Cardio or strength, a lot or a little, dangerous or not, but will I be like that jock at the gym? Questions like this pop up in your mind when you want to lose weight and don't know where to start. I want to be slim and fit, not break out, but also not overdo it with training. We share five universal weight loss rules for women and men that will help you correctly calculate the load and keep in shape.
combine exercises
First of all, the question must be answered, what types of training should be included in the weight loss program, cardio or strength?
Cardio training is an aerobic workout that works the lungs and heart intensely, increasing the heart rate to over 120 beats per minute. Fats are the main source of energy, they are oxidized by oxygen. Unfortunately, these aren't the fats we think of first when trying to lose weight. First, intramuscular fats are consumed, and only the next stage is subcutaneous and visceral. Accordingly, in order to achieve the result, you need to systematically do moderate-intensity cardio for 40-60 minutes.
Strength training is anaerobic, in which energy is produced without the involvement of oxygen, meaning the body does not use fat. It seems you can end there and opt for cardio. But no. Thanks to strength exercises, the volume of muscle mass increases and with it the basal metabolic rate. Calories are used more efficiently and the body no longer has to "store" them as body fat for future use.
For weight loss, strength and cardio exercises should be alternated: for example, within a week or unit (combined training).
More base
From newcomers to a sports club you will hear the phrase "I want to lose weight in my stomach" or "I just need to get rid of fat from my thighs". Unfortunately, fat burning doesn't work that way. Of course, by systematically pumping the press, you form a beautiful relief, but it is safely hidden under a layer of fatty tissue.
Any isolated exercise aimed at working a muscle or muscle group does not require a large amount of energy. And for effective fat burning, you need to spend more, and basic exercises will help in this.
Compound exercises are called exercises that involve several muscle groups and more than one joint at once: squats, deadlifts, lunges, glute bridge and others.
Let's look at an example. Let's imagine an average woman who weighs 65 kg, is afraid of heavy weights and likes to train on simulators. To "lose weight in the hips", she most often does leg extensions in the simulator, 15 repetitions with a weight of 15 kg. At the same time, it consumes only 32 kcal of energy. However, if she takes a 40 kg barbell and does 10 squats, she already uses 45 kcal.
In general, if we compare the calorie consumption of a workout that only contains isolation exercises and a workout that only consists of compound exercises, the latter uses 50-70% more energy and is therefore more effective.
Calculate the intensity of your training
The intensity of strength training can be easily calculated as the number of repetitions of an exercise per unit of time.
For example, you train for 60 minutes doing 7 different exercises in 2 sets of 12 repetitions. The total number of repetitions is 168 per hour, this is the intensity value. If you simultaneously do 8 exercises in 2 sets, but 15 repetitions each, the indicator will increase to 240. Accordingly, the second workout will be more intense.
Fat is burned most effectively during long, moderate-intensity workouts, which can be varied by changing the number of repetitions and rest time between sets.
The intensity of the cardio training is determined by the heart rate. The maximum number of beats per minute is calculated as "220 minus age". So, for a thirty-year-old, the maximum heart rate during aerobic training is 190 beats per minute, and for effective fat burning, 60-85% of this number is enough, that is, 114-161.
Number of training sessions
If it is important for gaining mass that the muscles have time to recover after training, then this is not necessary when losing weight. Accordingly, the number of training sessions can be increased.
The level of fat oxidation can be increased in just a month of regular exercise three times a week. If you train less, the lessons will have minimal effect. It is optimal to do fitness 4-5 times a week.
At the same time, it is important to observe the general regime, because fitness is not just about exercises, but also about a healthy lifestyle:
- Sleep at least 8 hours, otherwise stress tolerance decreases and motivation is lost;
- observe a strict drinking regime to compensate for the lack of water and maintain water-salt metabolism;
- Maintain a small calorie deficit (more on this below).
Watch out for food
Diet is an important factor in losing weight. A large amount of carbohydrates in the body inhibits fat oxidation. For example, if you eat sweets just before exercise, fat burning suppression can reach 35%.
The basic principles of diet for weight loss:
- Eat 20% fewer calories than you expend. Yes, you need to count calories and the most convenient way to do that is with meal planner apps. Popular products are listed there (some even have specific brands and manufacturers) with KBJU already calculated.
- Eat often in small portions. The longer we feel hungry, the more the body's need to "store" energy manifests itself. Conversely, if you eat often, a smaller amount of substances will go to the store.
- Be sure to recharge your batteries after training - even a small snack is better than nothing.
