Making Exercise Count

Many people quickly realize as they drop the pounds, the amount of calories they burn also decreases. This means when you have a lot of weight to lose, it can be harder to reach your goals without burning yourself out. There is a way to burn more calories without spending hours in the gym.

Work On Technique

No matter which exercises you are doing, cardio or weight training, the technique is critical. When you have bad technique, you increase your risk for injury, but you inadvertently make the exercise easier. Spend time concentrating on good technique, even if you need to hire a professional trainer. With weight training, you need to feel the contraction in your muscles as you lift the weight. If you are not feeling the muscle you are working on, you are likely doing the exercise wrong. For cardio, poor technique often occurs on the machines. You might peddle away on the stationary bike while leaning on the handrails. Never depend on the handrails, whether it is the stationary bike or treadmill. If you need to use the handrails on the treadmill, you probably need to decrease the speed to maintain proper form and simply increase your incline to make it more challenging.

Invest More Time In Weight Training

Although cardio is excellent for cardiovascular health and temporarily helping you burn fat, in the long-term, adding muscle mass is better for burning more calories. Try to have a weight training routine at least three to five days per week. If you only do three days, work on your entire body each day. When you do weight training more days each week, it is generally best to focus on one or two areas of your body each day, so each body part has sufficient rest to build muscle. Working through your weight training exercises at a fast pace while maintaining your technique will help you burn more calories during the workout. Additionally, each pound of muscle you build burns a few more calories than fat. This means your basal metabolic rate will slowly increase as you gain muscle.

Perform Weighted Cardio

Weighted cardio is a good way to trick your body into thinking you weigh more and making it burn more calories. Wrist and ankle weights are an easy way to add extra weight during any cardio session, especially if you are walking or running outdoors or on the treadmill. You can even use this approach for daily tasks, such as working in the garden or doing housework so you can burn extra calories. Try working your way up to a weighted vest that allows you to increase the weight as needed. Some vests are capable of holding up to 100lbs. If you are in the process of losing a significant amount of weight, one strategy you can try is to add a pound to your vest for every pound you lose.

The key to burning more calories during your workout is to make your fitness programs more challenging, not longer. It is much easier to commit yourself to working out if you can burn the same number of calories or more, without spending more time in the gym.