Boost Metabolic Rate to Burn Fat

Question: I'm in my 40s and want to begin working out again, but I have a problem. When I worked out before, I had a blessing/curse: I put on muscle very easily, especially in my legs, and they just got bigger. How should I approach training now and how do I keep from building my legs too much?

Answer: Wow! I know a lot of guys who would love to have your problem.

Genetically, your family is very athletic and you are probably a cross between a mesomorph and endomorph. That means you build muscle easily, but if you are not careful with your diet you may have a tendency to put on fat as well.

Here's what you need to do to get started:

Have your body fat tested to get a benchmark number to determine your lean body mass and the current amount of fat weight that you are carrying.

Record what you are eating, drinking and when for at least three days, but a week of food information would be more helpful and show you what you are doing.

Usually, knowing your body fat and seeing on paper exactly what you are eating is an eye-opener and helps to initiate changes to food selections and eating patterns. Drink the standard eight glasses, 64 ounces, of water a day and eliminate soft drinks, including diet drinks.

Weight training is necessary only two days a week at the beginning. Do a full body workout twice a week but do different exercises each day to keep things challenging.

When you train your legs use primarily isolation exercises and use high rep ranges, 12 to 15 reps per set.
Some isolation exercises include
1. leg curls,
2. single leg curls,
3. abductor,
4. adductor,
5. or even light leg extensions.
The idea is to use high reps and light weight to tighten muscles but not to challenge them heavily.
Lunges, which are considered a compound exercise, could be used as well, but not with additional weight.
Avoid squats and leg presses at first to determine how the isolation work will affect your muscle growth.

During this time you need to be strict with your food and use cardio five to six days each week to burn off fat. If you don't melt away some of the fat off your legs then your legs may appear larger and your jeans will be a little tighter simply from beginning to work out again.

It will require work on your part, but the fact that you can build muscle is actually a strong advantage for you. By shaping and tightening the muscle on your frame, your base metabolic rate will be slightly elevated, which helps you burn off more fat. So, use your gifts to your advantage to get into the shape you want.

Daryl Laws

Personal Training and Sports Performance Excellence Blog

Boost Metabolic Rate to Burn Fat