by Past Parallel

Created on: June 29, 2009   Last Updated: July 04, 2009

What exercise burns the most calories?

This is a common question people ask. It seems I have read chopping wood burns the most calories. If this is true, it would seem that a person need only purchase an axe and attack the nearest tree to start their quick trip to skinny. This would surely boost business at many emergency rooms, and the rise in CO2 from the massive deforestation could prove disastrous. This brings up the first point of this article. The exercise that burns the most calories might not be the best choice to base an exercise program on.

The most important decision to make concerning exercise selection is the goal one seeks to attain. This article will focus on burning body fat, because this is the most sought after side effect of exercise. To lose body fat a person has to use more calories than they consume in a day. This process has to be repeated daily until the desired fat loss is achieved, and the more body fat there is to lose, the longer this process takes. Cardiovascular exercise is commonly the go to exercise to achieve calorie expenditure, but this is not the most efficient choice. Jumping on the treadmill for an hour will burn calories, and the body will stay in a calorie burning mode for up to 6 hours. This is not bad, but one can do better. Lifting weights also burns calories, but the body stays in a calorie burning mode for up to 36 hours. A workout that is comprised of lifting weights can heighten the body's calorie expenditure for up to 6 times as long! This is a result of the body repairing the microscopic tears in muscle that occur from lifting weights, and the side effect is a longer lasting boost in metabolism.

There is another dimension of lifting weights that is often overlooked. Lifting weights tones the muscles and adds shape to the body. The time spent on the treadmill does burn calories, but it can result in the condition fondly referred to as "skinny fat." It is not uncommon for a person to undertake a diet and exercise program and end up 30 pounds lighter, but underneath those clothes lies a physique that is the same, just scaled down. What was once a fat body is now a skinnier, fat body. To build a body that is sexier and more shapely, muscle must be conserved and preferably toned and built up. Cardiovascular exercise does a poor job of building muscle and increasing muscle tone, but lifting weights can reshape the body and burn body fat. We have all seen the lady at the gym that has been doing 1 hour on the treadmill 6 days a week for the last 5 years, and for the last 4 years and and 6 months she has looked the same. Don't be like that lady!

In summation, to produce the best loss of body fat choose lifting weights over getting caught in the treadmill trap. Lifting weights elevates the metabolism longer after exercise, and the effects on muscle tone and body shape are more pronounced. The next step in designing an exercise program involves selecting the most advantageous lifts, and this will be covered in the next article.

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