Anyone who wants to lose weight starts looking for a magical set of exercises to lose weight: how to burn more, exercise less and not give up the same old sweets and fast food.
It is important to understand that playing sports for weight loss is a competent combination of physical activity and proper nutrition. As some trainers say, all workouts start in the kitchen.
Today we will understand the intricacies of competent training, exercises and execution techniques, building a typical training week and adjusting the diet.
How to exercise to lose weight.
There is no universal set of exercises that suits everyone and guarantees weight loss in the shortest possible time. However, you can create your own plan structure, based on several key principles, and already in it choose those exercises that are most suitable, depending on the technical, physical and temporal capacities.
What is recommended to pay attention to if the goal of training is to lose weight:
- Combine strength and cardio exercises. You are not tasked with becoming a bodybuilder or a marathon runner, so you should not go to extremes. Find a happy medium by evenly distributing the load throughout the week.
- Alternate training sessions from different directions. Thus, you will have enough time to recover the involved muscles - you can train more often and more. For example, if your plan is to run on Monday, do arm strength on Tuesday and spin the bike on Wednesday.
- Don't exercise when you're tired. If you had a hard day at work, didn't get enough sleep, or had a long flight on a business trip, you don't have to go to an overnight workout at all costs. Despite the supercompensating effect that motivational videos promote (increasing the initial level of the body's capabilities after intense training), it will only work in the context of normal recovery, including nutrition and sleep.
- Adapt your diet to your workouts. You shouldn't train on an empty stomach, especially if you don't have the relevant experience, but you shouldn't go training immediately after breakfast either. The optimal time for classes is two to three hours after eating.
- The most effective for burning fat are those considered interval training, in which periods of intense load alternate with short periods of rest or low-intensity exercise. One option for interval training might be circuit training at the gym, alternating intense strength exercises with short cardio exercises, such as jogging or brisk walking.
- Don't expect immediate results. It is not necessary to weigh yourself every day and observe the deviations in grams, evaluating the progress. Untrained people typically take six to eight weeks to adjust to exercise, after which fitness level allows for adding high-intensity exercise and longer workouts that burn more calories and fat.
- For a beginner, 300 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise a week will suffice. These include: brisk walking, jogging, biking, swimming, strength and circuit training at the gym, jumping rope, outdoor exercise equipment, hill and trail walking. Distribute the load evenly throughout the days. That could be five one-hour workouts a week, or three one-hour sessions on weekdays and a long two-hour bike ride on the weekend.
A set of exercises for weight loss.
Take the average person who works a standard 5/2 schedule and has the opportunity to train only after work on weekdays as well as weekends.
Since sports performance plays second fiddle to weight loss, you shouldn't train both weekends. Give yourself a day for complete rest. Firstly, it is necessary to physically recover after a week of work, and secondly, it will allow you to take a mental break from the training process, which will now permeate the weekly agenda in pursuit of weight loss.
Examples of a training week:
| Weekday | Option 1 | option 2 | Option 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monday | Strength training in the gym. | Strength training in the gym. | light cardio training |
| Tuesday | light cardio training | outdoor training | Strength training in the gym. |
| Wednesday | Relaxation | Relaxation | circuit training |
| Thursday | Strength training in the gym. | light cardio training | Relaxation |
| Friday | circuit training | Strength training in the gym. | Strength training in the gym. |
| Saturday | prolonged cardio | Relaxation | prolonged cardio |
| Sunday | Relaxation | prolonged cardio | Relaxation |
Strength training in the gym.
Strength training, including resistance training, helps increase muscle tone, increase strength, and build muscle mass over time. Weights include dumbbells, barbells, kettlebells, expanders, and various simulators.
Strength training is important because it allows you to maintain muscle mass and strength while shedding excess fat. They have also been shown to increase bone density, which in turn reduces the likelihood of developing osteoporosis as you age.
Examples of effective exercises to burn fat in the gym:
mahi kettlebell
Kettlebell swings are fairly easy to learn and one of the most effective exercises for burning fat, as they simultaneously engage the muscles of the glutes, hips, abs, back, arms, and shoulders.
