Losing Fat And Gaining Muscle
Somone sent me an email recently with the following question:
[How much cardio is needed to lose fat and gain muscle?
I have a BMI of 25. If I want to gain muscle and lose fat (to be at BMI range 18.5-24.9 ), how much cardio should I do and for how long? I usually do 10 min of jogging, but I'm not sure if this will affect gaining muscle or losing fat.
So I do weigtlifting to gain muscle and cardio (for about 10) to lose fat.]
I answered them directly but I thought it was also worth sharing my answer with others. It’s detailed below:
[Hey, a BMI of 25 is close to obese, isn't it? I may be mistaken but irrespective it's time you made a change.
Here's a 6 day workout routine you can try.
Mon, Wed, Fri. Lift for 30-45 minutes, alternating upper and lower body each different day. after that, jog as many laps around the gym as you can. Bring a stop watch. Finish the rest of the workout on an eliptical machine, until you reach a 30 minute total. In Summary: 30-45 lifting, 30 minutes of cardio
Tues, Thurs, Sat. Walk on a treadmill at 3.5 mph with a 0.5% incline. This will help burn calories.
Sunday: Play video games.
Follow this and you will no doubt start shedding pounds and building some lean muscle.
Best Regards,
Matt]
This video below details an alternate workout but covering essentially the same areas:
Build Muscle and Burn Fat
Hey, nice workout Matt. I’ve always believed that the key to an effective exercise program is simplicity and one that doesn’t take too long to complete.
Did you come up with it by yourself? Is it one that you use?
Steve D.
Hi Steve,
Yeah. This is a workout that I employed to great effect years ago. I’m not using it at the moment but that’s only because I like to mix things up to keep it fresh and interesting.
Matt