
Here’s What You Do To Build Muscle
If you want muscles, you need to do strength training compound exercises such as push-ups, squats, and deadlifts. These ensure that you burn more fat and calories while offering multi-joint movements that work the large muscle groups.
But You Shouldn’t Rule Out Cardio
Pilates, cycling and other forms of cardio workout can be used for cross-training. These can also help you burn calories, too, which is a major plus. But it won’t do much in the way of muscle building, which is what you’re after.
Start Off Slow
Start with two strength sessions a week. Rome wasn’t built in a day, so don’t expect to look like Superman or Wonder Woman overnight. Give your muscles the time they need to get stronger. It’s not a big deal if you take a few days off to repair your muscles. You won’t be able to stick to your plan every single week. So if you fall off track, then make sure to get right back on it. You will need to work out at least 2-3 times a week. Then you can add more sessions.
Add More Sessions As You Advance
Once you’re at an intermediate level, you can start doing three to four sessions per week. By this point, you should have enough experience lifting weights, too. Once you get more advanced, you can bump it up to five sessions a week.
Train In The Hypertrophy Phase
Don’t just do random sets and rep schemes. Try the hypertrophy phase, aka maximal muscle growth. By this point, you should be able to do three to five sets of 12 to 15 reps per exercise. You should also use a weight that’s 80 percent of your one-rep max, which is the amount of weight you can lift per rep.
But Fuel Your Body Properly
While it sounds counterproductive to eat when you’re trying to lose weight, the bottom line is you need to feed your body in order to gain muscle mass. But that doesn’t mean you should park yourself in front of an all you can eat buffet either.
Find Your Macronutrient Ratio
White suggests that you consume 55 percent carbohydrates, 25 percent protein, and 20 percent fat. Finding your macronutrient ratio will allow you to stay within your diet zone without crossing the line.
But What If Your Weight Goes Up?
You can expect to lose one to two pounds a week if you stick to the compound exercises. But don’t freak out if the number on the scale goes up. You may look thinner, but weigh more because of muscles mass. So, focus less on the scale and more on how you look and how incredible you feel and keep going. At the end of the day, happiness cannot and should not be defined by how much you weight but how incredible you feel.
