Cardio or strength, a lot or little, dangerous or not, but am I going to be like that athlete in the gym? These questions come to your mind when you're trying to lose weight but don't know where to start. I want to be slim and fit, not slack, but not overtraining either. We share five general weight loss rules for both women and men that will help you properly calculate your load and stay in shape.
combined practice
The first question to answer is what type of training should be included in a weight loss program, cardio or strength training?
Cardio is an aerobic exercise that intensely works the lungs and heart, raising the heart rate to over 120 beats per minute. During this process, fats are the main source of energy and they are oxidized by oxygen. Alas, these aren't the first fats we think of when trying to lose weight. Initially, intramuscular fat is consumed, only the next stage is subcutaneous and visceral. So, to get results, you need to systematically do moderate-intensity aerobic exercise lasting 40-60 minutes.
Strength training is anaerobic, the energy produced during this time is not involved in oxygen, which means that the body does not burn fat. It looks like you can stop there and opt for cardio. but not. Due to strength training, muscle mass increases and therefore basal metabolism increases. Calories are burned more efficiently and the body no longer needs to "store" them for future use as body fat.
For weight loss, strength and cardio should be alternated: for example, within a week or within one class (joint training).
more bases
From newcomers to sports clubs, you can hear phrases like "I want to lose weight in my belly" or "I just need to get fat off my thighs". Alas, the fat burning process doesn't work that way. By systematically pumping water, you will of course create a beautiful relief, but it will be safely hidden under a layer of fatty tissue.
Any isolation exercise designed to train a muscle or muscle group doesn't require a lot of energy. To burn fat effectively, you need to spend more, and basic exercise will help.
Basic movements are called movements that involve multiple muscle groups and multiple joints at the same time: squats, deadlifts, lunges, glute bridges, etc.
Let's look at an example. Let's imagine a normal woman who weighs 65kg, is afraid of heavy objects and likes to work out on a simulator. To "reduce hip weight", she most often performs leg stretches in the simulator, 15 reps at 15kg. At the same time, it consumes only 32 calories of energy. However, taking a 40kg barbell and doing 10 squats, she has burned 45 calories.
In general, if we compare the calorie burn of a workout that only consists of isolation exercises and a workout that only consists of compound exercises, the latter burns 50-70% more energy, so it's more efficient.
Calculate workout intensity
The intensity of strength training can be simply calculated as the number of repetitions per unit time of exercise.
For example, you train for 60 minutes, during which you do 2 sets of 12 repetitions of 7 different exercises. The total number of repetitions is 168 per hour, which will be the intensity value. If you do 8 sets of 15 repetitions at the same time, this indicator will rise to 240. Therefore, the second workout will be more intense.
Long, moderate-intensity workouts are the most effective at burning fat, and this can be changed by varying the number of repetitions and rest periods between sets.
The intensity of aerobic training is determined by the pulse. The maximum beats per minute is calculated as "220 minus age". So, for a thirty-year-old, the maximum heart rate during aerobic exercise would be 190 bpm, and for effective fat burning, 60-85% of that number would be sufficient, which is 114-161.
number of workouts
If it is important for muscles to recover after training in order to gain weight, this is not necessary in the case of weight loss. Therefore, the number of exercises can be increased.
Regular exercise 3 times a week can increase the level of fat oxidation in just one month. If you train less, the impact of the course will be minimal. 4-5 workouts per week are optimal.
At the same time, it is also important to observe general patterns, because fitness is not only about exercise, but also about a healthy lifestyle:
- Get at least 8 hours of sleep, otherwise tolerance to stress will decrease and you will lose motivation;
- Strictly drink water to supplement insufficient water and maintain water and salt metabolism;
- Maintain a small calorie deficit (more on that below).
Pay attention to food
Diet is an important factor in weight loss. Large amounts of carbohydrates in the body inhibit fat oxidation. For example, if you eat sweets before exercise, fat burning inhibition can be as high as 35%.
Basic principles of weight loss nutrition:
- Eat 20% fewer calories than you burn. Yes, you need to count calories, which is most convenient to do in a meal planning app. Popular products are listed there (some even have specific brands and manufacturers), which KBJU has calculated.
- Often eaten in small amounts. The longer we feel hungry, the stronger the body's need to "store" energy. Conversely, if you eat it regularly, a small amount of the substance will go into the stockpile.
