Kat:
I don't care whether you are trying to lose weight or gain muscle; weight training should be the foundation of your program.

First of all the benefits of weight training are so numerous one can't afford to miss out. Unless of course, you don't need stress relief, a stronger immune system, more self confidence, a more youthful look and a stronger tighter body.

It's important to realize that we all have the same muscles. That's right we all have biceps, triceps hamstring and believe it or not we all have abs. What sets us apart is the amount of fat we have covering those muscles. In fact bulk is nothing more than muscles with fat on top of them.

If you have a higher body fat percentage you muscles will be hidden under layers of fat. Since fat takes up roughly twice the amount of space as muscle, you'll be larger and softer looking than someone with less body fat.

The key to getting in shape is stripping away the fat and exposing the muscle that underneath. Weight lifting is the best way to do that because lean muscle mass burns an average of 35-50 calories a day without lifting a finger. Times that by 7 and you're burning an extra 350 calories a week. For most people that equivalent to an extra half hour of cardio.

In my opinion cutting back your weight training routine to 2 days would be a big mistake; instead I believe the answer to your problem lies in tweaking your cardio and diet plan.

Showing up and doing cardio is not enough. You must have a plan of action. Recently I began training a client who was already doing cardio 6 days a week forty-five minutes a pop. I immediately cut her routine back to 3 times a week for 20 minute sessions and showed her how to find the right intensity instead of just focusing on time. In the first 3 weeks of her program she lost 9 ½ inches and 12 pounds. The lesson here is quality is always better than quantity.

Eating a more sensible diet will help you shed those extra pounds. Remember, you are what you eat. It's that simple. Too many people look for other solutions when trying to get in shape. They blame it on weight training, genetics or whatever scapegoat is available at the time, but the simple fact is you'll never achieve the results you're looking for unless you change you diet. Enough said!

In closing it doesn't matter whether you're trying to lose weight or gain muscle mass weight lifting is a great way to accomplish you're goal. Be sure to pay particular attention to your diet and cardiovascular program and you will be well on your way to dropping those ten pounds.

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