Huge training and dietary interventions are definitely a great way to jump-start fat loss. With that said, many times this approach fails as people can’t handle changing many aspects of their daily routine all at once. Even if they can, sometimes the best way to stave off weight gain is to make slight modifications to the things you’re already doing. Whether you want to lose fat or maintain low levels of fat, use these 10 ways to help burn more calories throughout the day.
No.10 Interrupt your day with brief exercises
The problem most of us have is that we spend way too much time sitting in a relatively passive position (meaning minimal muscle activation). Getting up to do a few squats in your cubical or simply sitting up straight, tensing your stomach and pulling your shoulder blades back for 30-second holds throughout the day will help strengthen the muscles that reinforce good posture -- and you'll burn some calories in the process.
No.9 Eat spicy foods
Have you ever felt that you were going to break into a sweat while munching on some jalapenos? Most people have felt the physical effects of spicy food at some point in their lives. The truth is that spicy foods can actually speed up your metabolism. Adding a little spice to your foods will help you burn more calories after you eat.
No.8 Move weights quickly
In general, you should perform your exercises so that you lower the weight under control, then move it up as quickly as possible. This lowers the recruitment threshold of motor units, meaning you’ll get more muscle fibers involved with each repetition. More muscle involved on each repetition can translate into more calories burned during your training sessions.
No.7 Maintain adequate hydration
There are a million advantages to staying hydrated. Because optimal mental and physical performance depends on proper hydration, staying hydrated will allow you to train with a greater focus and intensity, so you'll burn more calories. If you’re worried about burning calories, you’re probably interested in losing fat, in which case keeping your carbohydrates low is going to be essential. If water doesn’t suit your taste buds, try a low-carb sports drink like POWERADE ZERO.
No.6 Add muscle mass
Compared with other tissues in the body (like bone or fat tissue), muscle has a significantly higher metabolic rate. This means that it “costs” your body more calories to keep it alive and functioning. Aside from the fact that the process of building muscle will burn calories, just having a few pounds of muscle will allow you to burn more calories throughout the day, regardless of your activity levels. Plus, chicks dig guys with a muscular physique. Everywhere you look, a win.
No.5 Lift heavy weights
The old “light weight, high reps” idea is a mistake. All these programs do is waste your time. Everyone worth their salt knows that muscular adaptations result from training that tests muscular capacity. Some people recommend doing sets to failure as a means of testing capacity, which can be beneficial in adding muscle mass (if done correctly). Another strategy to add muscle and a lot of strength is to lift heavy weights. Heavy, of course, is all relative to your individual capacity. If you have a solid training base and are familiar with all the exercises you’re doing, try adding in some high-load, six-to-eight rep sets to your training session. These heavier loads are more likely to recruit more muscle mass, allowing you to improve your strength and the size of your muscles as you burn a ton of calories.
No.4 Do unilateral lower body exercises
When most people see someone do a squat with 300 pounds and a reverse lunge with 200 pounds, they assume the squat is a more effective exercise because you can move a heavier load. Surprisingly, external training loads are somewhat comparable between exercises like front squats and reverse lunges. If someone can front squat 225 pounds for 6 reps, he can probably reverse lunge about 225 pounds for 6 reps each leg. There are both neural and mechanical reasons for this phenomenon. By choosing the unilateral option (reverse lunges), you create a greater stimulus to the working muscles and are forced to do more reps. Both of these results will help you burn more calories during your training.
No.3 Eat high-quality protein with every meal
The thermogenic effect of digesting/absorbing protein is higher than other macronutrients, like fat and carbs. This means that it takes more energy/calories to process protein. In fact, some reports state that as much as 50% of the calories consumed as protein are “used” in the digestion/absorption process. Eating a high-quality protein source (like fish and lean meats) will increase the thermogenic effect of the meal and keep your metabolism revved up.
No.2 Perform mini-lifting circuits
Most traditional programs have you sit and rest between sets of an exercise. It’s true that this allows the muscles you just used to rest. If you’re competing in a max-effort lift, this is a good “recovery” strategy. For the average gym-goer, it’s a complete waste of time. There’s a substantial difference between localized fatigue (one muscle group) and central fatigue (full body). Most sets result in localized fatigue, meaning the rest of your body is rested enough to do a quality set. Instead of sending text messages or sitting on a bench and staring blankly at the girl across from you, use your rest intervals to do exercises for different muscle groups. An example would be do a mini-circuit with a dumbbell reverse lunge, dumbbell chest press and stability ball front plank. By using this “rest period” to do exercises for different muscle groups, you can burn more calories in the same amount of training time.
No.1 For cardio, do high intensity interval training
High intensity interval training (HIIT) is the most effective “bang-for-your-buck” calorie-burner out there. It’s also the most effective fat burner. Forget everything you’ve been told about “fat burning zones”; the truth is that there is a formidable amount of scientific evidence supporting interval training over steady-state cardio work in terms of fat and weight loss. In fact, one report demonstrated that interval training burns nine times as much fat per calorie burned. Since you burn substantially more calories in any given time period using interval training (compared with steady-state cardio), HIIT is an easy choice to meet your calorie-burning needs.
