There is a diminished myofibrillar protein synthetic response to the ingestion of protein-dense food in overweight and obese adults compared with healthy-weight controls.

So what exactly does this mean for our question-asker, Erin? As simple as this sounds, the key here is a little more tricky. And that means two things—she needs to lose weight slowly and she needs to exercise and eat in a way that supports her muscles. One key factor in losing body fat while maintaining muscle mass is the speed of weight loss.

A big reason why I co-founded the weight loss program called Weighless. Life is that most diets encourage you to lose weight too quickly.

We have found that matching the rate of weight loss to one that matches the pace of actual fat loss about pounds per month is a huge game-changer for everyone, including athletes who are looking to either hit their optimal race weight or get that well-defined look. Yes, I know, you want to lose the weight now.

Cool, right? Now, I am going to defer to an article and podcast from my partner in the Weighless program, Monica Reinagel, called Diet Strategy to Lose Fat and Gain Muscle.

If you have a significant amount of weight to lose, I think your best strategy is to focus first on reducing your body weight while minimizing muscle loss. Again, incorporating high-quality protein into every meal can help build lean muscle tissue and may also help with weight maintenance.

The typical middle-aged American male eats about 90 grams of protein, which is enough to maximize muscle protein synthesis or muscle building. In the US and likely Canada, too people eat about 42 percent of their daily protein at dinner and only 16 percent at breakfast.

To quote from another episode of Nutrition Diva, called How to Slow Age-Related Muscle Loss :. Research shows that for guys in their twenties, muscle synthesis peaks at an intake of about 20 grams of protein.

As we get older it takes a little more protein to hit that peak—about 30 grams at a single meal. So, whether you are in the fat-loss or the muscle-gain part of periodization, instead of hitting that peak dose of protein only once per day, focus on hitting it three times a day.

In terms of hanging onto muscle mass as you lose fat, this could really help make a difference. Take a look at my article about Cardio vs Weights for more info on that. After the fat loss phase is complete, switch your focus to muscle gain.

I have articles and podcast episodes that highlight some of the best ways to gain muscle. The latest is an episode about whether or not you need to lift to failure every time you do resistance training. You can check it out for all the details, but the upshot was that the most promising approach to strength and muscle gain was to lift to failure occasionally.

At all other times, lift just below failure 20 percent below, to be exact. This will help shorten the recovery time and allow you to return to your workouts sooner and with more energy and focus.

You could also try some more interesting techniques like occlusion training. There is also a great muscle-building strategy called drop sets. This is a lifting protocol that allows you to go beyond your failure point by removing weights from the bar or machine each time you reach failure.

When weightlifting , you can perform many repetitions reps at a lower weight or lift a heavy weight for fewer reps. The way you lift will determine the way your muscles grow and change. For example, you can develop muscle tone with a lighter weight, but it will require a high number of repetitions to improve efficiency of muscle fibers.

On the other hand, using a heavy weight is an effective way to stimulate growth and definition in muscle fibers. To build muscle through weight lifting, you need to have both mechanical damage and metabolic fatigue.

When you lift a heavy weight, the contractile proteins in the muscles must generate force to overturn the resistance provided by the weight. In turn, this can result in structural damage to the muscles. Mechanical damage to muscle proteins stimulates a repair response in the body.

The damaged fibers in muscle proteins result in an increase in muscle size. Mechanical fatigue occurs when the muscle fibers exhaust the available supply of ATP , an energy component that helps your muscles contract. This can also lead to muscle gain.

One study from found that for maximum gains, there needs to be significant metabolic stress on the muscles, plus a moderate degree of muscle tension. Researchers found exercises that involve shortening concentric movements at fast-to-moderate speeds for seconds and elongating eccentric at slower speeds seconds to be highly effective.

One example of a concentric movement is raising the weight during a bicep curl to your shoulder. The return the starting position would be eccentric. Remember, your muscles can adapt quickly to exercise.

Instead, aim for a gradual increase each week. Muscular hypertrophy can be achieved through exercise. There is also a medical condition called myostatin-related muscular hypertrophy. Myostatin-related muscular hypertrophy is a rare genetic condition.

Individuals living with myostatin experience reduced body fat and increased muscular size. The most common symptoms are a low amount of body fat and increased muscular strength.

