The holy grail in the gym is to build lean muscle and lose fat. PeoPle talk about wanting to look toned – that look is achieved with lean muscle and a comParatively lower body fat Percentage. that is what it is, nothing more fancy or comPlicated than muscle with less fat.

10A new

body in

MoVeS

By Devlin Brown, Deputy Editor | PHoToGrAPHy By Cindy Ellis | PerformeD By Marcelle CollisonDreSSeD By www.boostgymwear.co.za | SHoT on locATion AT Body Conscious

March - april 2014 | www.fitnessmag.co.za66

W . hen we speak about building muscle for women, we do not speak about building

big, bulky, hulk-like physiques. Firstly, this is impossible (although some women can become bigger than others), and secondly, this is not what fitness is about. When we refer to building muscle, we talk about shaping and firming the body, adding sexy curves and accentuating femininity with a strong, lean body.

in previous editions of fitness we constantly feature figure models who speak of the importance of weight training in their efforts to sculpt their strong, toned, athletic, feminine physiques. Weights are used, obviously, to build lean muscle and but also in fat loss.

another constant mentioned time and time again by people who have achieved their amazing physiques and health, is to keep it simple. it is easy to get carried away and complicate things. The gym, packed with loads of machines, cables, rigs, swiss balls, bosu balls, dumbbells and barbells – and so it is easy to get carried away or become overwhelmed.

it does not have to be complicated. Traditional, time-tested moves that deliver the biggest bang for your buck (and squeeze into the tightest of time schedules) do the job just fine. Not only do they work the body through its various ranges of motion, they go a long way to eliciting the biggest change in the shortest amount of time. But it doesn’t end there. By changing how you use, and how you programme, the exact same exercises you can tilt the focus from muscle to fat burning, although with weight training it is always really a case of both happening. When you are building lean muscle you are increasing your ability to lose fat, and when you train for fatloss with weights you are increasing your lean muscle. however, you can tilt the scales a bit one way or the other.

From a sexy tight bum, firm quads, shapely shoulders and attractive arms, you are able to give your body a good, shapely makeover by using the same 10 exercises in two different types of workouts. To demonstrate what we mean, we will use only 10 exercises that can train your whole body. These are not the only 10 moves, and one could substitute other moves along the same principles.

build muscleor burn fat

workout AExErcisE sEts

rEps pEr sEt

Squat

hip Thrusts

pushupsBent-over row

plank

3

3

3

3

8-12

8-12

8-12

hold for as long as can.

5 mins : Rowing machine warm-up

2 mins cool down: Steppercardio equipment used for warm-up and cool-down is interchangeable

A

B

C

D

workout BExErcisE sEts

rEps pEr sEt

rEst BEtWEEN sEts

romanian Deadlift

lunges

Shoulder presslat pull down

hanging leg raise

3

3

3

3

8-12

8-12

8-128-12

8-12.

90 secs

60 secs

60 secs

60 secs

5 mins : Cycling warm-up

2 mins cool down: Elliptical trainercardio equipment used for warm-up and cool-down is interchangeable

A

B

C

D

BUILD MUSCLE wIth thESE 10 ExErCISES

training splitthese two workouts are full-body workouts that can be structured as follows in a training regime:

Mon: Workout atues: 30 mins cardio and foam

rolling/ stretchingWed: Workout Bthurs: 30 mins cardio and foam

rolling/ stretchingFri: Workout asat: Bootcamp/hiiT such

as 20 mins metabolic conditioning

sun: restMon: Workout Btues: 30 mins cardio and foam

rolling/ stretchingWed: Workout aAnd so on... for 8 weeks. Then take a light deload week and start a new phase.cardio could include: Treadmill, cycling, stepper, elliptical trainer, rowing machine etc.

