Cardio or strength, more or less, dangerous or not, but will I be like that athlete in the gym? These kinds of questions arise when you want to lose weight and don't know where to start. I want to be slim and fit, not just relax, but also not overdo it with training. We share five universal weight loss rules for women and men that will help you calculate the load correctly and stay fit.
Combine Exercises
The question that needs to be answered first is what type of training should be included in a weight loss program, cardio or strength?
Cardio training is an aerobic workout that intensely works the lungs and heart, with a heart rate above 120 beats per minute. Meanwhile, fats are the main source of energy, they are oxidized by oxygen. Unfortunately, these are not the first fats that come to mind when we want to lose weight. Initially, intramuscular fats are consumed, and only the next stage is the subcutaneous and internal organs. Accordingly, to achieve the result, you need to systematically do 40-60 minutes of moderate-intensity cardio.
Strength training is anaerobic, during which energy is produced without the participation of oxygen, which means that the body does not consume fat. Looks like you can end there and opt for cardio. But no. Thanks to strength exercises, the volume of muscle mass increases and as a result, the basal metabolism increases. 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 and cardio exercises should be alternated: for example, within a week or in one session (combined training).
more base
You might hear the phrases "I want to lose weight on my belly" or "I just need to get fat off my hips" from beginners to a fitness club. Unfortunately, fat burning doesn't work that way. By systematically pumping the pressure, you, of course, will create a beautiful relief, but it will be reliably hidden under a layer of adipose tissue.
Any isolated exercise aimed at training a muscle or muscle group does not require large amounts of energy. And for effective fat burning, you need to spend more, and basic exercises will help in this.
Basic exercises are called exercises in which several muscle groups and multiple joints are involved at once: squats, deadlifts, lunges, gluteal bridge and others.
Let's look at an example. Let's consider an average woman weighing 65 kg, who is afraid of heavy weights and loves to work on simulators. To "lose weight in the hips", most often leg extensions on the simulator do 15 repetitions with a weight of 15 kg. It also consumes only 32 kcal of energy. However, taking a bar weighing 40 kg and performing 10 squats, he will already spend 45 kcal.
In general, if we compare the calorie 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 effective.
Calculate the intensity of your workout
The intensity of strength training can be simply calculated as the number of repetitions of an exercise per unit time.
For example, you do a 60-minute workout and during this time 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 you do 8 exercises in 2 sets at the same time, but do 15 repetitions each, the indicator will increase to 240. Accordingly, the second exercise will be more intense.
Fat is burned most effectively during moderate-intensity long workouts, which can be varied by varying the number of reps and rest time between sets.
The intensity of cardio training is determined by the heart rate. The maximum number of beats per minute is calculated as "220 minus age". So, at thirty, the maximum heart rate during aerobic exercise will be 190 beats per minute, and 60-85% of this figure is enough for effective fat burning, that is, 114-161.
Number of workouts
If it is important for mass gain that the muscles have time to recover after training, this is not necessary in the case of weight loss. Accordingly, the number of training can be increased.
The degree of fat oxidation can be increased with just one month of regular exercise three times a week. If you train less, classes will have minimal impact. It is optimal to do fitness 4-5 times a week.
At the same time, it is important to observe the general regimen, because fitness is not only 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 regimen to compensate for the lack of water and maintain the water-salt metabolism;
- maintain a small calorie deficit (more on that below).
watch out for food
Diet is an important factor in weight loss. A large amount of carbohydrates in the body inhibits fat oxidation. For example, if you eat dessert just before exercise, the suppression of fat burning can reach 35%.
The basic principles of nutrition for weight loss:
- Consume 20% fewer calories than you expend. Yes, you need to count calories and it's best to do it in meal planner apps. Popular products are listed here (some even have specific brands and manufacturers), KBJU is pre-calculated.
- Eat often in small portions. The longer we experience the feeling of hunger, the stronger the body's need to "storage" energy is manifested. Conversely, if you eat it often, fewer items go into stock.
