Billions of people gawk and fantasize about them when they see them on billboards, on the pages of GQ or Vogue on MTV and on the silver screen. Indeed, six pack abs adorning the midsections of models and actors are a sight to behold and who would not want their own?
By the frequency they’re shown on the movies and on shows and advertisements on TV, one might get the idea that the United States is filled with physically-fit specimens of the human race. Unfortunately, this is a bit distant from the truth.
Recent data gathered by Center for Disease Control and Prevention brings disturbing news. As much as sixty-six percent of American adults are overweight and almost half of that number already obese. The hectic schedules and unhealthy lifestyles most people have been forced to adopt are mostly to blame. Working overtime in these lean financial times leaves not much room for regular exercise and healthy, well-balanced meals.
Indeed, the creature comforts technology has allowed us to enjoy has made lazy, inactive sloths out of countless folks. The delicious morsels we munch on while watching other people with six packs on Baywatch re-runs aren’t helping things either.
Of course, we’re not at all helpless and we can still do something to fight of the dreaded flab. All it takes is determination, will-power and a little knowledge on anatomy and the human body’s metabolic process.
Exercises that increase total body strength build muscle mass of course, but did you know that muscle-building exercises also lead to a higher Basal Metabolic Rate? Our BMR dictates how much calories our body uses up while maintaining basic body functions like breathing, heartbeat and other organ and muscle functions.
Our basal metabolic rate is our normal rate of metabolism- when we’re at rest. The high percentage of calories it consumes means raising our BMR through regular exercise will result in more calories burned during and even after our workouts. The key to rapid fat-loss is using-up more calories than we get from the food we eat.
The increased muscle tissue we gain from resistance training improves our metabolism and already increases our body’s ability to burn calories. Increasing the intensity of weight-training by shortening the rest periods between sets will result in even more calories burned because of EPOC (excessive post-workout oxygen consumption). This will let us shorten our workout sessions effectively and get us out of the gym faster. Always remember that moderation in eating means moderation in working-out.
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