Body fat can be measured with an ultrasound or with a caliper. The easiest way to diagnose the condition is with clinical genetic testing. But this is usually only available on a limited basis. Muscular hypertrophy can be achieved through weightlifting at the gym. But you need to continuously break down and challenge muscles in order to see growth.

A protein-rich diet is also important for muscle growth. Focus on lean protein sources like plant-based protein powder, lean meat, chicken, and fish. Try to eat or drink a protein source within 30 minutes of a workout.

Before starting a new exercise routine, see your doctor. Discover the secrets to building the perfect at-home workout with our exclusive free course, "Building the Best At-Home Workout. Unlock your potential and achieve your fitness goals with expert guidance and proven strategies.

Whether you're a beginner or an experienced fitness enthusiast, this course offers valuable insights, tailored exercises, and practical tips to help you maximize your results.

Start your journey toward a stronger, healthier you today. Brian Sutton is a year veteran in the health and fitness industry, working as a personal trainer, author, and content manager. org Fitness CPT Nutrition CES Sports Performance Workout Plans Wellness.

Note : The review below is not an exhaustive list of all arm muscles, but rather some of the functions of the major arm muscles including: Biceps Brachii Triceps Brachii Brachioradialis Brachialis Biceps Brachii.

The Author. Brian Sutton, MA, MS, CSCS, NASM-CPT, CNC, CES, PES Brian Sutton is a year veteran in the health and fitness industry, working as a personal trainer, author, and content manager.

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Use high-intensity interval training HIIT for the best fat-burning results. With Tabata training, aerobics, or a fitness boot camp, you push your body to maximum speed for 1 to 4 minutes and then rest for 1 to 4 minutes. HIIT workouts increase your metabolic rate, which will cause your body to burn fat more quickly.

These high-intensity workouts can vastly improve your cardiovascular strength and maintain overall fitness in as little as 10 minutes a day.

However, these are advanced workouts that you shouldn't attempt if you are a beginner, and they may not do much in terms of specifically increasing your muscle tone and definition. Boot camp workouts use simple moves and often are designed for beginner- and intermediate-level exercisers.

You typically can find boot camps or other HIIT training programs at your local gym or fitness center. Work out for at least 30 minutes. Most bodies use carbohydrate stores exclusively for the first 15 to 20 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise.

If you keep going after that point, your body will start burning fat. Not only will you have lower body fat and more defined muscles, but you'll also be at lesser risk for heart attack or stroke.

Good fat-burning cardio exercise can be as simple as jogging on the treadmill or outside, if the weather's nice. If you need more variety, check out aerobics classes at your local gym or fitness center.

Do cardio exercises 5 to 6 days each week. While strength training builds muscle, cardio sessions focus on burning fat. Using cardio and strength training together is the best way to achieve maximum muscle tone and definition.

For example, it might be easier for you to get your cardio in by going for a run early in the morning, and then doing your strength training after work.

Another option is to plan your training sessions for an hour, and alternate between cardio and strength training in minute intervals.

Extend cardio sessions on days you aren't strength training. Consider doing 45 to 60 minutes instead of 30 minutes to lose more fat and define your muscles; however, overtraining can be very hard on your body, so take 1 to 2 days of rest each week.

You might also consider doing yoga on your off days to replace your regular weight training. While yoga will work your muscles, it's generally not considered as intense as weight training, so a light routine would be appropriate for your rest days.

Part 2. Strength train for at least 30 minutes 3 or 4 days each week. You won't build muscle definition if you only strength train for 15 or 20 minutes once or twice a week. To get the tone you want, you must make a commitment to hit the gym on a more frequent basis.

You can do the research and set up a routine on your own, but the easiest way to create your routine is to schedule a session with a certified personal trainer. They can not only advise you on exercises to do that will meet your goals, but also critique your form and technique. Typically, you'll get best results by focusing on your upper body the first day, your lower body the second day, and your core the third day.

If you're strength training on a four day rotation, split your core over each of the 4 days and do 2 upper-body days and 2 lower-body days. Take 36 to 48 hours of rest between strength-training sessions. If you are doing your exercises correctly, you will tear a lot of muscle fibers.