- Be sure to refuel after your workout—even a snack is better than nothing.
- Reduce fat and carbohydrates in your diet, but increase protein. Most of these are found in meat, eggs, and low-fat cheese.
Active physical activity, such as cleaning or walking, can help reduce the urge to snack. The areas of the brain responsible for saturating food and water become confused and mistake thirst for hunger. Therefore, it is important to drink enough water - about 30-40 grams of water per 1 kg of body weight per day. And, of course, plan meals or you'll be assured of the messy snacks and excuses in the "no time to cook right now, tomorrow I'll start eating healthy" categories.
If advice doesn't help, and persistent hunger pangs don't subside after a week or two, you should talk to your doctor. This condition can be due to hypothyroidism, excess prolactin, or a low sensitivity of the body to leptin, a hormone responsible for feeling full. Based on the test results, it will be clear how to adjust the diet and whether to connect medication.
effective weight loss exercises
Based on the above principles, we have selected the most effective weight loss exercises that provide a high overall load and require a large amount of energy expenditure.
With cardio, it's easy - you can maintain an average pace and watch your heart rate while running. The downside is that the body is subject to severe shock loads in this condition. Cardio equipment, such as steppers or ellipses, will allow you to reduce them while being just as effective. You can also replace running with dancing, cycling, stepping, and water aerobics.
Finding enough exercises for strength training is much more difficult. Repetitive training programs rarely take into account that someone wants to work out at home and doesn't have the necessary equipment: dumbbells, barbells, training benches, or even gym rubber bands. But there are exercises to help you get started without preparation and equipment.
zero inventory:
- Bench press push-up.Instead of a bench, you can use a stool or stable chair. We stand with our backs to the bench, with our hands resting on the bench, slightly wider than our shoulders. We put our legs on the floor, straight or bent. We start pushing upwards, making sure the body moves vertically up and down, not veering forward or backward. The great thing about this exercise is that it's easy to adapt to any level of training. It's easiest to do push-ups with bent legs, but it's harder if you keep them straight on a rack.
- Lying Pelvic LiftAlso called glute bridge. We lay on the floor with our arms on our bodies and our legs bent at the knees. We start by raising the pelvis, lingering at the highest point and tightening the hips, and then descending back.
- Extend your hips.This movement is not very basic, but it consumes a lot of energy, and it is good for them to complete the training of the buttocks. Get on all fours, leaning on your elbows and knees. Lift your right leg, trying to get your knee (i. e. knee, not toe) as high as possible. We keep the leg at the highest point and lower it gently, pulling it up to the chest. We repeat with the left foot.
With a rubber band:
- deadlift.One of the basic exercises that primarily loads the hips, lower back, and upper thighs. We take a long loop of tape, fold it in half, and step in the middle. We hold the loop at the end with our hands. The legs are slightly bent, and the lower back remains naturally curved, not hunched. We straighten the back and legs, make sure the glutes work mostly, and lean back.
- Horizontal pull.We sat on the floor with our legs straight. We grabbed a long rubber band with our feet and leaned forward. We straighten our shoulders, tighten our backs, and straighten our bodies while pulling on the tape with our hands. We linger in this position and lower ourselves. Exercising not only relaxes you, but also stretches your muscles.
Weights used (dumbbells, weights):
- Squat.We have dumbbells or weights in our hands. You can start with a weight of 1. 5 kg and gradually increase the load. We stand up straight with our legs slightly wider than shoulders. We start the squat, making sure the back is straight (you can lean forward, but no more than 45 degrees) and that the knees don't stick out of the socks - it's easy to hurt the knees. We squat until our thighs are parallel to the ground, then return to the starting position. The lower you squat, the more your glutes will work.
- lunge.We hold the dumbbells in our hands and stand on the right foot with the left back on the toes. We start with single leg squats (of course, you can do lunges and step forwards, but there is little difference in efficiency). We make sure the body doesn't bend and the knees don't stick out the toes. Engage the thigh muscles and we stand up. We repeat with the other leg.
In general, a training program aimed at losing weight should focus on basic exercise and moderate-intensity cardio at a moderate heart rate. To increase muscle tone, you can add light-weight, high-intensity workouts.
As you can see, fitness isn't just about muscle building or "summer weight loss", it's about a healthy lifestyle, systematic exercise, proper nutrition and health. If you build the system correctly, coveted results, expressed as numbers on the scale, won't keep you waiting.