Technique:
Stand up straight with your feet slightly wider than shoulder-width apart and your knees slightly bent. Hold the weight with both hands between your legs. Lean back slightly, straightening your legs at the same time, and bring the kettlebell forward with your arms straight. The weight will do the reverse movement on its own. Your task is to slightly bend your knees and let them go like a pendulum backwards. Each rocking movement is from the legs to the arms.
Typical errors:
- Don't round your back, it should be straight.
- Don't try to lift the kettlebell. All swings are performed by inertia due to the movements of the legs.
- Don't bring the kettlebell too far forward. This will put more pressure on your shoulder joints and can lead to injury.
- Don't take too heavy a weight. The meaning of the exercise is to include a large number of muscles and technically correct execution, and not to lift significant weight.
dumbbell squats
Squats are a basic exercise for developing the legs. If bodyweight squats are easy for you, but you're afraid to jump into barbell training, start with an easy option: dumbbell squats. This exercise, in addition to the legs, involves the back, the abdominals and the arms.
Technique:
Stand up straight. Legs slightly wider than the shoulders. Take a dumbbell with both hands at one end and raise it to chest height. Begin to squat down until your thighs are parallel to the floor. Slowly rise to the starting position. The feet must be immobile.
Typical errors:
- Heels off the ground. If you start jumping up and down to get to the starting position, then you have picked up a dumbbell that is too heavy.
- Don't round your back. Stay straight both at the top and at the bottom.
Overhead press with dumbbells or kettlebells
This exercise can be performed both statically and dynamically, combining bench presses with squats, which will allow you to burn even more calories and fat. In the dynamic version, almost all major muscle groups are included: glutes, hips, back, abs, arms, shoulders.
Technique:
Stand up straight, feet slightly wider than shoulder width. Grab a dumbbell or kettlebell in each hand. Bend your elbows, the shells should be on your shoulders. Squat down until your thighs are parallel to the floor. Upon reaching the starting position at the top point, squeeze the dumbbells/kettlebells overhead. Return your hands to their original position.
Typical errors:
- Do not take too heavy shells. It is easy to get injured in dynamics, therefore, at the stage of getting used to and mastering the technique, it is better to work with the lightest dumbbells / kettlebells.
- Don't lift your heels off the floor, as this will compromise stability; you may lose your balance due to the extra weight on your hands.
- Do not squeeze the dumbbells/barbells after standing up. Use the momentum you establish with your feet from the bottom point. All movements are performed dynamically, as in an exercise with a kettlebell swing.
farmer's walk
The farmer's walk is a weighted walk. This exercise, due to the additional weight, increases the load on the legs, and also includes the shoulders, arms, back and abdominals.
First, take a pair of dumbbells or kettlebells with a total weight of 25-30% of your body weight and take 20-40 steps. If it's easy, you can add weights or make the exercise more difficult and do lunges.
Dumbbell bench press
The bench press actively engages your upper body: your pectoral muscles, shoulders, and arms.
Technique:
Take a dumbbell in each hand and lie down on a bench. Spread your legs a little wider than your shoulders and firmly press your heels into the floor. Tighten your abdominal and back muscles. Push the dumbbells up from your chest until your arms are straight. Slowly return them to their original position.
Typical errors:
- Do not relax your hands when lowering. This can lead to shoulder injury.
- Don't carry too heavy dumbbells, as this also increases the rate of injury. You should feel comfortable doing 8-12 reps per set.
circuit training
The great thing about circuit training is that you can include just about any exercise you can do at a moderate or fast pace.
The main points to consider when planning a training circuit:
- Alternative exercises for different muscle groups to relax your arms, legs, back and abs.
- The duration of the intensive interval should not exceed one minute, otherwise the exercise will turn into endurance work. It is important that you perform this interval at a fast or moderate pace (in the case of weight training).
- The duration of the low intensity interval (walking, jogging) or rest should not exceed 30 seconds.
- The total duration of the training should be 15 to 20 minutes.
Examples of exercises:
- Lizards;
- raising bent legs hanging on the horizontal bar;
- squats;
- basic dynamic exercises: climber, bicycle;
- stretching - jumping lunges with a change of legs;
- incline dumbbell row;
- oscillating weights;
- overhead dumbbell press;
- burpee;
- push-ups on the uneven bars;
- jumping on the box;
- jump the rope;
- Alternate plank leg raises.