Your body needs time to repair your muscles and rebuild them so they are stronger. For example, you might do upper body 1 day, lower body the next day, You typically can do core strengthening exercises with only 24 hours of rest before the next strength-training session. Adequate rest also means getting adequate sleep.

Your body is rebuilding muscle while you sleep, so make sure you get between 7 and 9 hours of restful sleep each night. Choose the right weight amount. You should be strength training with a weight heavy enough that you can only complete an exercise with correct form for 12 to 15 repetitions.

The argument used to be that you used heavier weights to gain mass and did higher repetitions with lighter weights for tone and definition; however, modern training suggests there is a happy medium.

Combining bulk or power training with high-rep strength training also can work well to get you the definition you want. For example, you might do a heavy, power upper-body strength training session on day one.

The next day, do a similarly heavy lower-body strength training session. Take a day off, then do an upper-body strength training session with lower weights at higher repetitions. Follow up the next day with a similar lower-body session.

Focus on good form and technique. Move slowly through the pushing and pulling motions, emphasizing quality over quantity. Especially if you're just starting, don't worry about how many reps you can do.

Instead, make sure you have solid, consistent technique. Think in terms of actively lowering or pulling back the weight, not simply dropping it. Get a personal trainer or an experienced weight lifter to check and critique your form.

Keep in mind that poor technique and sloppy form doesn't just mean your training is less effective, it also puts you at risk for injury. Do supersets, alternating between push and pull motions.

Organize your strength-training routine so that you're doing 3 or 4 sets of 12 to 15 repetitions of each exercise. Rest for 30 seconds to 1 minute between each superset. When you alternate between pushing and pulling motions, you work different parts of the muscle.

This gives the portion of the muscle you previously worked a little extra time to recover, so you can take a shorter rest break between sets. Bring your muscles to fatigue. When you push your muscles to the max you stimulate hypertrophy, which increases the volume of your muscles.

This not only builds muscle mass, but also will improve their definition. If they don't, you need to add more weight. Make sure you're doing simple exercises, such as pushups or dumbbell presses, that you can control and complete in good form even when your muscles are exhausted.

Work as many muscles together as possible. Don't work your biceps without working your triceps, shoulders, back, and chest.

You won't achieve good resting definition unless your whole body is being worked hard. Ignoring surrounding muscles in favor of the major ones, such as biceps, can lead to muscle imbalances that will significantly increase your risk for injury.

Aim to work an entire muscle group with each exercise. If you don't know a lot of different exercises, sign up for a few sessions with a personal trainer. They can help you create a well-rounded workout. Don't just work the muscles you see in the mirror.

You may not think about working out your back because you can't see it, but remember that everyone else can! Do a combination of moderate- and high-intensity cardio. Aim for 30 minute sessions. Do running, incline walking or cycling for your cardio. Participate in a group fitness class step aerobics, spinning or kickboxing to keep yourself motivated.

Decrease the amount food you are eating to reveal body definition. Your body-weight goal will determine how many calories to cut each day. Reduce your caloric intake by 3, calories weekly -- per day -- to lose 1 pound.

Limit sugar and saturate fat. Replace with lean proteins, vegetables and fruits. Consume a moderate amount of whole grains. Keep your water intake high.

Drink water throughout the day and during each workout session. Limit any consumption of sports drinks or other high calorie beverages. If you want to build more lean mass, simply increase the number of weeks you spend building muscle. Eight weeks will be sufficient. After going through the cutting phase, you can return to a building program if you choose to gain more size.

If you have a significant amount of weight to lose, expect to spend several months to a year building muscle and losing body fat. Yo-yo dieting is unsafe and not effective for long term results. Find your ideal weight and strive to maintain it year round.

Spending too much time in a caloric deficient may have adverse health effects. Seek a balanced diet with sufficient calories for optimal nutrition. Always consult your doctor before beginning any exercise or diet program. Fitness General Fitness Other Sports. How to Build Body Definition By Hannah Morgan.

com may earn compensation through affiliate links in this story. Learn more about our affiliate and product review process here. A fit, muscular woman is stretching prior to exercise. Build Muscle. Step 1. Build muscle mass by lifting weights.

Do strength training workouts four to six days a week.

