Metabolic Resistance Training

Fitness magazines abound in weight loss programs built around some kind of metabolic resistance training that would supposedly transform you in a calorie burning torch, boost your ability to gain muscle, and maybe help you to get a date with the girl in the picture.

But when something looks too good to be true, the reality may be distorted by some little details you don't know about.

While is true that metabolic resistance training can be an effective tool in your weight loss arsenal, you may also just spin your wheels if you don't know when and how to use it.

And most people are just haplessly dawdling around, not realizing that next year will be in the same lame physical condition.

If that's you, throw all the fitness magazines at the garbage, and don't take seriously anymore the fat ass that pretends to be your interval class instructor.

You may know already that exercise in general is not an efficient way to create an energy deficit because it burns less calories than most people think. (We are talking about 5-10 cal/min or maybe slightly more for somebody who is well conditioned and very determined.)

Even the much heralded post exercise calorie consumption amounts to only a couple dozen of extra calories because most people are not able to really disrupt their homeostasis – certainly not the Average Joe that we usually see doing this type of exercise.

If your main activity at the gym consists in dilly-dallying on a treadmill while staring at some chick, then maybe you should stop. You are just wasting your time. 

When you finally realize that you have to change your eating habits, your body composition will progressively improve if you take action. But even so, after a few months (and a few tens of pounds less), mobilizing and burning fat will become more and more problematic.

The fat located in some areas such as lower abs (or hips for women) is particularly stubborn, and your regular diet and exercise regimen might not be enough.

This occurs for a simple reason that you may want to get through your head, as most people don't have the slightest idea about how to integrate metabolic resistance training into their weight loss programs.

The simple reason is that fat is mobilized according to a specific pattern that is mostly determined by the adrenoreceptor (alpha and beta) ratio distribution.

To put it in a nutshell, beta-2 receptors are the good ones because fat mobilization is stimulated when they bind with the catecholamines (adrenaline and noradrenaline), whereas their counterparts are the evil ones because they inhibit lipolysis.

As it turns out, stubborn fat has less beta-2 receptors, and for this reason (among others) mobilizing the fatty acids out of their fat cells is a pain in the ass.

So to get around this issue, you need to really stimulate the catecholamines to send a stronger signal to these receptors.

It's worth mentioning that adrenaline is the key player here (noradrenaline has only a local effect), and increases exponentially when the stimulus is carried above the lactate threshold.

Also, it's important to note that besides being intense, your exercise needs to be long enough to really disrupt homeostasis.

And this is where metabolic resistance training comes into play. Some trainers argue that a shorter inter-set rest duration comes with a loss in strength because the weights used has to be lighter.

They could be right, but it's also true that there are numerous ways to avoid this inconvenient.

Obviously, if the same high loads are to be used, you need to train in some circuit fashion to be able to keep a faster tempo.

And while trying to reserve multiple stations may not be an option in a commercial gym during peak traffic hours, you can always arrange your workout around 2-3 compound exercises.

This will be hard work, mind you, but this is the idea. This is the idea if you need to mobilize the stubborn fat, I may say. But if you don't have any distinguishable abdominal muscles yet, there is no need to torture yourself for nothing.

Remember, context is vital when choosing your exercise and nutrition plan, or trying to clumsily flirt with the girl in lycra.

So when you get lean enough, proper metabolic resistance training can help you tremendously to get to single digit body fat, and finally discover your six pack abs.

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