If you are looking to build a lot of muscle but you don’t have the time to spend hours every day in the gym, then you would be interested in the kind of workouts that can help you build considerable muscle mass without spending a lot of time. Yes there are actual workouts that are more efficient than the ones you may be used to and you get more results than when you spend hours lifting weights. With these exercises, there is no need for you to do a lot of repetitions. You would just have to do 2 or 3 sets of about 8 – 10 repetitions. By the time you are done with your workouts, you would have fatigued your muscles. This basically means that you would not be able to do more even if you tried.
To be able to do this, you would have to be lifting the heavier weight that you can do with proper form when exercising. Performing lesser repetitions with heavier weights means you exercise sessions would be both short and more efficient that when you do a lot repetitions with lighter weights. You would also have to do the kinds of exercises that workout several muscles at the same time. They are called compound exercises. There is no need performing isolated workouts like triceps presses and bicep curls, you need the kind of exercises that would target multiple muscles at the same time. An example of compound exercises are: squats which would require your hamstrings, quadriceps, gluteus and lower leg muscles to perform them. Doing this kind of exercise is like performing multiple exercises at the same time. The stronger your muscles become, the more you can add extra weights. As for your upper body, you should also do the same. An upper body exercise than workouts multiple muscles is the row exercise. Even the popular pull-ups and push-ups exercises work out several muscles at the same time. In less than one hour you can work out your whole body if you make a tactical plan on the exercises you would be doing in the gym. This would leave you time to do other activities like relaxing which you need to build muscle. On your work out days it is better to do both your lower body and upper body on the same day instead of dividing it between days. Then you take a day or two days as rest between your workout sessions. This is better so that your body would have more time to recover. It is actually when you are resting that is when your body builds muscle tissues. This is why you have to get adequate sleep every night especially on your rest days. Doing this would help your body in healing and building muscle tissues faster. If you exercise for long hours every day, you are not going to experience much muscle growth because your body hasn’t gotten then time to heal and build muscle. So, if you are looking to pack on muscle as fast as possible, bear in mind these tips that you have just read.
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If you are just starting your journey to lose your excess body fat, you need a weight loss exercise plan that would help you in efficiently and effectively burning calories and is also easy to follow. My simple weight loss exercise plan is based on these things:
Have you heard of HIIT before? HIIT is a short form for High Intensity Interval Training. And it is an efficient and fast technique of exercise training that simply involves alternating between short sessions where you exercise intensely giving out 100% maximum effort and sessions where you exercise with low intensity (or relax) to recover. This type of exercise training could last for as little as 5 minutes to as much as 30 minutes – it all depends on your level of fitness. HIIT helps keep your heart rate up and burns more calories in less time (when compared to doing slow cardiovascular exercise). And I am sure you already know about bodyweight exercises like push-ups, pull-ups, squats etc. [ PS: There are also exercises that target the tissues in the penis and make your erection bigger and stronger. I advise against using penile pumps for this, here is a detailed clarification why you shouldn't use penis pumps. ] Bodyweight training is a simple yet very effective form of exercise training that improves your cardiovascular fitness, strength levels and also helps you in burning a lot of calories without having to use any exercise equipment whatsoever. You are only using your “body-weight”. My workout plan is basically a merger of HIIT and bodyweight training. The combination of these two forms of training would help you get all the benefits that they offer. This weight loss exercise plan contains 10 effective bodyweight exercises and you would be required to do each of these exercises for 20 seconds at 100% maximum effort before you relax for at least 10 seconds. You can finish one circuit of this exercise routine in 5 minutes, but if you really want to burn a lot more calories you would have to do 5 or 6 repetitions of this routine which should last for 25 – 35 minutes. Let me explain how you can do each one of the exercises in this routine. #1 Exercise – Push-Ups Push-up is a very popular bodyweight exercise. This exercise helps in strengthening the muscles located in your back, triceps, shoulders and chest. To perform the Push-up exercise properly, follow these simple instructions: 1.) Kneel down and put your palms flat on the ground, ensure that your hands are in-line with your chest and well spaced (about a shoulder width apart). 