Super Lean: 3. Strength

Strength training is an important complement to cardio exercise of you want to get Super Lean.  It provides excellent cross training to a main cardio exercise such as running and will help you to get lean, healthy and strong.

Strength training is the use of resistance (or weights) to build the strength, anaerobic endurance, and size of muscles.

 WHY STRENGTH TRAIN?

Strength training promotes leanness in three ways:

1: Strength workouts burn a lot of calories (not only during but even after the workouts). Whilst they may not burn as many calories as cardio workouts, they still burn plenty, especially if you do circuits workouts like in my Body Shock Power Workouts.

2: Strength Workouts cause hypertrophy, or growth of the muscles.  Well toned muscles can help you look lean. If you’re a woman, don’t worry, your hormones mean that you won’t bulk up or look like a man, but along with the right nutrition, it might help you to get that lean body shape you’ve always wanted.

3: Strength training promotes fat loss in an indirect way. The amount of calories required to maintain a lb of muscle is between 15-25 times greater than the number required to maintain a lb of fat. In other words, muscle tissue is a total energy hog compared to fat tissue. So as you gain muscle mass, you increase the number of calories your body burns each day, even when you are at rest.  Put it another way, getting leaner itself actually helps you get even leaner!

OTHER HEALTH BENEFITS FROM STRENGTH TRAINING

Strength training is associated with a wide range of health benefits, it reduces insulin resistance, abdominal fat storage and blood pressure – three risk factors for diabetes, heart disease, stroke and heart attack.

Strength training enhanced strength, mobility, stability and performance in daily activities such as opening jars and lifting heavy boxes. It increases bone density, lowering the risk of osteoporosis and fractures and certain exercise can help with back pain.  You can look forward to achieving three benefits by taking up the challenge of my Super Lean Regime.

MORE LINKS

Super Lean: 3: Strength
Super Strength Circuits
Body Shock Workouts
Super Lean Strength Plan