Nearly every athlete wants to build muscle and burn fat at some point in his or her career. However, many grow discouraged trying to wade through all the contradicting workouts and diets that make promises they can’t keep. To take the mystery out of building muscle and burning fat, I recommend sticking to the basics.
The fundamental lifts such as presses, pulls, Squats and Deadlifts are the best exercises to build muscle and burn fat. Why? Because these compound exercises involve multiple joints and muscle groups. The more joints and muscles involved in an exercise, the more energy you use and the more fat you burn. Try performing a Leg Extension immediately after Squats. Your heart will race and you’ll sweat through the Squat, but fly through the Leg Extension.
Compound lifts also target fast-twitch muscle fibers—which are responsible for power and maximum strength movements. Targeting the fast-twitch fibers will build size and burn fat since these muscles have a high metabolic demand.
To build muscle and burn fat fast, focus your workout on compound movements. For beginners, a standard program featuring three sets of 10 reps is effective:
Perform this workout three times a week for two to four weeks to acclimate your body to these lifts. Although you may feel like you can go harder, it’s important to use the total-body workout as a foundation that you can build upon. Focus on long-term goals. Too much too soon will result in overtraining or injury.
Once your body adapts to the beginner program, you can progress to an advanced program.
Perform the two workouts on consecutive days followed by a day off, then repeat (e.g., Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday). Heavier weights force more muscle fibers to contract, which leads to better muscle growth and more energy expenditure.