2.) Now, push your legs backward and straighten them out. At this position you should be supporting your bodyweight with your hands and your toes – push your hips towards the ground to straighten your back. 3.) Lower your body to the floor by bending only your elbows. Only stop when your nose or chest has touched the floor. 4.) Lift your body back to your starting position by straightening your elbows. 5.) Do step 3 – 4 with maximum intensity and as many times as you can do in 20 seconds. 6.) Rest for 10 seconds before you move on to the next exercise. #2 Exercise – Burpee No other bodyweight exercise compares to the Burpee exercise when it comes to improving your cardiovascular fitness and strengthening your upper and lower body muscles. To perform the Burpee exercise properly, follow these simple instructions: 1.) Kneel down and put your palms flat on the ground, ensure that your hands are in-line with your chest and well spaced (about a shoulder width apart). 2.) Straighten out your legs backwards to put your body in a position where your bodyweight is resting on your toes and hands. Then lower your body to the floor (by only bending your elbows) till your chest touches the ground slightly. 3.) Lift your body by straightening your elbows, stand up and immediately jump as high as you can. 4.) The instance you land back on the ground, do step 1 – 3 with maximum intensity and as many times as you can do in 20 seconds. 5.) Rest for 10 seconds before you move on to the next exercise. #3 Exercise – Jumping Jacks Jumping jack exercise might look very easy to do, however it is still very effective in burning calories. To perform the Jumping Jack exercise, follow these simple instructions: 1.) Stand up with a straight posture, make sure your feet are together and your hands are touching your sides. 2.) Jump up and swing your hands up until they touch above your head while at the same time kicking your feet sideways. Keep this position when you land back on the ground. 3.) Jump up once more, however this time, bring back your feet to how it was and also swing your hands back to your sides. Keep this position when you land back on the ground. 4.) Do step 2 – 3 with maximum intensity and as many times as you can do in 20 seconds. 5.) Rest for 10 seconds before you move on to the next exercise. #4 Exercise – Bodyweight Squats Squats are a very effective exercise for strengthening and toning the muscles in your legs and butt. In the gym, you can do squats with weights also, however this squat is the bodyweight squat. To perform the bodyweight Squat exercise, follow these simple instructions: 1.) Stand up straight and keep your feet wide apart. At the same time raise your arms in front of you to the same level as your shoulders. 2.) Now lower your body towards the floor by bending your knees. Only stop when your butt is in-line with your knees and your thighs are parallel to the ground (or you can go lower till your thighs are touching your calves – it depends on which one you are comfortable with). 3.) Lift your body back to your starting position by straightening your knees. 4.) Do step 2 – 3 with maximum intensity and as many times as you can do in 20 seconds. 5.) Rest for 10 seconds before you move on to the next exercise. #5 Exercise – Jump Squats This is a more intense version of the regular bodyweight squat and it helps you in burning extra calories by including a jump in the exercise. To perform the Jump Squat exercise, follow these simple instructions: 1.) Stand up straight and keep your feet wide apart. At the same time raise your arms in front of you to the same level as your shoulders. 2.) Now lower your body towards the floor by bending your knees. Only stop when your butt is in-line with your knees and your thighs are parallel to the ground (or you can go lower till your thighs are touching your calves – it depends on which one you are comfortable with). 3.) Lift your body back to your starting position by straightening your knees, then immediately jump up as high as you can 4.) Do step 2 – 3 with maximum intensity and as many times as you can do in 20 seconds. 5.) Rest for 10 seconds before you move on to the next exercise. #6 Exercise – High Knees This exercise is quite popular in most aerobic classes. It is also an effective exercise that would help you improve your cardiovascular fitness levels. To perform the High Knees exercise, follow these simple instructions: 1.) Stand up with a straight posture, and then lift your right leg up to the same level of your hip while also raising your left arm to the same level as your shoulder. 2.) Lower your right leg back to the ground and drop your left arm back to your side. 3.) Lift you left leg up to the same level as your hip, while simultaneously lifting your right arm to the same level of your shoulder. 4.) Lower your left leg back to the ground and drop your right arm back to your side. 5.) Do step 1 – 4 with maximum intensity and as many times as you can do in 20 seconds. 6.) Rest for 10 seconds before you move on to the next exercise. #7 Exercise – Planks This bodyweight exercise helps in tightening and toning the muscles in your upper body in addition to helping you burn calories. To perform the Plank exercise, follow these simple instructions: 1.) Kneel down and rest your forearms on the ground – ensure that your forearms are about 8 or 9 inches apart from each other and side by side to each other. 