Increase Lean Muscle: body fat

Summary High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) is a cardio method used to aid in burning calories through boosting your metabolism. HIIT consists of alternating between sprinting and walking for 20 minutes, rather than the typical jogging cardio most people are sucked into. HIIT is highly effective because it increases your RMR (Resting Metabolic Rate) for up to 24 times as long as traditional, long aerobic workouts. Your body consumes much more oxygen because it attempts to adapt to the exercise you performed, hence increasing the number of calories you burn for 24-48 hours, whereas traditional aerobic workouts only increase your RMR for 1-2 hours. This boost in calories burned is perfect for lean muscle gain, because it shreds the fat--just make sure you are sticking to your weightlifting routine or you will get a skinny appearance rather than lean.

Here is an example of the HIIT workout that I perform 2-3 times a week on a treadmill:

The speeds at which I workout are based on me being 5'7. If you are taller, or shorter, I would suggest altering your speed according to what feels comfortable for your legs.

Workout Length: 20 minutes

Walk at 3.5 mph for 3 minutes (warm up)

Sprint at 7.5 mph for 2 minutes

[5 minutes]

Walk at 3.5 mph for 3 minutes

[8 minutes]

Sprint at 9.5 mph for 1 minute

Walk at 3.5 mph for 1.5 minutes

[10:30 minutes]

Sprint at 7.5 mph for 1 minute

Walk at 3.5 mph for 1.5 minutes

[13 minutes]

Sprint at 9.5 mph for 1 minute

Walk at 3.5 mph for 1.5 minutes

[15:30 minutes]

Sprint at 7.5 mph for 1 minute

Walk at 3.5 mph for 1.5 minutes

[18 minutes]

Sprint at 9.5 mph for 1 minute

Walk at 3.5 mph for 3 minutes (cool down)

[22 minutes]

View my Lean Muscle Workout & Diet Plan for FREE

I Lost 22 pounds, and 13% of my body fat in 6 months.

I am 5'7 and currently weight 148lbs. I have spend the past year trying to cut down on my body fat and gain lean muscle. I decided it was time to start to gain lean muscle when I noticed my stomach hanging over my shorts. Sad, but true: my stomach was in fact hanging over my shorts. I was 5'7, roughly 170lbs and over 20% body fat. 170 is not much, but my body fat percentage was so high, it made me look quite chubby.

The reason I am writing this to you is because I have spent the past year learning about how to gain lean muscle WHILE lowering your body fat percentage. But not only did I read a million articles, and books, but I also managed to reduce my body fat percentage significantly. I am going to show you EXACTLY how I mangaged to gain lean muscle and reduce my body fat.

October 2009, December 2009, April 2010, August 2010

Not the greatest picture because I was foolish and lost the pictures of my results, but you can clearly see how much my face shape has changed since 2009.