Form Tip: Your knees should track over the direction your feet are pointed in, but not extend beyond the toes. Imagine you are spreading the floor with your feet if your knees tend to move inwards.

squATHOW tO: place the bar across the back of your shoulders. hold on to the bar using both arms. Keep your elbows as far forward as you can. position your legs using a shoulder width or slightly wider stance with your toes slightly pointed out. Keep your head up at all times and also maintain a straight back. This will be your starting position.

MOvEMENt: Take in a deep breath and build tension in your torso. Begin to slowly lower the bar by bending the knees and pushing back with the hips as you maintain a straight posture with the head up. continue down until the angle between the upper leg and the calves becomes slightly less than 90-degrees (this is a full squat). Drive back up to the starting position. This is one rep.

WhEn WE REfER To buIldIng muSClE,

WE TAlk AbouT ShApIng And fIRmIng

ThE bodY, AddIng SExY CuRvES And

ACCEnTuATIng fEmInInITY WITh A

STRong, lEAn bodY.

build muscle...

Building lean muscle increases your ability to lose fat

“strENgtH traiN-iNg Will add tis-

suE tO tHE MusclE aNd tHE MusclE Will gEt BiggEr. But that means your

metabolic rate will also be higher. if you build

a kilo of muscle and you lose a kilo of fat the scale might not change

but you will have lost centimeters because a kilo of fat has more volume than a kilo of

muscle.”

A

B

rEst BEtWEEN sEts

90 secs

60 secs

60 secs

90 secs

circuit A circuit B

69

Form tip: focus on your glutes and hamstrings. Squeeze these and focus on this being the impetus for your body returning to the start position.

TRAINING SPLIT

burn fat...

(warm-up)Squathip Thrustspush upsBent-over rowplank(cool-down)

perform each exercise in circuit a for 45 seconds, rest 15 seconds as you walk to the next station, and then start the next exercise. Once you have completed all five then rest a minute and repeat. Start with four rounds. Then do circuit B the next training day. On Saturday do workout a

and B with 5 mins rest between them.

(in a real world application you will want to change up the exercises in these metabolic conditioning circuits a bit more, to keep your body challenged. But this article is to demonstrate how the same moves can have a different focus.)

Mon: circuit atues: 30 mins cardio and foam

rolling/ stretchingWed: circuit Bthurs: 30 mins cardio and foam

rolling/ stretchingFri: circuit asat: circuit a and circuit Bsun: restMon: circuit Btues: 30 mins cardio and foam

rolling/ stretchingWed: circuit aAnd so on... for 8 weeks. Then take a light deload week and start a new phase.Cardio could include: treadmill, cycling, stepper, elliptical trainer, rowing machine etc.

HOW tO: Stand with a dumbbell in each hand to the sides. Step back with one leg while flexing the knee of the supporting leg. Take a big enough step backwards so that the knee of the rear leg is near to the floor and the flexed knee is at about 90 degrees. You

do not want the knee to extend past the toes. return to the start-ing position by extending the the hip and knee of the forward leg and return the rear leg to it’s standing position next to the supporting leg. This is one rep on one side.

HOW tO: hold a barbell in front of you, arms a little wider than shoulder width apart.Bend the knees slightly. This will be your start-ing position. Keeping your back straight at all times, flex your hips by pushing them back. lower the bar as low as you can go feeling a stretch in yourhamstrings. This is the bottom of the move. Then squeeze your glutes and tense your hamstrings asyou raise the bar back up to the starting posi-tion.

RomAniAn DeADlifT

(warm-up)romanian Deadliftslunges and Jumping lungesShoulder presslat pulldownhanging leg raises(cool-down)

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BUrN FAt wIth thESE 10 ExErCISES

30minutecircuit

SUMMAry Each exercise – 45 secs15 secs rest between exercises 1 min rest after each roundcomplete 4 rounds3 mins warm-up and 3 mins cool-down will make the entire workout last 30 minutes.

HOW tO: hang from a chin-up bar with both arms extended using either a wide grip or a medium grip. The legs should be straight down with the pelvis rolled slightly backwards. This will be your starting position. raise your legs until the torso makes a 90-degree angle with the legs. Exhale as you perform this movement and hold the contraction for a second or so. Go back slowly to the starting position as you breathe in. This is one rep.