2.) Straighten out your legs behind you and lift your knees from the ground. At this point you should be supporting your whole body on your toes and forearms. 3.) Once you have gotten your balance, tighten your upper body muscles and stay in this position for 20 seconds. 4.) Rest for 10 seconds before you move on to the next exercise. #8 Exercise – Mountain Climbers This exercise might seem a bit fancy, however it is very effective in strengthening and toning your leg muscles while at the same time enhancing your cardiovascular fitness. To perform the Mountain Climber exercise, follow these simple instructions: 1.) Go on your knees and place your palms flat on the ground. Make sure that your hands are widely spaced (about a shoulder width apart). 2.) Straighten out your right leg backwards and bend your left leg while at the same time pointing your buttocks up. 3.) Lift both feet from the floor at the same time and switch positions of your legs so that your left leg is now straight and your right leg is now bent. 4.) Do steps 2 – 3 with maximum intensity and as many times as you can do in 20 seconds. 5.) Rest for 10 seconds before you move on to the next exercise. #9 Exercise – Sprints Sprinting is technically the highest calorie burning exercise known to man (according to a study here, you can burn as much as 200 calories in 2 minutes 30 seconds). Sprints also help you in developing speed and reflexes. Follow these simple instructions to do sprints: 1.) Go to an open field (or track) that is at least 50 metres long. 2.) Run as fast as you can along the open field, stop after 50 metres or after 10 seconds of sprinting. Turn around and run as fast as you can back to the spot you started from. 3.) Doing this to and fro sprinting should last for about 20 seconds. 4.) Rest for 60 seconds before you move on to the next exercise. (If you are exercising at home, you can skip sprints since you might not have enough space). #10 Exercise – Lunges In the gym (or at home) you can also do the Lunge exercise while carrying dumbbell weights on each hand. The Lunge exercise helps in toning the muscles in your legs and butt as well as helping you burn calories. To perform the Lunge exercise, follow these simple instructions:
1.) Stand up with a straight posture and place both hands on your hips by your side. 2.) Take a long step forward with your left leg; bend both your knees at the same time to lower your body, your right knee should almost touch the ground while your left knee should be at a 90° angle. 3.) Go back to your starting position by straightening your knees. 4.) Take a long step forward with your right leg; bend both your knees at the same time to lower your body, your left knee should almost touch the ground while your right knee should be at a 90° angle. 5.) Go back to your starting position by straightening your knees. 6.) Do step 2 – 5 with maximum intensity and as many times as you can do in 20 seconds. 7.) Rest for 10 seconds before you move on to the next exercise or you have reached the last stage of the exercise routine. As simple as this exercise routine looks, you can burn a lot of fat and also build muscles if you do it properly. The best part of this exercise routine is that there is no need for exercise equipment. To get the most fat burning benefits from this routine make sure that your perform each of the exercises with 100% maximum effort – it is designed to be a HIIT bodyweight exercise routine. Here are my recommendations that can help you find out which exercise session duration you prefer: For an exercise session that lasts 5 minutes, do one repetition of stages 1-20 For an exercise session that lasts 10 minutes, do two repetitions of stages 1-20 For an exercise session that lasts 15 minutes, do three repetitions of stages 1-20 For an exercise session that lasts 20 minutes, do four repetitions of stages 1-20 For an exercise session that lasts 25 minutes, do five repetitions of stages 1-20 For an exercise session that lasts 30 minutes, do six repetitions of stages 1-20 I recommend that you do a workout that lasts for 30 minutes if you are serious about losing your excess body fat. And you need to rest for at least 48 hours after each workout (you should NOT exercise every day when you are just starting out). So, here is my simple weight loss exercise plan: Monday – 30 minutes of exercise Tuesday – Rest day Wednesday – 30 minutes of exercise Thursday – Rest day Friday – 30 minutes of exercise Saturday – Rest day Sunday – 30 minutes of exercise To get the maximum benefit from this weight loss exercise plan, combine it with a calorie controlled diet. Are you interested in losing a few pounds of body fat and improving your fitness by cycling? And just like you, so many men also have a goal of losing their excess body fat and improving their fitness by cycling frequently, but in most cases the first time of actually going out to cycle never seems to come. Cycling is a good way to lose excess body fat gradually while also improving your muscle definition and in general improving your health – it is also a lot of fun especially when