If you want to burn fat and not muscle, you are already one step ahead of the game!

Most people want to just “lose weight”. If you just lose weight, then you lose water weight, muscle mass, and maybe a little bit of fat if you are lucky. On the other hand, if you burn fat and increase muscle mass then you will help to raise your metabolism and have results that are permanent!

Once you are on the right track to burn fat and not lose muscle mass, you stand a better chance to see the results you want to than the vast majority of people out there!

This article will show you two common mistakes that people make when trying to burn fat.

2 Common Burn Fat but Not Muscle Mistakes

MISTAKE #1: Long “same speed” cardio routines

This is one of the most common methods that people use to try and burn fat.

There are a few problems with trying to do too much cardio. One of them is that your body will rapidly adapt to a cardio routine where you go at the same speed the whole time. This means that before long, you have to go longer and harder to get the same physiological challenge as when you started. This is not a good way to burn fat!

Another problem with same speed cardio is that it does not help to change your metabolism. If you want to burn fat and change your metabolism through cardio, then you need to try doing something called interval training. Interval training is a great way to burn fat because it involves using both high and low intensities during your cardio routine.

For example, you can try doing 2 minutes slow followed by 1 minute fast. By doing this 2-1 minute interval 3-6 times each cardio workout, you will stimulate your metabolism to burn lots of calories after you are done working out!

If you want to do cardio to help burn fat but not lose muscle, interval training is definitely the way to go!

MISTAKE #2: Trying to consume too few calories

This is also known as “crash dieting”. This is not a good way to burn fat because crash dieting is more likely to make you lose weight. As you can remember from earlier in this article, losing weight is almost a surefire way to gain it all back and become more and more frustrated.

Instead of doing some crazy diet where you only consume 500-1000 calories a day, try these basic techniques instead.

First, try eating between 4-6 small meals per day that consist of the right types of protein, complex carbs, and good fats. The main thing you want to avoid when trying to burn fat and not lose muscle is high glycemic “bad” carbs. These carbs raise your blood sugar and make your body release more insulin to store it as fat.

If you really want more information on how you can maximize your ability to burn fat and not lose muscle, then check out the links below for some great tips.

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Tom Gifford is a Certified Personal Trainer by the American Council on Exercise. His website at http://www.TheFatLossZone.com offers a free 47 page ebook titled “How to Fire Up Your Metabolism and Lose Body Fat Permanently”. Tom’s free newsletter from The Fat Loss Zone is jam packed with tips and techniques guaranteed to get you on the fast track to having a slim and sexy physique.