- Be sure to replenish energy after your workout - even a light snack is better than nothing.
- Reduce fat and carbohydrates in the diet, but increase protein. It is found in most meats, eggs, low-fat cottage cheese.
Active physical activities such as cleaning or walking can help reduce snacking cravings. The areas of the brain responsible for satiating food and water get 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 of course, have a meal plan, otherwise chaotic snacks and excuses in the "no time to cook anymore, I'll start eating healthy tomorrow" category are guaranteed.
If the recommendations do not help, and after a week or two the constant feeling of hunger does not subside, 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 feeling full. Based on the results of the tests, it will become clear how to adjust the diet and whether it is necessary to adhere to drug therapy.
Effective exercises for weight loss
Based on the principles described above, we have selected the most effective exercises for weight loss that provide a high overall load and require serious energy costs.
With cardio, everything is simple - you can run while maintaining an average pace and monitoring your heart rate. The disadvantage is that in this case the body receives serious shock loads. Cardio equipment, such as a stepper or ellipsoid, allows you to reduce them, although no less effectively. You can also replace running with dancing, cycling, step and water aerobics.
Finding enough exercise 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, barbells, exercise bench or even sports rubber bands. But there are a number of exercises that can help you get started without preparation and equipment.
Without inventory:
- Bench push-ups.Instead of a bench, you can use a stool or a stable chair. We stand with our backs on the bench, leaning on the bench with our hands slightly wider than our shoulders. We put our legs straight or bent on the floor. We begin to push up and make sure that the body moves vertically up and down, not deviating forward or backward. The biggest advantage of this exercise is that it is easy to adapt to any training level. It is easiest to do push-ups on bent legs, but more difficult if you straighten them and put them on a stand.
- lying pelvic liftaka gluteal bridge. We lie on the floor, arms along the body, bend our legs at the knees. We begin to raise the pelvis, linger at the highest point and strain the hips and lower back.
- Hip extension on all fours.The exercise is not quite simple, but uses a lot of energy, it is good to complete the exercise to pump the buttocks. Get on all fours, rest on your elbows and knees. Lift your right leg up, trying to raise your knee (i. e. knee, not toe) as high as possible. We hold the leg at the highest point and slowly lower it, pulling it to the chest. We repeat with the left foot.
With rubber bands:
- Lifting.It is one of the basic exercises that predominantly loads the hips, lower back and upper thighs. We take a long loop of tape, fold it in half and press the middle. We hold the loops by the ends with our hands. The legs are slightly bent, we maintain a natural deviation in the lower back, we do not slouch. We straighten the back and legs, mainly make sure that the gluteal muscles are working and lean back.
- Horizontal pull.We sit on the floor, legs straight. We hold on to a rubber band long from the feet and lean forward. Pulling the tape with our hands, we straighten our shoulders, stretch our back and raise the body straight. We linger in this position and withdraw ourselves. Exercise allows you not only to work on relaxation, but also to stretch the muscles.
With weights (dumbbells, weights):
- Spat.We take dumbbells or put weights in our hands. You can start with a weight of 1. 5 kg and gradually increase the load. We stand straight, legs slightly wider than shoulders. We begin to squat 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 and then return to the starting position. The lower you squat, the more your glutes work.
- Lungs.We take dumbbells in our hands, stand on the right foot and take our left back and put it on the toe. We begin to squat on one leg (of course, you can do lunges by stepping forward, but there is practically no difference in efficiency). We make sure that the body does not bend and the knee does not go beyond the toe. We come back by engaging the thigh muscles. We repeat with the other leg.
In general, a training program aimed at losing weight should be dominated by basic exercises at a moderate heart rate and moderate-intensity cardio. You can add high-intensity exercises with light weights to increase muscle tone.
As you can see, fitness is not only about building muscle or "losing weight in the summer", but also about a healthy lifestyle, systematic exercise, proper nutrition and well-being. And if you install this system correctly, the enviable result, expressed as a number on the scales, will not keep you waiting.