done outdoors. So, if you have been thinking of cycling for weight loss for some time now, it is high time you actually start cycling... there is no need to wait anymore. In a moment you would discover a few important things that you need to know in order to get enthusiastic on the idea of cycling for a healthier, leaner and fitter you. Here Are Some Of The Benefits Of Cycling 1.) It Is A Low Impact Exercise – Most kinds of repetitive exercise like running usually puts pressure on the joints which leads to damage. Cycling on the other hand takes the weight off your joints and actually helps in strengthening your quadriceps, calves, hamstrings, glutei and hip muscles. And stronger muscles means that it becomes a lot easier for you to shed body fat, so you would end up burning a lot more body fat when you take up cycling instead of running. So, for lots of men that cannot do high impact exercises because it gives them pain in their joints, cycling is a better option. 2.) It Helps You Burn Calories During And After Your Workout – When cycling, you burn calories because it increases your heart rate. Depending on your current body weight and how fast you bike, it can help you in burning off between 70 – 650 calories in 30 minutes. And depending on how intense you cycle, you would keep burning calories for hours after you have parked your bicycle. So, you would keep burning calories while eating, watching television or bathing making it easier to achieve your fat loss goals - how wonderful is that? 3.) It Is Very Affordable – Cycling for weight loss is a lot more pocket-friendly than paying for monthly gym membership. 4.) It Requires No Special Training – Cycling is an activity that is as easy as it gets. I am sure you already know how to ride a bicycle and once you learn how to ride a bicycle you never really forget. 5.) It Helps Improve Your Strength, Endurance, Fitness And Health – Exercising by cycling is not only for fat loss, it also helps in improving your overall health. How To Get Started With Cycling For Weight Loss Okay, now you have made up your mind to lose your excess body fat and cycling is your exercise of choice, how do you get started? To start with, you have got to make a few important decisions – they include: A.) Do You Want To Ride Alone, With A Friend Or As Part Of A Cycling Club? – All these options work, however you still need to pick the one that you like. You may be okay with riding alone when you just start to help you build confidence in your biking. While there are some men that prefer cycling with a friend or a cycling club to help them stay motivated to their training plan and fat loss goal. B.) Can You Easily Fit Cycling Into Your Busy Schedule? – If you live in a small town or a city with a dedicated bicycle lane, an easy way to fit in a daily cycling exercise session into your busy schedule is to begin cycling to and from work. If you cannot get to work without having to get on a busy motorway and there are no showers in your office, then bicycling to work may NOT be doable. However, you can decide to get up 30 minutes earlier than your wake up time to cycle before you go to work or you can do your cycling in the evenings after you come back from work. C.) Do You Want To Cycle Outdoors Or Indoors? – It depends on what you prefer. Personally I prefer cycling on a recumbent stationary bike indoors. However, it is a lot more fun to cycle outside if you live in a small town or a city that has dedicated bicycle lanes. If you don’t like the idea of bicycling outside, you can sign up to a spinning class or purchase a bike trainer stand so that you can use your bicycle as a stationary bike and whenever you feel like cycling outside to get some fresh air you simply remove it. D.) Do You Want A Cycling Trainer? – If you have a record of NOT sticking to your exercise plans, then maybe getting a trainer might help you stay consistent with cycling no matter the excuses your brain come up with however this can be a bit expensive. If you would prefer to cycle alone or you cannot afford a trainer, then make sure you prepare a training timetable and maintain a diary to record your setbacks and progress – this would help you reach your fat loss goals faster. Set A Fat Loss Goal And Put All Efforts To Stick To It A very effective way to make sure that you stick to your cycling sessions is to set a goal with a time frame. For most men, a looming deadline usually makes it easier to do a task. Since you are cycling for weight loss, you might be tempted to make your goal fat loss specific, however it is a lot healthier and more enjoyable to choose either a distance, time or intensity related goal instead. In the beginning you can set a goal of cycling for 15 or 20 minutes. And later on when your cycling has become a lot better, you can sign up for any cycling event or race that seems challenging for you. Once you have signed up and paid the fee for a cycling race that is currently out of your ability, it would give you the motivation that you need to train consistently in order to show a good performance during the race. And as you know, training regularly means you would be burning more calories which draw you closer to your ultimate fat loss goal. Stop Making Flimsy Excuses! When it comes to exercising, everyone makes excuses