If the last thing you want is to have massive muscles that make it hard for you to move and have veins popping up everywhere, let's clear it up at the beginning.

I know in this site, we advise you to make weight training a part of your exercise regime for fat loss. So are you in danger of looking like one of those science models of human beings with veins everywhere?

The short answer is "no!" If you are on a balanced nutrition program recommended by this site (and all the resources this site recommends), you definitely will not get bulky. It's physiologically impossible.

Let me explain.

To put on muscle mass you have to take in more calories than you put out. Otherwise your body can't put the mass on. Not only that, but you have to have your calories in certain macronutrient amounts (just like you have to for fat loss). That's why on of your aims is to just keep or maintain the muscle mass you do have, not really to add to it when you are trying to lose fat.

That's why weight training is so important.

Because when you're eating at a calorie level below your daily maintenance there is a grave danger you are going to lose a lot of muscle mass with your fat if you don't get the right nutrition. This is the key problem with 99% of other diets. Even if you do get the right nutrition, there is a danger. That's why you want to lift weights.

It's not about getting bulky; it's all about maintaining the muscle mass you do have. If you're still unsure about lifting weights let me just tell you this. Even if you are a genetic freak, you will not be able to start lifting weights today and get up tomorrow morning looking like Mr. or Ms. Olympia. It takes time, a lot of hard work, constant training and doing a lot of things right over a long period of time to become a body builder. So even if you still think you'll start to take on much more muscle than you want, try a weights program and if your worst nightmare comes true, you can reduce it or stop it.

Of course I know that once you start the program and see yourself losing fat rather than getting bulky you'll stick to it. But just tell your mind what you need to, to get yourself started!

Convinced yet?

Or do you still need another reason to do weights? Here goes...

Now, here's a fact about your body that you may not know. The leaner you are the more lean muscle mass you'll put on if you ever eat above your calorie requirements. By the same token, the more fat you have, the more fat you'll put on if you eat above your calorie requirements. You'll get more of what you have.

This is exactly the reason why if you are overweight and would like a bulky, muscular frame, you should shed the fat first before focusing on gaining muscle mass.

The opposite is also true though. If you are eating in a calorie deficit and you have a high body fat percentage, you'll lose fat quicker than muscle. Yet if you are lean, you'll tend to lose more muscle than fat, unless you are really careful. That's why as you lose more and more fat, weight training becomes more and more important. You want to maintain your lean muscle mass and only lose the fat.

There are of course more benefits to weight training for weight loss than I've listed here - you can visit our article "Benefits Of Anaerobic Exercise" to find out more.

So that's why its crucial that you make weight training and aerobic exercise part of your exercise regime.

So what sort of program do I recommend?

As far as exercise programs go for long lasting weight loss, I recommend two programs.

Tom Venuto's "Burn The Fat" ebook is the first recommendation because apart from containing a great section on exercise (he's a natural bodybuilder and personal trainer), he also has the best overall book on weight loss - from the many I've reviewed.

If you're only interested in the exercise section, then I believe Craig Ballantyne's "Turbulence Training" is best for you. His nutrition package may not be as comprehensive as Tom's book, but his exercise section is just killer. It is the best one I've seen that's targeted for weight loss. He even covers bodyweight exercises in his course (which is using your own bodyweight to simulate weight training without the weights).