Taken from here
No.10 Interrupt your day with brief exercises
The problem most of us have is that we spend way too much time sitting in a relatively passive position (meaning minimal muscle activation). Getting up to do a few squats in your cubical or simply sitting up straight, tensing your stomach and pulling your shoulder blades back for 30-second holds throughout the day will help strengthen the muscles that reinforce good posture -- and you'll burn some calories in the process.
No.9 Eat spicy foods
Have you ever felt that you were going to break into a sweat while munching on some jalapenos? Most people have felt the physical effects of spicy food at some point in their lives. The truth is that spicy foods can actually speed up your metabolism. Adding a little spice to your foods will help you burn more calories after you eat.
No.8 Move weights quickly
In general, you should perform your exercises so that you lower the weight under control, then move it up as quickly as possible. This lowers the recruitment threshold of motor units, meaning you’ll get more muscle fibers involved with each repetition. More muscle involved on each repetition can translate into more calories burned during your training sessions.
No.7 Maintain adequate hydration
There are a million advantages to staying hydrated. Because optimal mental and physical performance depends on proper hydration, staying hydrated will allow you to train with a greater focus and intensity, so you'll burn more calories. If you’re worried about burning calories, you’re probably interested in losing fat, in which case keeping your carbohydrates low is going to be essential. If water doesn’t suit your taste buds, try a low-carb sports drink like POWERADE ZERO.
No.6 Add muscle mass
Compared with other tissues in the body (like bone or fat tissue), muscle has a significantly higher metabolic rate. This means that it “costs” your body more calories to keep it alive and functioning. Aside from the fact that the process of building muscle will burn calories, just having a few pounds of muscle will allow you to burn more calories throughout the day, regardless of your activity levels. Plus, chicks dig guys with a muscular physique. Everywhere you look, a win.
No.5 Lift heavy weights
The old “light weight, high reps” idea is a mistake. All these programs do is waste your time. Everyone worth their salt knows that muscular adaptations result from training that tests muscular capacity. Some people recommend doing sets to failure as a means of testing capacity, which can be beneficial in adding muscle mass (if done correctly). Another strategy to add muscle and a lot of strength is to lift heavy weights. Heavy, of course, is all relative to your individual capacity. If you have a solid training base and are familiar with all the exercises you’re doing, try adding in some high-load, six-to-eight rep sets to your training session. These heavier loads are more likely to recruit more muscle mass, allowing you to improve your strength and the size of your muscles as you burn a ton of calories.
No.4 Do unilateral lower body exercises
When most people see someone do a squat with 300 pounds and a reverse lunge with 200 pounds, they assume the squat is a more effective exercise because you can move a heavier load. Surprisingly, external training loads are somewhat comparable between exercises like front squats and reverse lunges. If someone can front squat 225 pounds for 6 reps, he can probably reverse lunge about 225 pounds for 6 reps each leg. There are both neural and mechanical reasons for this phenomenon. By choosing the unilateral option (reverse lunges), you create a greater stimulus to the working muscles and are forced to do more reps. Both of these results will help you burn more calories during your training.
No.3 Eat high-quality protein with every meal
The thermogenic effect of digesting/absorbing protein is higher than other macronutrients, like fat and carbs. This means that it takes more energy/calories to process protein. In fact, some reports state that as much as 50% of the calories consumed as protein are “used” in the digestion/absorption process. Eating a high-quality protein source (like fish and lean meats) will increase the thermogenic effect of the meal and keep your metabolism revved up.
No.2 Perform mini-lifting circuits
Most traditional programs have you sit and rest between sets of an exercise. It’s true that this allows the muscles you just used to rest. If you’re competing in a max-effort lift, this is a good “recovery” strategy. For the average gym-goer, it’s a complete waste of time. There’s a substantial difference between localized fatigue (one muscle group) and central fatigue (full body). Most sets result in localized fatigue, meaning the rest of your body is rested enough to do a quality set. Instead of sending text messages or sitting on a bench and staring blankly at the girl across from you, use your rest intervals to do exercises for different muscle groups. An example would be do a mini-circuit with a dumbbell reverse lunge, dumbbell chest press and stability ball front plank. By using this “rest period” to do exercises for different muscle groups, you can burn more calories in the same amount of training time.
No.1 For cardio, do high intensity interval training
High intensity interval training (HIIT) is the most effective “bang-for-your-buck” calorie-burner out there. It’s also the most effective fat burner. Forget everything you’ve been told about “fat burning zones”; the truth is that there is a formidable amount of scientific evidence supporting interval training over steady-state cardio work in terms of fat and weight loss. In fact, one report demonstrated that interval training burns nine times as much fat per calorie burned. Since you burn substantially more calories in any given time period using interval training (compared with steady-state cardio), HIIT is an easy choice to meet your calorie-burning needs.
Taken from here
Paninggilan, 24 September 2011
