No, it is not possible to turn fat into muscle. You can burn fat and gain muscle, but one is not converted to the other. And Invisible Fan is right. No matter how much you bust your a$$ in the gym, if you come back home and eat crappy foods, most of your time will go to waste. I recommend you track your calories using fitday.com to gauge how much you actually eat. When I was trying to gain weight, I thought I was eating a lot, but when I calculated it all, it was only about 2200 calories. The best way is to actually log your intake. It may seem tedious at first, but we all for the most part eat the same things everyday, so it will become easier.
The reason that High Intensity Interval Training works better for fat loss is this: When you do a cardio session at the same pace the whole time, your body goes into what is called steady state. This means that your body has adjusted itself to the speed you are going and tries hard to conserve energy (calories). When it comes to the heart rate question— whether to stay lower or higher — this is your answer. At a lower % of max heart rate (65%), a larger percentage of calories burned come from fat than at a higher heart rate (75-85%). HOWEVER, despite the percentages, you will burn more total calories and therefore more total fat calories at a higher heart rate.
Lot's of good posts in this thread. A few questions: - How closely does Body for Life resemble HIIT? They sound very similar. -I'm on Body for Life and, while I'm feeling stronger thanks to the weight training, I'm also feeling bloated a lot of the time. Most of my carbs are from whole wheat/grains along with Myoplex bars and shakes. Should I cut down on the carbs? If I do, will this make it harder to build muscle? - Should I stick with the Myoplex MRP's? Or try more whey protien with fewer carbs?
This is what I do. I eat every 2-3 hours. During the week, it is mostly healthy and eat fruit in between the main meals. Snack on low sodium chips or popcorn. I do sit-ups and crunches every morning. I go to the gym 5 days a week Mon/Wed/Fri: Run 30 minutes, followed by abdominal exercises. Tue/Thu: Bike for 20 minutes, followed by 45 minutes of weight training, followed by abdominal exercises. Cardio burns fat. In order to build muscle, you must have a diet with sufficient quantities of protein. If you eat high quantities of sodium, drink lots of water. Always eat plenty of fiber. Fiber can do wonders. Trust me. Supplements I take everyday. I dissolve 2.5 gram of ascorbic acid in a glass of water with a teaspoon of fiber plus (no flavor) and wash down a men's multi-vitamin and Glucosamine/Chondroitine (for the joints), at breakfast and at dinner. At lunch I take another Men's multi (That's right, 3 vitamins). Before I go to the gym, I take 4 capsules of Branched chain Amino Acids (Now products) and 4 more after the workout (on an empty stomach). I know it seems like a lot, but it is actually the most manageable routine I have ever had. Everyone is different and this works for me. Good luck on yours.
Are there any tips on doing cardio work on knees that have been surgically repaired. My knees are still very sore after running and its been 1 year since ive had my ACL and MCL surgeries. I love doing circuit training, but I know i need to do cardio, but hate running / jogging...id rather be on a basketball court. I think i might already know the answer is to just suck it up and do the cardio, but I guess im wondering for any tips to doing the HIIT without killing my knees too much.
Visit a sports medicine place and talk to a rehab trainer type person. It all depends on where you are at. Stationary Bikes are the first thing that I think of, because you can add resistence as you progress.