to avoid it! Let’s say you have decided to always cycle to work, and you wake up one morning and find out it is raining, you immediately tell yourself – “I am getting on the bus today”. You see that is an excuse that you justified with the weather! If you are really serious about losing weight by cycling and if it was rainy, you would just attach a bike trainer stand to your bicycle and exercise indoors for 15 – 20 minutes before you get on the bus to work. If you normally struggle to exercise, here are some extreme tips to help keep you motivated to cycling for weight loss, they may not be practicable depending on your situation and environment but you can give them a trial: 1.) When Going To Work, Only Carry Cash Needed For Your Lunch! Make the decision to start commuting to and from work by bicycling. And only take enough cash that you need to buy lunch. Keep your bus fare cards at home. This way, you have no money for your bus ticket, so you would be compelled to cycle home just like you bicycled to work. This might not always be practicable because they would be times where it would be raining heavily when you close from work... in this scenario, you can always borrow some money from any of your co-worker to pay for your bus ticket and pay him back the next day 2.) Do Cycling In Form Of High Intensity Interval Training Anytime You Have Little Time To Spare If you have less than 15 minutes to exercise, you can make the most of it and get as much calorie burn as possible by doing interval training. What you would be doing is alternating short periods of your fastest cycling speed with very slow cycling periods to recover. You can start out by doing six sets interval, where you cycle at your fastest speed for one or two minutes then cycle very slowly for 1 minute as rest. As your stamina and endurance improves you can go do more than six sets. The safest way to do this high intensity interval training (HIIT) is indoors using a bike trainer stand on your bicycle or a stationary bike. However, if you are going to do it outdoors, please do it an area that has little or no traffic! When you are going at full speed, your risks of accident increases – this is why I recommend you do this form of cycling training indoors and you don’t need to do it for more than 20 minutes per session. When you do this form of cycling, you would burn a lot of calories in a short period of time and it keeps your metabolism high for as long as 12 hours. So, you would be burning extra calories hours after you have stopped cycling. 3.) Always Explore New Routes For Cycling Another way to keep your motivation high is to avoid cycling the same route every time. Instead, you can spend some time to plan new routes to discover new roads in your neighborhood and you would also discover new ways of connecting accessible roads – it makes cycling more of an interesting adventure than just simply exercising. 4.) Anytime The Weather Prevents You From Cycling, Make Up for It By Cycling Indoors There are sometimes in the year where the weather makes it very difficult to cycle outdoors (like when it is raining or snowing heavily), you can fix a bike trainer stand to your bicycle and cycle indoors. And anytime you miss your cycling sessions because something important came up, you can make up for it by cycling indoors. This way you have no excuse for skipping on your cycling sessions. When the weather is good, you cycle outdoors, when the weather is bad, you cycle indoors – no more excuses! Healthy Fat Loss Comes Slowly And Gradually Do NOT be discouraged if you aren’t experiencing instant or fast results when you start cycling for weight loss. And just as I have said in my previous articles, losing 1 or 2 pounds of body fat is a healthy and normal speed for you to be losing weight. Another thing is that even when you have shed off all of your excess body fat, you need to keep cycling (or any other form of exercising) to prevent the weight from piling back again. And even if you are not losing weight as fast as you want, remember that cycling strengthens and builds your muscles (especially when you do it in form of high intensity interval training). So after cycling for a few weeks and you notice that your weight hasn’t changed much, don’t worry your body shape and health would have improved. Just persevere and you would get noticeable results. Selecting The Correct Equipment If you are going to really succeed in losing weight by cycling, then it is important that you get the correct bicycle and cycling equipment. Your first training bicycle needs to be as comfortable as possible – so, you might need to get your bike set up checked by a bike fitting specialist to ensure everything is just right for you. Don’t be tempted to purchase your bicycle online on the spur of the moment. It is a lot better to get your bike from a local bicycle specialist shop. In this case, you would get a lot of advice on the types of bicycle that is correct for you and the bike specialist would help you to locate a bicycle and adjust it to fit properly for you. And as your excess body fat starts coming off, you would realize that you need lighter tyres so that you can cycle faster – so you may still have to go back to the same bicycle specialist shop after a few months of riding for some adjustments.
