Among exercises, the most effective for fat burning are cardio workouts. Through continuous movements of the largest muscle groups your heart rate is raised to its maximum level and the fat burning zone is achieved. This should be maintained for not less than 12 minutes and not more than 60 minutes per session, with sessions done at least three times a week. To burn fat even more efficiently, you should do shorter sessions that combine high intensity and low intensity cardio exercises. It is important to go through a cardiac stress test done by a medical professional, though, to accurately determine your maximum heart rate.
On the other hand, necessary for muscle building are strength training workouts like weight lifting or resistance training. Stress is intentionally put on your muscles by the physical challenge provided by these workouts in order to provoke your body to react. The body is forced to repair the microscopic tearing in the existing muscle fibers inflicted by the exercises, and to reinforce them with new muscles. Strength training workouts, therefore, require rest, muscle repair and muscle building and should be done only on alternate days.
You can build muscles while losing fat if you do cardio workouts and strength training workouts on alternate days, with one day of the week devoted to light strength training. If you need to lose more fat you could do additional cardio sessions after every strength training session. The strength training session had already used up your glycogen stores so you then get to burn more fat. You should never do heavy strength training more than three times a week, though. You can also make each strength training session into a fat burning session through high repetitions with low rest periods. This means 15-17 repetitions for 60 seconds with 30 to 60 second intervals.
As you combine your cardio workouts and strength training workouts to build muscles while losing fat, you should also supplement your efforts with the right diet. To lose fat you should cut out unhealthy fats and simple carbohydrates like sugar and starch while to build muscles you should eat adequate amounts of lean complete protein, high fiber complex carbohydrates and healthy fats. Only then will you have a completely balanced fat loss and muscle building regimen.
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