- Reduce fats and carbohydrates in the diet but increase proteins. Most of them are found in meat, eggs, and low-fat cottage cheese.
Active physical activities like cleaning or walking can help reduce cravings for snacks. It happens that the areas of the brain responsible for the saturation of food and water become confused, confusing thirst with hunger. Therefore, it is important to drink enough water - about 30-40 g of water per 1 kg of body weight per day. And plan meals, of course, otherwise messy snacks and "no time to cook now, tomorrow I'll start eating healthy" excuses are guaranteed to start.
If the recommendations do not help, and the constant feeling of hunger does not subside after a week or two, you should consult a doctor. This condition can be due to hypothyroidism, an excess of prolactin, or a low sensitivity of the body to leptin, the hormone responsible for feeling full. The results of the tests make it clear how the diet needs to be adjusted and whether drug therapy needs to be added.
Effective weight loss exercises
Based on the principles described above, we selected the most effective exercises for weight loss, which provide a high total load and require significant energy costs.
Cardio is easy - you can run while maintaining an average pace and monitoring your heart rate. The disadvantage is that in this case the body will be subjected to severe shock loads. Cardio machines, such as a stepper or ellipsoid, allow you to reduce them, but they are no less effective. You can also replace running with dancing, cycling, step and aqua aerobics.
It is much more difficult to find adequate exercises for strength training. The replicated workout programs rarely take into account that someone wants to workout at home and doesn't have the necessary equipment: dumbbells, barbells, an exercise bench, and even resistance bands. But there are a number of exercises that can help you get started without any preparation or equipment.
Without inventory:
- Push-ups on the bench.Instead of a bench, you can use a stool or a sturdy chair. We stand with our backs to the bench, we support ourselves against it with our hands, slightly wider than our shoulders. We put our legs on the floor, straight or bent. We start with the push-ups, making sure that the body moves up and down vertically and does not deviate forwards or backwards. The great advantage of this exercise is that it is easily adaptable to any training level. It's easiest to do push-ups with your legs bent, but it's harder if you straighten them and place them on a stand.
- Lying pelvic liftalso called the buttock bridge. We lie on the floor, arms along the body, bend the legs at the knees. We begin to raise the pelvis, linger at the highest point and we strain the buttocks and rise back.
- Hip extension on all fours.The exercise is not very easy, but it consumes a lot of energy, it is good for them to complete the buttocks pumping workout. Get on all fours, resting on your elbows and knees. Raise the right leg and try to lift the knee (namely the knee, not the toe) as high as possible. We hold the leg at the highest point and gently lower it, pulling it to the chest. We repeat with the left foot.
With rubber bands:
- deadlift.One of the basic exercises, which mainly loads the buttocks, lower back and thighs. We take a long ring band folded in half and step on it in the middle. We hold the loops at the ends with our hands. The legs are slightly bent, in the lower back we keep a natural bend, we do not bend. We straighten the back and legs, making sure that the glutes are mainly working, and lean back.
- horizontal pull.We sit on the floor, legs straight. We cling to a long elastic band with our feet and lean forward. We straighten our shoulders, strain our backs, and raise the body straight while pulling the band with our hands. We linger in this position and lower ourselves back. With the exercise, you can not only work on the relief, but also stretch the muscles.
With weights (dumbbells, weights):
- squats.We pick up dumbbells or put on weights. You can start with a weight of 1. 5 kg, gradually increasing the load. We stand up straight, legs slightly wider than shoulders. We start to squat, making sure that the back is straight (it is possible to lean forward, but not more than 45 degrees) and the knees do not protrude beyond the socks - otherwise it is very easy to tighten the knee jointsviolate. We squat until the thigh is parallel to the floor, and then return to the starting position. The lower you squat, the more your glutes work.
- lunges.We take dumbbells in our hands, stand on the right foot and take the left back and put it on the toe. We begin to squat on one leg (you can, of course, lunge and step forward, but there is practically no difference in efficiency). We make sure that the body does not bend and the knee does not protrude beyond the toe. We engage the thigh muscles and descend. We repeat with the other leg.
In general, a weight loss program should be dominated by basic exercises and moderate-intensity cardio at a moderate heart rate. To increase muscle tone, you can add high-intensity workouts with light weights.
As you can see, fitness isn't just about building muscle or "losing weight by summer, " it's about a healthy lifestyle, targeted exercise, proper nutrition, and well-being. And if you build this system right, then you'll get the coveted result, expressedas a number on the scales, do not wait long.