You would also have to get some breathable, well fitting, waterproof and comfortable clothes for cycling. Don’t Forget Your Nutrition And Diet! Fat loss is approximately 70% diet and 30% exercise. I am sure you must have heard of something like that before. If you are going to lose your excess body fat, then you need to adjust your diet also. It is difficult to lose weight by cycling alone, you need to also reduce your calorie intake (eat less food). Even though extreme diets, crash diets and fad diets seem to be what is in vogue right now, you do NOT need them to achieve healthy fat loss and to maintain a healthy body weight. Instead, stick to a healthy and balanced diet and control how much you eat. Also stay hydrated always by drinking at least 8 glasses of water every day. Try including more fiber and protein foods in your diet so that you would feel less hungry which means you end up consuming lesser calories per day. Make sure you always eat a nutritious and filling breakfast within1 hour of getting up from bed. And also eat a protein-packed meal within 40 minutes after cycling. Do your best to reduce your consumption of junk foods and sugary snacks. When you make it a habit of eating healthy foods while also cycling regularly, your excess body fat would steadily come off transforming you into a leaner, fitter and healthier man. Just like you, so many men interested in losing weight try to look for ways to enhance their fat loss efforts. So many energy drinks and fat loss pills usually claim that caffeine (found in coffee) is a good way to boost your metabolism and can help give you an energy-filled and healthier lifestyle. This is one of the reasons why some men tend to look at coffee as a supplement or even as a substitute for exercising and a healthy diet. Here is why... Coffee Contains Caffeine, Which Acts As A Stimulant Coffee is not simply hot (or warm/cold) black water. There are compounds in coffee beans that end up in your cup of coffee even after processing. As a matter of fact, coffee contains at least four biologically active compounds that are well known to increase your body’s metabolic rate:
But, does drinking coffee regularly affect your fat loss in a considerable manner?... Well, continue reading to discover if there is even an actual link between coffee and weight loss. Is There A Link Between Coffee And Weight Loss? Although coffee and fat loss have frequently been associated informally, you might wonder if there is any actual evidence that prove that drinking coffee regularly can help you in losing your excess body fat? Well... the few evidences available say it sort of helps with fat loss! There are research studies that have found out that drinking coffee (which contains caffeine) can increase fat loss slightly and there are other research studies that suggest that coffee prevents you from gaining weight because it suppresses your desire to eat. It seems coffee also helps in burning calories because it stimulates thermogenesis, which is basically the body’s manner of producing heat from breaking down food. Caffeine is basically one of the most popular stimulants that we consume. And caffeine behaves like a diuretic because it promotes water loss, so you might experience a temporary reduction in your body weight. So many men have the belief that drinking coffee would give them an edge when it comes to fat loss, this is because after drinking a cup of coffee they don’t feel hungry as much and so they don’t end up eating too much food. Well... this is true... because coffee has a way of fooling your brain so that you do not eat as much. Here are some detailed explanations why coffee is associated with fat loss; Coffee Helps In Suppressing Your Appetite The caffeine that is in coffee helps in reducing your hunger pangs, so you end up eating less food (which means you consume fewer calories) and this certainly leads to fat loss. Although the amount of appetite suppression that coffee causes is still a bit questionable presently... since there is no research study that has measured how long it suppresses your appetite before you start feeling hungry. Coffee Causes Temporary Water Loss For a lot of men the caffeine that is in coffee has diuretic effects which mean you lose water by passing out more urine. Losing water would result in some weight loss, but you need to bear it in mind that you have not really lost any body fat, it is all water. When you weigh yourself on a scale, you would see that this temporary water loss would cause a reduction in your body weight, but it is not so major that you can abandon the basic fundamentals of weight loss which are: regular cardio exercise, weight training (or strength training) and a healthy and calorie-controlled diet. Coffee Could Help In Releasing Fat From Your Fat Tissues When you drink coffee, the caffeine in it stimulates your nervous system and this sends a signal to your fat cells to release the fat it has stored (according to this study here). And also, caffeine also triggers the body to produce more quantities of a hormone called Epinephrine, which is commonly called Adrenaline (here is a research study about that). This Epinephrine moves through the blood stream heading straight to the fatty tissues and causes them to break down the fats stored in them and allows them to be used as a source of energy for the body. Caffeine basically helps with fat loss because it mobilizes fat from your fatty tissues so that it becomes available to be used as fatty acids in the blood stream for your energy requirements. Coffee Can Increase Your Body’s Resting Metabolic Rate The amount of calories that our bodies burn when we are at rest is known as Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR). People with high metabolic rate can easily lose their excess body fat and can eat more high calorie foods without gaining too much body fat. One of the ways in which coffee