Cardio or strength, high or low, dangerous or not, but will I become such a joke in the gym? Such questions come to mind when you want to lose weight and don't know where to start. I want to be lean and fit, not slack off, but also not overdoing my workouts. We share five universal slimming rules for women and men, which will help you correctly calculate the load and keep in shape.
Combine exercises
The first question to answer is, what kind of training should be included in a weight loss program, cardio or strength?
Cardio training is aerobic training that works the lungs and heart intensively, and the heart rate rises above 120 beats per minute. During it, fats are the main source of energy, they are oxidized by oxygen. Unfortunately, it's not the fat we think of first when we want to lose weight. At first, intramuscular fat is used, and only the next stage is subcutaneous and visceral. Accordingly, in order to get the result, you need to systematically perform moderate-intensity cardio exercises lasting 40-60 minutes.
Strength training is anaerobic, where energy is produced in the absence of oxygen, meaning the body does not use fat. It would seem that you can end there and choose cardio. But no. Strength training increases the volume of muscle mass and, as a result, the basal metabolism. Calories are spent more efficiently, and the body no longer needs to "store" them for future use in the form of body fat.
To lose weight, strength and cardio exercises should be alternated: for example, in one week or in one session (combined training).
More base
You may hear the phrase "I want to lose belly fat" or "I just need to get rid of thigh fat" from gym newbies. Unfortunately, the fat burning process doesn't work like that. 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 designed to train a single muscle or muscle group does not require a lot of energy. And to burn fat effectively, you need to spend more, and basic exercises will help.
Basic exercises are exercises that involve several muscle groups and more than one joint at the same time: squats, deadlifts, lunges, buttock bridge, etc.
Let's look at an example. Let's imagine an average woman who weighs 65 kg, is afraid of heavy weights and likes to work out on the treadmill. In order to "lose weight in the hips", she usually does leg extensions in the gym, 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, she will already spend 45 kcal.
In general, if we compare the caloric expenditure of a workout consisting of only isolation exercises and a workout consisting of only compound exercises, the latter uses 50-70% more energy and is therefore more efficient.
Calculate the intensity of your workout
Strength training intensity can be simply calculated as the number of repetitions of an exercise per unit of time.
For example, you train for 60 minutes, during which you perform 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 you perform 8 exercises in 2 sets at the same time, but after 15 repetitions, the indicator will rise to 240. Accordingly, the second training will be more intense.
Fat is most efficiently burned during long, moderate-intensity workouts, which can be varied by varying the number of repetitions and rest time between sets.
Heart rate determines the intensity of cardio. The maximum number of beats per minute is calculated as "220 minus the age". Thus, 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 in order to gain weight 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 a month with regular exercise three times a week. If you train less, the sessions will have a minimal effect. It is best to exercise 4-5 times a week.
At the same time, it is important to follow a general regimen, because fitness is not only exercises, but also a healthy lifestyle:
- sleep at least 8 hours, otherwise stress tolerance decreases and motivation is lost;
- adhere to a strict drinking regimen to compensate for the lack of water and maintain water-salt metabolism;
- maintain a small caloric deficit (more on that below).
Pay attention to food
Diet is an important factor in weight loss. A high amount of carbohydrates in the body inhibits fat oxidation. For example, if you eat sweets right before a workout, the inhibition of fat burning can reach 35%.
Basic principles of nutrition for weight loss:
- Consume 20% fewer calories than you expend. Yes, you need to count calories, which is most convenient to do in meal planning apps. It lists popular products (some even have specific brands and manufacturers) with an already calculated KBJU.
- Eat often in small portions. The longer we feel the feeling of hunger, the stronger the body's need to "store" energy manifests itself. Conversely, if you eat often, a smaller amount of substances will enter the reserves.
- Be sure to refuel after your workout – even a light snack is better than nothing.
- Reduce the amount of fat and carbohydrates in your diet, but increase the amount of protein. Most of them are found in meat, eggs, low-fat cottage cheese.
Active physical activity, such as cleaning or walking, can help reduce the urge to snack. It happens that the areas of the brain responsible for the saturation of food and water become confused and confuse 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, of course, plan your meals, otherwise chaotic snacks and excuses from the category "now there's no time to cook, tomorrow I'll 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 caused by hypothyroidism, excess prolactin, or low sensitivity of the body to leptin, the hormone responsible for satiety. Based on the results of the research, 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 have selected the most effective weight loss exercises that provide a high total load and require high energy expenditure.
With cardio, everything is simple - you can run at a moderate pace and monitor your heart rate. The disadvantage is that in this case the body will experience serious shock loads. Cardio equipment, such as a stepper or an ellipsoid, allows you to reduce them, while being no less effective. You can also replace running with dancing, cycling, step and water aerobics.
Finding the right exercises for strength training is much more difficult. Repetitive training programs rarely take into account the fact that someone wants to exercise at home and does not have the necessary equipment: dumbbells, barbells, an exercise bench and even fitness bands. However, 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 stable chair. We stand with our backs to the bench, lean on it with our hands slightly wider than our shoulders. We put our legs on the floor, straight or bent. We begin to push up and make sure that the body moves vertically up and down, and not deviated forward or backward. The great thing about this exercise is that it's easy to adapt to any training level. It is easiest to do push-ups with your legs bent, but it is more difficult when you straighten them and put them on a stand.
- Lifting the pelvis while lying downalso known as the buttock bridge. We lie down on the floor, arms along the body, legs bent at the knees. We begin to raise the pelvis, at the highest point we stretch and tighten the buttocks, and lower back.
- Hip extension on all fours. The exercise is not at all elementary, but it uses a lot of energy, it is useful for them to finish the buttock pumping workout. Stand on all fours, supporting yourself on your elbows and knees. Lift your right leg up, trying to keep the knee (ie the knee, not the toe) as high as possible. We hold the leg at the highest point and gently lower it down, pulling it to the chest. We repeat with the left leg.
With rubber bands:
- Deadlift.One of the main exercises that loads mainly the buttocks, lower back and upper thigh. We take a long circular strip, folded in half, and climb on it in the middle. We hold the loops at the ends with our hands. The legs are slightly bent, we maintain a natural curve in the lower back, we do not slouch. We stretch our back and legs, trying to work mainly the gluteal muscles, and lean back.
- Horizontal pull.We sit on the floor, legs straight. We grab a long rubber band behind our feet and bend forward. We straighten our shoulders, tense our back and lift our body straight, pulling the band with our hands. We stay in this position and descend back. Exercises allow you not only to work with the terrain, 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 to squat and make sure that the back is straight (you can bend forward, but at an angle of no 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 thighs are parallel to the floor, and then we return to the starting position. The lower you squat, the more your glutes work.
- Lungs.We take the dumbbells in our hands, stand on the right leg, and take the left one back and put it on the toe. We begin to squat on one leg (of course, you can do lunges while stepping forward, but the effectiveness is practically the same). We watch that the body does not bend, and the knee does not protrude beyond the toe. Having engaged the muscles of the thighs, we rise back. We repeat with the other leg.
In general, a training program for weight loss should consist of core exercises and moderate intensity cardio at an average heart rate. You can add high-intensity training with light weights to increase muscle tone.
As you can see, fitness is not only about building muscles or "losing weight until summer", but also about a healthy lifestyle, systematic exercise, proper nutrition and good well-being. And if you create this system correctly, the desired result, expressed in the number on the scale, will not make you wait.