Cardio training or strength, much or little, dangerous or not, but do I become such a jock in the gym? Such questions arise in your head when you want to lose weight and do not know where to start. I want to be slim and fit, not let loose, but also not overdo it with exercise. We share five universal weight loss rules for women and men to help you calculate the load correctly and keep fit.
Combine exercises
The question that needs to be answered first and foremost is what types of exercise should be included in the weight loss program, cardio or strength training?
Cardio training is an aerobic workout that works intensely on the lungs and heart and the heart rate rises above 120 beats per minute. During it, fats are the main source of energy, they are oxidized by oxygen. Alas, these are not the fats we first think of when we want to lose weight. Initially, intramuscular fat is ingested and only the next step is subcutaneous and visceral. To achieve the result, you must therefore systematically perform cardio of medium intensity that lasts 40-60 minutes.
Strength training is anaerobic, where energy is produced without the participation of oxygen, which means that the body does not consume fat. Looks like you can end up there and choose cardio. But no. Thanks to strength training, the amount of muscle mass increases and as a result the basal metabolism. Calories are used more efficiently and the body no longer needs to "store" them for future use in the form of body fat.
For weight loss, strength and conditioning exercises should be alternated: for example, within a week or one session (combined training).
More base
From newcomers to a sports club, you may hear the phrase "I want to lose weight in my stomach" or "I just need to remove fat from my thighs. " Alas, the fat burning process does not work that way. By systematically pumping the press you will of course form a beautiful relief, but it will be safely hidden under a layer of adipose tissue.
Any isolated exercise that aims to train 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 with this.
Basic exercises are called exercises in which several muscle groups and more than one joint are involved at once: squats, deadlifts, lunges, gluteal bridge and others.
Let's look at an example. Let us imagine an average woman who weighs 65 kg, is afraid of heavy weights and loves to train on simulators. To "lose weight in the hips", she usually 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 barbell that weighs 40 kg and does 10 squats, she will already use 45 kcal.
In general, if we compare the calorie consumption of a workout that only includes isolation exercises and a workout that consists only of compound exercises, the latter uses 50-70% more energy and therefore is more effective.
Calculate the intensity of your training
The intensity of strength training can simply be 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 reps. The total number of repetitions is 168 per hour, this will be the intensity value. If you do 8 exercises in 2 sets at the same time, but 15 repetitions each, the indicator will increase to 240. Consequently, the second workout will be more intense.
Fat is burned most efficiently during long, medium-intensity workouts, which can be varied by changing the number of repetitions and the rest time between sets.
The intensity of cardio training is determined by the heart rate. The maximum number of strokes perminute 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 workouts
If for mass gain it is important that the muscles have time to recover after exercise, then in case of weight loss it is not necessary. Consequently, the number of workouts 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, the teaching will have a 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 exercise, but also about a healthy lifestyle:
- sleep for at least 8 hours, otherwise the tolerance to stress 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 that below).
Pay attention to 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, the fat burning suppression can reach 35%.
The basic principles of nutrition for weight loss:
- Eat 20% fewer calories than you use. Yes, you need to count calories and it is most convenient to do this 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 more strongly the need for the body to "store" energy is manifested. Conversely, if you eat often, there will be a smaller amount of drugs in stock.
- Be sure to replenish your 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 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 that are responsible for satiating food and water become confused and fail 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, otherwise chaotic snacks and excuses from the category "now there is no time to cook, tomorrow I start eating healthy food" are guaranteed for you.
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 satiety. Based on the results of the tests, it will become clear how to adjust the diet and whether it is necessary to link drug treatment.
Effective exercises for weight loss
Based on the principles described above, we have chosen the most effective exercises for weight loss, which provide a high overall load and require serious energy costs.
With cardio, everything is simple - you can run while keeping an average pace and keeping an eye on your heart rate. The disadvantage is that in this case the body will receive severe shock loads. Cardio equipment, such as a stepper or ellipsoid, allows you to reduce them while being no less effective. You can also replace running with dancing, cycling, step and water aerobics.
Finding suitable exercises for strength training is much more difficult. The replicated training programs rarely take into account that someone will train at home and do not have the necessary equipment: dumbbells, barbells, a training bench and even fitness rubber bands. But there are a number of exercises that can help you get started without preparation and equipment.
Without furniture:
- Bench push-ups.Instead of a bench, you can use a stool or a stable chair. We stand with our backs to the bench, we rest against it with our hands, slightly wider than our shoulders. We lay our legs on the floor, straight or bent. We start pushing up and making sure that the body moves vertically up and down, and does not recede forward or backward. The great advantage of this exercise is that it is easy to adapt to any training level. It's easiest to do push-ups on bent legs, but it's harder if you straighten them up and put them on a stand.
- Lying pelvic liftalias gluteal bridge. We lie on the floor, arms along the body, bending our legs at the knees. We begin to raise the pelvis, at the highest point we linger and strain our buttocks and go back down.
- Hip extension on all fours.The exercise is not completely basic, but it uses a lot of energy, it is good for them to complete the training to pump the buttocks. Stand on all fours, rest on elbows and knees. Lift the right leg up and try to get the knee (namely the knee, not the toe) to be raised as high as possible. We hold the leg at the highest point and gently lower it down and pull it to the chest. We repeat with the left foot.
With rubber band:
- Deadlift.One of the basic exercises that primarily loads the buttocks, lower back and thighs. We take a long ring, folded in the middle, 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 maintain a natural deflection, we do not bend. We straighten our backs and legs, and make sure that the gluteal muscles are mainly working, and lean back.
- Horizontal feature.We sit on the floor with straight legs. We cling to a long elastic at the feet and lean forward. We straighten our shoulders, strain our backs and lift our bodies straight while pulling on the tape with our hands. We dwell in this position and lower ourselves back. Exercise allows you to not only work on the relief, but also to stretch the muscles.
With weights (dumbbells, weights):
- Squats.We take dumbbells in our hands or put on weights. You can start with a weight of 1, 5 kg and gradually increase the load. We stand straight, legs slightly wider than shoulders. We start squatting and make 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 injure the knee joints. We squat until the thigh is parallel to the floor, 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 start squatting on one leg (you can, of course, do lunges, step forward, but there is virtually no difference in efficiency). We make sure that the body does not bend and the knee does not protrude beyond the toe. When we engage the thigh muscles, we get back up. We repeat with the other leg.
In general, an exercise program aimed at losing weight should be dominated by basic exercises and moderate intensity cardio at a moderate heart rate. To increase muscle tone, you can add high-intensity training with light weights.
As you can see, fitness is not just about building muscle or "losing weight in the summer", but about a healthy lifestyle, systematic exercise, proper nutrition and well-being. And if you build this system correctly, then the desired result, expressed as a number on the scale, will not leave you waiting.