Metabolic Mania

If you only wanted to lose weight, you wouldn't need Men's Fitness. You could simply go on a crash diet or run for several hours a day-and if you didn't go mad first, you would probably drop a good number of pounds in a short period of time. But if you think that approach will leave you with the body of your dreams, be prepared for an unpleasant surprise.

The fact is, weight loss and fat loss are different phenomena. While the former looks good on a scale, it makes for a sad revelation when you take off your shirt and see you're still soft and doughy, with hardly a trace of definition. It's a condition we like to call "skinny fat," wherein you don't weigh much, but what you have is still mostly lard (picture Richard Simmons sweatin' to the oldies in his trademark singlet-on second thought, don't).

Fat loss, on the other hand, may not result in such a dramatic change in body weight. However, the difference in your body composition will be clear-you'll look leaner and more muscular, as you'll have replaced the fat on your frame with much more impressive muscle tissue.

Ideally, a fat-loss program should allow you to gain (or at least maintain) muscle mass and strength while simultaneously shedding flab. Unfortunately, most plans you come across can only cover one or two of those points. One popular method is to circuit train with high reps. This burns a load of calories, but, because the workout lacks heavy lifting, it does little or nothing to maintain your overall strength. Another option is to train very heavy for a low volume of sets. While that succeeds in keeping strength levels up, it doesn't burn enough calories to optimize fat loss or provide enough stimulation to your muscles to maintain their size.

Fortunately, we've found a solid middle ground-an uncompromising fat-loss program that can make you bigger and stronger while you get leaner.