Muscle is a terrible thing to waste
By: Adam Campbell, Photographs by: Darryl Estrine


Muscle is a terrible thing to waste. But that's what you do when you diet without exercising. Protect yours by adding the right exercise routine to your weight-loss plan. You'll lose fat faster and ensure that you look as good in the mirror as you do on the scale. Follow these three rules:



Lift heavy. Using light weights to "cut" and "tone" is the lazy man's way of avoiding hard iron work. "It's critical that you use challenging weights when dieting in order to signal your body to fight for your muscle," says Jeff Volek, Ph.D., R.D. For a good weight-lifting plan, see the workout poster in this issue, or The Men's Health Home Workout Bible.



Add density. Time your next workout. Then try to do it 5 percent faster in every subsequent session. That means you'd cut 2 minutes and 15 seconds off of a 45-minute workout. "By doing the same work in less time, you create a denser, more challenging workout," says Charles Staley, a strength coach and owner of edtsecrets.com. And that increased intensity means you'll burn more fat in the hours after your workout.



Go hard. Skip the long, slow run. Canadian researchers found that high-intensity intervals were nine times more effective at reducing fat stores than traditional endurance training. Try it yourself on a stationary bike. (Warm up by cycling at about 40 percent of your full effort for 5 minutes.) Sprint at your full effort for 6 seconds, then slow down to your warmup speed for 9 seconds before repeating the sprint. Exercise scientists in Australia found that men who used this formula burned three times more fat than men who sprinted for 24 seconds and took 36 seconds of rest each time. Do the workout three times a week, adding an interval each week until you're pedaling for 20 minutes.

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