Assemble a block of four to eight exercises in a circle. Each exercise is performed for 30-60 seconds with a 30 second break. Rest between circles: a minute or two, or do a short jog if you exercise outdoors or if the gym allows it. Complete three to five circuits until your total workout time approaches 15-20 minutes.
light cardio training
Light cardio is a low to medium intensity workout that lasts no more than an hour. For beginners, it's best to do no more than 30 minutes until you feel your cardiovascular system has adapted enough for you to train without holding your breath.
One of the markers of cardiovascular readiness is the speech test. If you can carry on a conversation while doing cardio, then the intensity of the load will allow you to train long enough.
Light cardio exercises include:
- jogging;
- pedal a bicycle or exercise bike;
- step-by-step classes;
- jump the rope;
- swimming;
- ski.
prolonged cardio
Long workouts differ from easy ones only in the time spent. Strive to maintain the same intensity that allows you to complete the speaking test.
To combine business with pleasure, join a running club for weekend runs, bike with friends in the backcountry, or take long hikes over hills and rough terrain.
Typical errors:
- Don't start too fast. You don't have to go all-in right away. Instead, start your run with a brisk walk and slowly transition to a run. When biking, don't immediately go up the mountain, but ride for 10-20 minutes on a smooth road at a leisurely pace.
- Do not train strictly on time. Focus on your own feelings. There is no need to strain if you are tired.
- Remember to drink water or isotonic drinks, especially in summer. During prolonged exercise, the body loses fluid through sweat, so these losses must be replenished.
exercise tips
- Any workout starts with a warm up and ends with a cool down. A warm-up is needed to warm up the muscles and reduce trauma, a hitch, to gently cool down and reduce blood circulation in the body.
- Don't train the same way two days in a row. Let your muscles rest.
- If you can't do a certain exercise, replace it with a similar one. Instead of running, you can walk on a stepper, instead of a dumbbell press, do push-ups from the floor, instead of pull-ups, do pull-ups on a block simulator. The same muscle group can be loaded with a lot of different exercises.
- Start with small weights and gradually increase the load. Linear progress is only in the beginning, then it will be more difficult for you to add weights, since the ligaments, tendons and muscles will take longer to adapt. Overzealousness and the desire to shake the bar more can lead to serious injury and forced downtime in training.
- If you feel that you are very tired, take a break for two to three days so that the body recovers. Regularly organize a download week, for example once a month, when the load is 50-75% of usual. In the download week, you can eliminate one or two workouts or simply reduce the time of each session between 15 and 30 minutes.
Diet tips for weight loss.
- Breakfast should be healthy and rich in slow carbohydrates: cereals, whole grains, bananas. Carbohydrates are not only fuel for working muscles (carbohydrates from food are stored in the muscles and liver as glycogen), but also a source of glucose for normal brain function.
- Don't look for a quick fix in modern low-carb and ketogenic diets (high-fat diets). Follow your doctor-recommended balance of protein (10-30%), fat (25-35%), and carbohydrates (45-65%) and adjust your diet according to how you feel.
- To lose weight, you need to be in a calorie deficit. This means that you should spend a little more than you consume. The consumption includes the average needs of the body for its normal functioning, as well as the calories spent in training. Consumption should be uniformly reduced in all components (proteins, fats and carbohydrates), and not at the expense of just one, as is usual, for example, in a low-carbohydrate diet.
- If you want to calculate everything accurately, then install an application on your phone in which you will enter all the food consumed during the day. Special applications have their own database, where certain calories and BJU balance are recorded for each product. Over time, you'll understand where you can cut extra calories without harming your body.
- Pre-workout nutrition should be sports: focus on foods that provide enough energy to exercise. Avoid "empty" calories from fast food and sugary drinks.
- Post-workout meals should include high-protein foods and slow carbohydrates to ensure muscle recovery and energy stores. For these purposes, suitable: cottage cheese and fruits, salad with chicken or cheese, sandwich with turkey and fresh vegetables, chicken breast with rice.
- Drink enough water. Losing weight through dehydration is not the best idea, especially when you're sweating profusely during your workout. At the same time, it is also not worth pouring two or three liters of water forcibly. The body itself will tell you when you need to replenish lost fluid.