Going for a long run and other endurance activities will deplete your body of the carbs your muscles need to store for recovery. Instead, focus on activating your larger, fast-twitch muscle fibers in your glutes , back and hamstrings. RELATED: Hypertrophy Training: The 3 Laws of Building Muscle.

Now you can take a rest. If circuit training is your jam, move on to another exercise that works a different major muscle — like pull-ups to target your back — and go again until the targeted muscle is completely fatigued. As for intensity, you want to go hard — high-intensity training is ideal for improving definition — but not every single day.

Not sure how to measure your progress? Pick one of these five standard tests. Record how many reps you can do or how much weight you can lift.

Then, do the exact same workout every few weeks. And hey, there are benefits to strength training that go way beyond buff arms. Check out these refreshing strawberry recipes. Looking for a fun and fresh workout routine to kick off your summer? Step away from the screen and bring your workouts outside with this amazing Holistic Outdoor Training audio program.

All rights reserved. A health, fitness and lifestyle site brought to you by Daily Burn. Try Online Fitness Program Risk Free. Main Menu. Better Muscle Definition Will Take This Long. Samantha Lefave April 8, This means you have wasted your time because you will not be training in the most efficient manner possible for your goal.

In general, the number of reps you do for an exercise is inversely related to the amount of weight you use. As the amount of weight goes up, the number of repetitions you are able to perform decreases.

Therefore, higher-intensity loads can only be performed for a few repetitions, while lower-intensity loads can be moved for a relatively high number of repetitions before fatigue sets in. Training for strength requires using heavier loads, which subsequently limits the number of reps that can be performed.

A heavier weight will automatically recruit more type II fibers in the involved muscles. Type II fibers rely on anaerobic metabolism, which provides only a limited amount of energy.

This is another reason why heavy weights can only be moved for a few reps at a time—the muscle simply runs out of available energy. If your goal is to improve strength, use weights that cause fatigue after no more than six repetitions. Training for definition can be achieved by a couple of different rep ranges.

The type II fibers responsible for strength are also responsible for creating the appearance of muscle definition. Definition comes from a muscle maintaining a state of semi-contraction, which is achieved by keeping a muscle under tension for a longer period of time.

A higher numbers of reps performed at a slower movement speed can facilitate the tension needed to increase definition. If you are a runner, cyclist, swimmer or other type of endurance athlete, you are probably more interested in using strength training to support the specific training necessary to achieve success in your sport.

In this case, your strength-training program should focus on activating the type I muscle fibers that rely on aerobic metabolism, which requires performing as many as 20 or 30 reps. Endurance athletes need to be as aerobically efficient as possible, so performing strength-training exercises with light weights for a high number of reps will help muscles develop the mitochondrial density and aerobic efficiency necessary to support endurance-training efforts.

However, your rest intervals should be kept relatively short to ensure that your workout creates the necessary stimulus to engage your aerobic metabolism.

Power, which is the ability to generate a significant amount of muscle force in the shortest amount of time possible, is a skill that requires specific programming to achieve.

Power training can provide a number of important benefits and is completely safe if the appropriate number of reps is used. However, thanks to the popularity of high-intensity workout programs, it is often performed in an unsafe manner. Training for muscular power places tremendous metabolic and mechanical demands on muscle tissue and can rapidly fatigue the nervous system responsible for maintaining proper joint mechanics.

When doing technical power-based lifts like the barbell snatch, clean-and-jerk, push press or hang clean, the focus should be on the quality of movement and not the quantity of reps performed.

For safe, effective power training, the rep range should focus on the maximum force output for one or two reps and be limited to no more than four or five. The same is true for medicine ball throws or jumps—the emphasis should be on the quality of movement and not the number of repetitions performed.

Jumps and throws should focus on technique and be performed for no more than six to eight reps at a time; doing more reps could cause fatigue, which significantly increases the risk of injury. Like endurance training, the goal of power training is NOT to go to fatigue, but to do the assigned number of reps with the best form possible.

Pete McCall, MS, CSCS, is an ACE Certified Personal Trainer and long-time player in the fitness industry. He has been featured as an expert in the Washington Post , The New York Times , Los Angeles Times , Runner's World and Self. He holds a master's degree in exercise science and health promotion, and several advanced certifications and specializations with NSCA and NASM.