and weight loss are associated is because of the thermogenic properties of the caffeine inside coffee. There are a few studies that have discovered that caffeine really does enhance a person’s metabolic rate by 3% - 11%, and consuming larger amounts have a clearly bigger effect on your metabolic rate. And according to a 2002 study, the majority of the boost in body metabolism is as a result of the increase in the amount of fat that the body is burning. Well, it seems that the people that really need this edge get the least benefit from it because the effect of this increase in metabolism is less pronounced in individuals that are obese. In one research study, the increase in the amount of fats burned in lean participants was as much as 29%, but for the obese participants of the study the increase was about 10%. And it seems that the effect of this boost in metabolism reduces with age because it is a lot more obvious in younger men (according to this 1995 study). When you combine drinking coffee with a healthy calorie-controlled diet, it is obvious to see how it can help you in losing body fat. If you want to improve the effectiveness of coffee, then I recommend that you drink it without milk or sugar on an empty stomach. This is because drinking coffee while you are eating carbohydrate foods causes your body to produce insulin and this may reduce the fat burning effects that caffeine gives. Coffee Helps With Your Exercise Workout Some studies show that consuming caffeine (via coffee) can improve your exercise performance by as much as 12% in most cases. Caffeine can boost athletic performance through various mechanisms; one of such is that it mobilizes fatty acids from the fat tissues to give the body more energy to use. Drinking coffee before you exercise also helps increase your focus so that you are actually burning calories during your exercise workouts and not just wasting your time. Coffee also contains powerful anti-oxidants that are essential for your recovery from your exercise workouts. What About The Calories In Coffee One of the reasons why there appears to be a positive link between coffee and weight loss is because coffee contains “almost” no calories at all. An eight-ounce cup of plain coffee contains only 2 calories! “Almost no calories in coffee” does not mean that it automatically helps you in losing your excess body if you don’t add sugar, cream or milk to your cup of coffee but at least you know that you would not gain weight from drinking coffee. If you are really serious about your fat loss, then coffee can becoming a stumbling block to achieving your goal if you have the habit of adding a lot of cream, sugar and milk to make it taste better. The little fat loss edge that coffee gives you only exists when you are drinking plain coffee – just coffee and water (hot or cold) nothing else. If you cannot drink coffee without adding milk, sugar or cream while trying to lose weight, then coffee is NOT for you – you are better off without it. Can Coffee Help You Lose Body Fat In The Long Term There is one main problem with caffeine; most people know that after a while of consuming caffeine (coffee) regularly, it loses it “stimulating punch” - there are even studies that prove this to be true. The benefits of caffeine are higher in the short term. It increases your body’s fat burning rate and boosts its metabolic rate; however after a period of time you would become tolerant to its effects and you don’t get as much benefits as you did previously. Although coffee loses its effects to help you burn more calories in the long term, there is also the possibility that coffee can help in suppressing your hunger cravings so that you end up eating less food. One study conducted in 1987 discovered that caffeine was effective in reducing hunger cravings in men, (but showed no effect in women) and this resulted in these male participants eating less at their meals after consuming caffeine. However, there is a different study that discovered no appetite reducing effects on the male participants. The truth is, whether caffeine or coffee can assist a person in losing excess body fat depends majorly on the individual. At present, there is no research study that shows that coffee or caffeine can help you in long term fat loss. And even though coffee gives you a small edge when it comes to fat loss, it is still NOT a replacement for a healthy calorie-controlled diet, regular cardio exercise and weight training. Yes... coffee can help you in burning more calories, but you can’t just rely on drinking coffee alone and think you would experience impressive fat loss. You have to combine it with other tested and tried methods of fat loss. Are There Any Negative Side Effects Of Drinking Too Much Coffee Now, you know that coffee gives you a fat loss edge, don’t just rush and start drinking too many cups of coffee... you need to understand that there are a few negative side effects of high coffee intake. The quantity of caffeine inside coffee tends to vary based on its method of brewing and its level of roasting. The common sense rule is that darker coffee beans tend to have higher amounts of caffeine in them. So, if you are a regular espresso drinker, then you are consuming as much as 100 milligrams of caffeine per drink. Drinking too much coffee has some negative side effects which include:
So, How Much Coffee Should You Be Drinking Daily Drinking more coffee does NOT mean more fat loss! So many men are already consuming too much coffee and are more likely to be dealing with the negative side effects that I listed above which can frustrate their fat loss efforts. I would recommend that your daily coffee intake should NOT be more than two (8 ounces) cups - it is better to stay in this safe zone. And if you are already a coffee drinker, you only need to adjust the way you drink your coffee to get the best possible fat loss effect from it. How?