HAnging leg RAise

in the kitchen

PlAnk

lunges

By changing how you use, and how you programme, The exacT same

exercises you can TilT The Focus From muscle Building To FaT Burning

HOW tO: Balance your weight on your forearms and extend your lower body in a classic push-up position. Do not let your bum sag downward to the floor. hold this tight “plank” position for as long as possible.

A

B

No matter which training programme we have ever featured, the importance of diet can not be overstated. The old adage says you can not out-train a poor diet. Just reading interviews with any fitness model will attest to the truth of that comment. What you put into your body is what you will get out, and training will facilitate how this happens.

Whether the goal is to build lean muscle tissue or burn fat, or both, the diet is going to be made up of good quality lean protein, plenty of green vegetables and a moderate, or low, amount of low Gi carbohydrates. Of course, there are various special diets, or even fads, but the good time-tested fundamentals of sustainable long-term eating do not change, no matter if your focus is carb-cycling, low Gi or high-protein diets. remember, there is no such thing as a one-shoe-fits-all approach. What may have worked wonders for someone else may not be right for you.

One can choose to be dogmatic about a certain “type of eating” or rather feel around and learn what works best for you. after all, it is you who will be eating the food, you who needs to be happy and enjoy your diet, and most importantly, it is you who is making the choice to not only lose fat and keep or build lean muscle but choose a lifestyle that is healthy and sustainable.

With this in mind, there are a few points that transcend whichever particular diet you choose. These points are time-tested and go a long way to turning your kitchen into the place where your health and physique changes start.

ThE ImpoRTAnCE

of dIETCAn noT bE

ovERSTATEdYOu caN NOT

OuT-TraiN a pOOr DiET

B

BenT-oveR RowHOW tO: holding the the barbell at arm’s length, bend your knees slightly and bend your torso forward, maintaining a tight, straight back, until it is almost parallel to the floor. The barbell will be hanging in front of you, beneath your shoulders. While you keep your upper body

still, lift the barbell up towards your body. Keep your shoulders down and lead with your elbows to make sure you use your back. at the top of the move squeeze your muscles briefly and then lower the bar back to the starting position. That’s one rep.

lAT PullDown

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HOW tO: lie on your back with your knees bent. place your arms at your sides with your palms facing down. Squeeze your glutes and extend your hips, raising your bum off the floor until your upper body makes a straight line from your knees your chest. in order to make this more difficult you can perform the same move with one leg on the ground and the other extended out in front of you.

HiP THRusTs

Form tip: This is not about your lower back. focus on engaging your glutes and hamstrings. Squeeze them and let them be the impetus to raise your bum off the ground.

A CB

A

B

A

B

MaiNtaiN a tigHt, straigHt Back

you are able to give your body a good, shapely makeover by using the same 10 exercises in two different types of workouts.

HOW tO: Sit down on a pull-down machine, adjusting the knee pad to suit your height. Grab the bar overhead, with a grip wider than shoulder width, with your palms facing forward. While you are holding the bar overhead with both arms ex-tended, lean back no more than 30 degrees, keeping your natural

lower-back curvature, with your chest pointing up and out. pull the bar down towards your upper chest. Draw the shoul-ders and upper arms down and back. at this point squeeze your shoulder blades together, before returning the bar to the start position in a controlled manner.

PusH uPsHOW tO: lie face down (prone) on the floor with hands slightly wider than shoulder width. raise your body up off the floor by extending the arms with your body staying straight and tight. This is the top position. lower your body towards the floor by bending your arms.

