Lifting for fat loss - high reps/low weight? low reps/high..

> > What's the difference between dips, pull-ups, and chin-ups?
> >
> > Jen


Hi Jen,

Dips are as much of a chest exercise as they are a triceps exercise,
maybe more so. They also can be aggravating to your shoulders if you
have any shoulder problems. With chinups you use more of your biceps
and lower lats to do the pulling. With pullups you are using your
traps and lats for the pulling.

The combination of all three make for a good upper body bodyweight
workout. You will hit all the muscles of the upper body. Pullups are
one of the best back exercises around and a good indicator of upper
body strength. The back is often neglected in fitness routines, but so
very important for overall fitness and longevity. Especially in later
years to combat a rounding over posture.

John

Brian Link wrote:
> Yes, I know, the best exercise for fat loss is cardio, but I just
> can't bring myself to it. Stair masters, ellipticals, bikes, etc. Way
> too boring. The best I can do is a brisk 2 mile walk around the lake
> every night.
>
> On the other hand, I love lifting. So, accepting that I'm not gonna
> see huge fat losses lifting alone, what would be the best way to
> maximize fat loss by resistance training? It's my understanding that
> the whole "more lean mass means more fat burning" has been deflated
> here, so I'm just concentrating on the workout itself.
>
> Thanks as always for any tips.
>
> BLink

Hi Brian,

I'm just seeing this thread. Strength endurance training is excellent
for burning fat. When reading the marketing for kettlebells, it is
important to keep in mind that the kettlebells themselves aren't the
things that are burning the fat, but the shape and design of the
kettlebell lends itself to strength endurance type routines. Strength
endurance routines can be easily done with dumbells or barbells for
that matter. But I agree, kettlebells are much more fun and give extra
benefit to the exercises. They are also convenient for taking out to a
park or somewhere outside to work out.

A strength endurance routine would consist of fairly higher reps of big
body movements. Like swings, snatches, jerks, cleans. You can
certainly do these with a dumbell. The reason they are big fat burners
is because you are recruiting your biggest muscles to lift the weights.
Bringing a weight from the ground to over your height or to chest
level uses your legs, butt, hamstrings, back. That is a lot of blood
that needs to be pumped, so your heartrate really kicks up in those
10-20 rep sets.

If you like walking and lifting, you can combine the two. Set a
dumbell or KB at one spot on your course. Do a set of 10 snatches, and
10 cleans, or just 15 snatches or swings, enough to get your heart rate
pumping, then 'walk it off' until your heart rate goes down, then
repeat for 4 rounds or so. It is an excellent workout and with 2-3
times a week, you will really see results quick.

John