Just drink plain coffee... this means no sugar, milk or cream. Only coffee mixed with hot or cold water – nothing else! And try not to drink coffee after 3 pm; you don’t want it affecting your sleep negatively. You should always aim to get between 6 – 8 hours of sleep every night, so stay away from any stimulant (like coffee) after 3 pm. Conclusion Although coffee can assist you in your fat loss quest by boosting your metabolism and it could also help in boosting your immune system (because of the anti-oxidants that it contains), however you still need to understand that it is not a “miracle” fat loss drink. And the benefits that you get from coffee even reduce in the long term because you would build up a tolerance to the caffeine. If you are not a coffee drinker, and you are only interested in coffee for the benefit of losing body fat, then I would advise that you cycle you consumption of coffee so that you don’t build up tolerance to it. You can cycle your coffee intake, possibly 3 weeks on, 1 week off. It is very important that you are aware of your coffee consumption because of the fact that it is both a diuretic and a stimulant. This is why you should balance drinking coffee for weight loss by following a healthy diet, drinking at least 8 glasses of water daily and engaging in regular exercise. Almost every man that is fat, overweight or obese wants to lose his excess body fat... the problem in most cases is that most men lack the will power or motivation to follow a fat loss program till they get results. Now, there is another reason why you need to lose weight and become lean... it could lower your risks of cancer! There are a lot of arguments on whether some of our current modern day habits (like consuming too much sugar or coffee or talking too long on our cell phones every day) could increase our risks of cancer – basically we don’t know for now if those things are linked to cancer or not. However, when it comes to the link between cancer and obesity, there is no need for argument about that because a scientific review published by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) states it clearly “excess body fat increases your risks of some types of cancer!” IARC is a part of the World Health Organisation (WHO). In 2002, the IARC reviewed some relevant studies and its expert panel of researchers published a report finding enough evidence that having excess body fat increases a man’s risk of having some kinds of cancers. The IARC did another reassessment in 2016 and published it in The New England Journal of Medicine – it reaffirms its previous findings and also includes eight more cancer that you are at risks of if you are still carrying excess body fat! According to Beatrice Lauby-Secretan, (who is the lead author of the article and also an IARC scientists that is in charge of the agency’s Handbooks of Cancer Prevention Series) there have been so many research studies that have been conducted since 2002 that the scientists at IARC all felt it was the perfect time to reassess these research studies and also try to confirm that excess body fat increases your risks of most cancers. 21 independent international cancer experts formed a working group that reviewed over 1,000 research studies on excess body fat and cancer risks that have been published after IARC released its 2002 report on the same issue. The review found out that preventing weight gain (or reducing your excess body fat) can lessen a person’s risk of the following:
WARNING: The 2016 reassessment also include more cancers to the list of what you can get by being fat, overweight or obese. These other cancers include:
According to the IARC’s review study, a man’s excess body fat puts him at a much higher risk of esophageal cancer (esophagus adenocarcinoma) than other kinds of cancer! Since obesity has increased in the human population, the occurrences of some types of cancers have increased. And this means that a sizeable amount of these cancer cases could be as a result of obesity or excess body fat. If you have excess body fat – now is the time to get rid of it and lower your risks of cancer! The more body fat you have, the unhealthier you are. There is nothing like healthy fat! The phrase “I am healthy fat” is just a way that some fat and overweight men use to avoid the fact that they need to lose their excess body fat to become fit and healthy. Of all the risk factors of cancer, reducing your excess body fat and maintaining a body fat percentage of less than 20% is the easiest one that you can influence. Don’t take what I am telling you lightly... in 2013 they were 4.5 million deaths that were linked to the individuals being overweight or obese. Obesity is becoming a global epidemic! And in a few years time, it is very likely that scientists may find out more cancers that are linked to having excess body fat. The reason why excess body fat may increase your risks of cancer is because it is known to trigger chronic inflammation and it also disrupts the body’s regulation of sex hormones – these two scenarios make it easier for cancer cells to develop. Most people are not aware about the link between excess body fat and cancer because the news media is more concerned about flooding us with reports about which substances (like sugar or coffee) may or may not increase our risks of cancer. Now you know the truth – being overweight can increase your cancer risk! I am talking about actual scientific research studies that point to the fact that you can actively reduce you risks of having most cancers just by reducing your excess body fat! And healthy fat loss is fundamentally about eating portion-controlled healthy meals and exercising regularly. When it comes to this issue of cancer, there is no need to be bothered about things like: genetics, exposures in the environment or things that you cannot control... Instead you need to realise that there is actually something that you can do to help lower your risks of many types of cancers – this is where making a healthy lifestyle change comes by losing your excess body fat and making sure that you maintain a healthy weight for the rest of your life.
If you have been postponing your decision to lose your excess body fat, now is the time to take action and start a fat loss program. |
AuthorI am James T. Phillips and I am addicted to fitness. ArchivesCategories
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