Do not let your elbows flair out to the side. Once you get close to the floor push yourself back up until your arms are fully extended. This is one rep. if your strength does not allow this, then perform a pushup with your knees keeping contact with the floor at all times.

sHoulDeR PRessHOW tO: Keep you upper body upright and tight. pick up two dumbbells and raise them to each side of the shoulders. Keep your wrists tight, and elbows must be beneath the wrists. press the dumbbells upward until the arms are extended overhead. lower the weights back to the starting position. This is one rep.

Eating tips

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sHOp arOuNd tHE pEriMEtEr OF MOst grOcEry stOrEs.By doing this you are eradicating most of the processed foods that are your enemy when trying to be healthy. The perimeter of stores includes fresh fruits and vegetables, fresh meat and fish and magazines such as fitness.

rEad tHE laBElsDo not fall into the “no-fat” or “low-fat” labelling trap. When something says “low fat” you may be tempted to think it is healthy and good for fat loss. But the next step is to check the sugar content. There is no use buying something that says low fat and is then packed with refined sugar. Also, read the label and if you do not understand the ingredients, don’t eat it. Letters and numbers are a good sign that what you are eating is processed.

Eat tHE prOtEiNMade up of amino acids, proteins are the building blocks for lean muscle, which helps fire up your metabolism. Proteins also take longer to digest, which means you burn more energy to process them. Protein-rich foods keep you feeling full for longer and help stabilise your blood sugar, preventing dips in energy, hunger and cravings. A protein breakfast is a good way to rev up the fat-burning engine and start the day on a good note.

Eat sMallEr, rEgular MEalsMany nutritionists recommend eating every 3-4 hours to keep your metabolic rate high and sustain energy levels. This tactic could help you fend off cravings and binges, however, portion control and eating the correct foods are essential for losing weight on a regular meals eating plan otherwise you risk gaining weight. Yes, you can gain weight eating too much of a good thing. Read that again – you can and will gain weight if you overdo the so-called healthy foods. Eat to live, don’t live to eat. Ideally you should consume a diet low in sugar and rich protein, vegetables and moderate amounts of good low GI carbohydrates. (As mentioned there are no-carb diets that certain experts swear by, and if you take this route be sure to understand exactly what you are eating, and make sure you get the full nutritional benefit of any diet plan.)

Fats arE NOt tHE ENEMyEating the right fats are vital for many functions in your body. Salmon, sardines, tuna, olive oil, avocado and nuts contain “good fats” which are needed for vital functions in the body. Limit your intake of the saturated and trans-fats found in high-fat animal products, deep fried foods and the partially hydrogenated oils contained in pastries, crackers and processed foods.

cut Out prOcEssEd carBOHydratEs aNd ENd tHE sugar lOvE-aFFairThey taste great, but they cause a spike in blood sugar followed by dips which lead us down that familiar road of sugar cravings and donut binges. In the beginning it takes some practice to get out of this sugar-addicted cycle, but once we are eating low GI foods and our blood-sugar levels are sustainable we not only feel fuller for longer but have sustained energy levels throughout the day and the fat-loss benefits of cutting refined carbs out of the diet is proven.

Eat WHOlE FOOdsMake sure the majority of your nutrients come from whole foods, and supplement when necessary or needed.

plaN aHEadIf you have planned and prepared your meals ahead of time you are far less likely to eat rubbish. If you find yourself somewhere, let’s say a conference, and have your meals in a cooler bag then the danishes and other pastries will be less likely to find their way onto your plate. If you are hungry but have not planned ahead and are pressed for time you are more likely to eat whatever you can.

If You hAvE PLAnnED AnD PREPARED YouR MEALS AhEAD of TIME You ARE fAR LESS LIkELY To EAT RuBBISh.

A

B

A B

No matter which training programme we have ever featured, the importance of diet can not be overstated.

dO NOt lEt yOur ElBOWs Flair Out tO tHE sidE.

HErE arE a FEW tips tHat Will HElp stOckiNg yOur kitcHEN a littlE EasiEr aNd MOrE

cONducivE tO puttiNg tOgEtHEr a diEt tHat suppOrts lEaN MusclE aNd Fat lOss.