Cardio or strength, a lot or a little, dangerous or not, but will I become like that jock at the gym? Such questions arise in your mind when you want to lose weight and you don't know where to start. I want to be lean and fit, not to slack off, but also not to overdo it with training. We share five general rules of weight loss for women and men that will help you correctly calculate the load and keep in shape.
Combine Exercises
The question that must first be answered is what types of training should be included in the weight loss program, cardio or strength?
Cardio is an aerobic workout that works the lungs and heart hard and the heart rate rises above 120 beats per minute. In its course, fats are the main source of energy, they are oxidized by oxygen. Alas, these are not the fats we think of first when we want to lose weight. Initially intramuscular fats are consumed and only the next stage is subcutaneous and visceral. Accordingly, to get the result, you need to systematically do moderate intensity cardio lasting 40-60 minutes.
Strength training is anaerobic, in which energy is produced without the participation of oxygen, meaning the body does not use fat. Looks like you can end there and choose cardio. But no. Thanks to strength exercises, the volume of muscle mass increases and, consequently, the basic metabolism. Calories are spent more efficiently and the body no longer needs to "store" them for future use in the form of body fat.
For weight loss, strength training and cardio should be alternated: for example, within a week or a session (combined training).
More base
From newcomers to a sports club, you can hear the phrase "I want to lose weight on my stomach" or "I just need to get rid of fat on my thighs. "Alas, the fat burning process doesn't work that way. With systematic pumping of the press, of course, you will form a beautiful relief, but it will be safely hidden under a layer of adipose tissue.
Any single exercise aimed at training 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 you with this.
Basic exercises are called exercises in which several muscle groups and more than one joint are involved at the same time: squats, deadlifts, lunges, gluteal 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 loves to train on simulators. To "lose weight on the hips", he most often does leg extensions on the simulator, 15 repetitions with a weight of 15 kg. At the same time, it consumes only 32 kcal of energy. However, taking a 40 kg barbell and doing 10 squats, he will already spend 45 kcal.
In general, if we compare the caloric expenditure of a workout that includes only isolation exercises and a workout that consists of only compound exercises, the latter uses 50-70% more energy and is therefore more efficient.
Calculate your training intensity
Strength training intensity can simply be calculated as the number of repetitions of an exercise per unit of time.
For example, you train for 60 minutes, during which you do 7 different exercises in 2 sets of 12 repetitions. The total number of repetitions is 168 per hour, this will be the intensity value. If at the same time you do 8 exercises in 2 sets, but 15 repetitions each, the indicator will rise to 240. Accordingly, the second training will be more intense.
Fat is burned most effectively in long, moderate-intensity workouts, which can be varied by changing the number of repetitions and rest time between sets.
The intensity of cardio training is determined by 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 exercise will be 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 for mass gain it is important that the muscles have time to recover after training, then in the case of weight loss this is not necessary. Accordingly, the number of training sessions can be increased.
The degree of fat oxidation can be increased in just one month of regular exercise three times a week. If you train less, then the lessons will have minimal effect. It is optimal to exercise 4-5 times a week.
At the same time, it is important to observe the general regime, because fitness is not only about exercises, but also about a healthy lifestyle:
- sleep for at least 8 hours, otherwise stress tolerance decreases and motivation is lost.
- adhere to a strict drinking regime to replenish the lack of water and maintain water-salt metabolism.
- maintain a small calorie deficit (more on this below).
Pay attention to the food
Diet is an important factor in weight loss. A large amount of carbohydrates in the body inhibits the oxidation of fat. For example, if you eat sweets just before exercise, the suppression of fat burning can reach 35%.
The basic principles of nutrition for weight loss:
- Eat 20% fewer calories than you expend. Yes, you need to count calories, and it's more convenient to do that in meal planning 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 experience a feeling of hunger, the stronger the body's need to "store" energy. On the contrary, if you eat often, a smaller amount of substances will be stored.
- Be sure to replenish energy after a workout - even a light snack is better than nothing.
- Reduce fat and carbohydrates in the diet, but increase protein. Most of them are found in meat, eggs, low-fat cottage cheese.
