If you’re into weight training you need to take in some carbs for energy and to fill your muscles with glycogen. Of course many weight trainers want a defined appearance so they need to lose or keep fat off. Weight training itself will help give you a higher resting metabolism and burn the carbohydrates stored in your muscles. This is good because if do your cardio workouts after weight training you’ll be burning more fat because your body won’t have to burn as much glycogen (which the body will use before it starts burning fat).

  Weight trainers and bodybuilders who are ectomorphic (tend to hold extra body fat) need to watch their carb intake more than those with other body types. Try eating most of your carbohydrates earlier in the day and avoid taking in very many later in the day. If you do cardio first thing in the morning or after weight training you’ll also burn more fat. Your carbohydrates should come from wheat bread or pasta, fruits, vegetables, and other quality sources. Avoiding junk food carbs should start you on your way to getting shredded.

  Doing cardio workouts on an elliptical machine will allow you to get all of the movement you get from running without your joints taking a pounding. When exercising on an elliptical machine you simply put your feet on the small platforms and move them back and forth as if you were running. Many elliptical machines have hand holds that allow you to move your arms back and forth so you’ll be exercising the entire body. You can also reverse your movement - going in a backward motion instead of forward. Another great thing about working out on an elliptical machine is that you can easily read a book or magazine to pass the time no matter how fast you’re exercising. Try running fast on a treadmill and see if you can read - it’s kind of hard to do.

  Whe you start doing cardiovascular training on an elliptical machine try to get 25-30 minutes every other day. Eventually you’ll want to work up to 45 minute workouts 5 or 6 days a week. You’ll get all the fat loss results of other forms of cardio exercise without having to worry as much about injuries.

  Even if you’re consuming less calories than you’re burning per day you should still actually eat more often. Doing this will keep you energetic throughout the entire day and you’ll get a boost in metabolism every time you eat. If you wait too long in between meals your body will try harder to hold on to the fat it’s carrying. If you eat every 3 or so hours you won’t have to worry about this. Obviously, if you eat more often to lose fat you’ll need to make sure you keep your meal portions small enough so you don’t take in too many calories. Try eating 5 or 6 small meals daily and you’ll notice the change.

  For people trying to build muscle, especially ectomorphs (naturally skinny people), it’s best to eat more often because you’re body can only digest so much at a time and a lot of waht you eat may just end up as waste instead of in the muscles. This is especially true of protein, which is very important for building muscle mass. If you’re trying to build muscle, eat based on your body type. If you’re skinny you can eat more calories during your 5 or 6 daily meals and not gain too much body fat. If you tend to hold more fat, make sure you get plenty of protein but keep the carbohydrates low.

  Since you burn glycogen when you sleep to maintain the bodies functions doing cardiovascular exercise first thing in the morning on an empty stomach is the best time to do it. When you do your cardio at this time you’ll be burning more calories from your fat stores. Another good time to do a cardio workout is after you weight train. Weight training will exhaust your glycogen stores so you’ll be ready to burn fat when you get to the treadmill or elliptical machine.

  To get optimal body fat loss from cardiovascular training try doing it at either of these times during your day. Whatever the case, try not to do it if you’ve eaten a meal within a few hours before.

  Since weight training is an anaerobic way of exercising, your metabolic rate may not get a huge boost while you are doing it. But, when you gain muscle mass that extra muscle will give you a higher resting metabolism. Muscle needs energy to sustain itself, so with more muscle size your body actually will burn more calories even when you aren’t exercising.

  Doing some weight training every other day is a great way to start gaining some muscle size. You don’t have to train for 3 hours a day to see results. In fact, if you weight train too much you may end up overtraining, which may actually cause you to lose muscle if you keep doing it. Losing muscle will have the opposite effect on your metabolism than gaining it - your resting metabolic rate will slow down, making it harder to lose body fat. Keep your weight training workouts at about an hour per session and split up your routine (training certain muscle groups at one workout and other muscle at the next workout). splitting your weight training routine will allow you to train each muscle with a lot of intensity and get plenty of recovery between workouts. Eventually, you may want to weight train 4 or 5 days per week and split your routine 3 ways.

  To further enhance your chances of losing body fat you can do your cardio training after your weight training workouts. Weight training depletes your muscles of glycogen, or stored carbohydrates. If your do cardiovascular exercise after you weight train you’ll be burning more fat than carbs from the beginning of your cardio workout.

  Whether you’re a man or a woman weight training will enhance the shape of your body so you’ll look better as you get rid of body fat. If you’ve been dieting and doing cardio to lose body fat and have hit a plateau you should try weight training. You’ll be glad you did.

  Cardio exercise can be performed many different ways. The most popular forms of cardiovascular exercises are running, biking, and jogging. All three are great for getting rid of that extra body fat. The only problem with running or jogging is the beating your joints may take. If you have knee or lower back pain you may want to avoid doing them too much. However, if don’t have any joint problems, running or jogging will help you burn body fat quickly. Bicycling is great cardio exercise, though you won’t be moving your upper body much while doing it.

  Doing cardio workouts on an elliptical machine is a great alternative to the usual cardio exercises. You can work out on an elliptical machine and not have to worry about your joints taking a beating. Most elliptical machines also have arm handles allowing you to move your upper body as well as your lower body.

  Boxing style workouts with a heavy bag, speed bag, and jump rope are another great form of cardiovascular exercise. Do some 3 minute “rounds” with each training apparatus to get a great aerobic workout. Boxing workouts are great upper body cardio workouts, though you’ll want to be careful not to overstress your shoulders and elbow joints. If you are bored with normal cardiovascular workouts, give boxing workouts a try.

  If you’re new to aerobic exercise you should try to do 3 or 4 30 minute workouts at first. Eventually, you should try to do 45 minute cardio workouts 5 times a week, switching what kind of exercise you do regularly to avoid hitting a plateau. For the best results you should do your cardio first thing in the morning or after weight training when your muscle glycogen (stored carbohydrates) is depleted. If you do this you’ll be burning fat instead of carbs when you’re exercising.

  If you are weight training and doing cardio training to help lose body fat you must be careful to avoid overtraining. Doing to much may actually cause you to lose muscle and slow down your metabolism. Experiment with how much aerobic exercise you’re doing and if it affects your weight training to find out what works best for you.