Active physical activities, such as cleaning or walking, can help reduce the urge to snack. It happens that the areas of the brain responsible for satiety with food and water are confused and confused with thirst for hunger. Therefore, it is important to drink enough water - about 30-40 g of water per 1 kg of body weight per day. And, of course, plan meals, different chaotic snacks and excuses from the category "now there is no time to cook, tomorrow I will start eating healthy food" are guaranteed.
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, excess prolactin or low sensitivity of the body to leptin, the hormone responsible for the feeling of satiety. Based on the test results, it will become clear how to adjust the diet and whether it is necessary to connect drug therapy.
Effective exercises for weight loss
Based on the principles described above, we selected the most effective exercises for weight loss, which provide a high total load and require a serious energy cost.
With cardio, everything is simple - you can run while maintaining an average pace and monitor your heart rate. The disadvantage is that in this case the body will receive serious impact loads. Cardio exercise equipment, such as a stepper or elliptical, allows you to reduce them, while being no less effective. You can also replace running with dancing, cycling, stepping and water aerobics.
Finding adequate exercises for strength training is much more difficult. Repetitive training programs rarely take into account that someone wants to exercise at home and does not have the necessary equipment: dumbbells, barbell, training bench, even exercise tires. But there are a number of exercises that can help you get started without any preparation or equipment.
Out of stock:
- Bench push-ups.Instead of a bench, you can use a stool or a stable chair. We stand with our backs to the bench, lean on it with our hands, a little wider than our shoulders. We put our feet on the floor, straight or bent. We begin to push up and make sure that the body moves vertically up and down, and does not deviate forward or backward. The great advantage of this exercise is that it is easy to adapt to any training level. It is easier to do push-ups on bent legs, but it is more difficult if you straighten them and put them on a stand.
- Lying pelvic liftalso known as the gluteal bridge. We lie on the floor, arms along the body, bend our legs at the knees. We begin to raise the pelvis, at the highest point we delay and stretch the buttocks and go back down.
- Hip extension on all fours.The exercise is not basic enough, but it consumes a lot of energy, it is good for them to complete the butt pump workout. Get on all fours, supporting yourself on your elbows and knees. Lift the right leg up, trying to get the knee (ie the knee, not the toe) up as high as possible. We hold the leg at the highest point and gently lower it down, pulling it towards the chest. We repeat with the left leg.
With rubber bands:
- Weight lifting.One of the basic exercises that mainly loads the buttocks, the waist and the upper part of the thigh. We take a long ring tape, folded in half and press it in half. We hold the loops at the ends with our hands. The legs are slightly bent, in the lower back we maintain a natural bend, we do not hunch. We straighten the back and legs, making sure that the gluteal muscles work mainly and lean back.
- Horizontal pull.We sit on the floor, legs straight. We stick to a long rubber band from the legs and lean forward. We straighten our shoulders, stretch our back and raise the body straight, while pulling the tape with our hands. We remain in this position and lower back. Exercise allows you not only to work on relief, but also to stretch the muscles.
With weights (dumbbells, weights):
- Occupations.We take dumbbells in our hands or put weights. You can start with a weight of 1. 5 kg and gradually increase the load. We stand straight, feet slightly wider than shoulders. We begin to hunch and make sure that the back is straight (it can lean forward, but not more than 45 degrees) and the knees do not protrude beyond the socks - otherwise it is very easy to injure the knee joints. We squat until the thigh is parallel to the floor and then we return to the starting position. The lower you squat, the more you work your glutes.
- Lunges.We take dumbbells in our hands, stand on the right leg and take the left one back and put it on the nose. We begin to squat on one leg (you can, of course, do lunges, moving forward, but there is practically no difference in effectiveness). We make sure that the body does not bend, and that the knee does not protrude beyond the toe. Engaging the thigh muscles, we lift back. We repeat with the other leg.
In general, a weight loss training program should be dominated by core 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, regular exercise, proper nutrition and wellness. And if you make this system right, then the desired result, expressed as a number on the scale, will not keep you waiting.