Cardio or strength, a lot or a little, dangerous or not, but will I become like that athlete in the gym? Such questions arise in your head when you want to lose weight and don't know where to start. I want to be slim and fit, not detach, but also not overdo the training. We share five universal weight loss rules for women and men that will help you correctly calculate the load and keep fit.
Combine exercises
The question that needs to be answered first is: what types of training should be included in the weight loss, cardio or strength program?
Cardio training is an aerobic workout that works the lungs and heart intensely and the heart rate exceeds 120 beats per minute. In the course of it, fats are the main source of energy, they are oxidized by oxygen. Unfortunately, these are not the fats we first think of when we want to lose weight. Intramuscular fats are initially consumed, and only the next stage is subcutaneous and visceral. Consequently, to achieve the result, it is necessary to systematically do medium intensity cardio lasting 40-60 minutes.
Strength training is anaerobic, during which energy is produced without the participation of oxygen, which means that the body does not consume fat. It would seem that you can end up here and opt for cardio. Hand. Thanks to strength exercises, the volume of muscle mass increases and, consequently, the basal metabolic rate. Calories are consumed more efficiently and the body no longer needs to "store" them for future use in the form of body fat.
For weight loss it is advisable to alternate strength and cardio exercises: for example within a week or a session (combined training).
More basic
From newcomers to a sports club, you can hear the phrase "I want to lose weight in my stomach" or "I just need to remove the fat from my thighs". Unfortunately, the fat burning process doesn't work that way. By systematically pumping the press, of course, you will form a beautiful relief, but it will be securely hidden under a layer of fatty tissue.
Any isolated exercise aimed at training a muscle or muscle group does not require a large amount of energy. And in order to burn fat effectively, you need to spend more, and basic exercises will help you with this.
The basic exercises are called exercises in which multiple muscle groups and more than one joint are involved at the same time: squats, deadlifts, lunges, glute bridges and others.
Let's take a 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 in the hips", she performs leg extensions in the simulator more often, 15 repetitions with a weight of 15 kg. At the same time, she consumes only 32 kcal of energy. However, by taking a 40 kg barbell and doing 10 squats, she will already expend 45 kcal.
In general, if we compare the caloric expenditure of a workout that includes only isolation exercises and a workout that consists only of compound exercises, the latter consumes 50-70% more energy, and therefore is more effective.
Calculate the intensity of your workout
Strength training intensity can be calculated simply 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 at the same time you perform 8 exercises in 2 sets, but 15 repetitions each, the indicator will rise to 240. As a result, the second workout will be more intense.
Fat is burned most effectively 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 pulse. The maximum number of beats per minute is calculated as "220 minus age". So, for a 30-year-old, the maximum heart rate during aerobic exercise will be 190 beats per minute, and 60-85% of this figure, or 114-161, is enough for effective fat burning.
Number of workouts
While it is important for mass gaining that the muscles have time to recover after training, in the case of weight loss this is not necessary. As a result, the number of workouts can be increased.
The degree of fat oxidation can be increased in one month of regular exercise three times a week. If you train less, the classes will have little effect. It is optimal to do fitness 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;
- observe a strict consumption regime to make up for the lack of water and maintain the metabolism of water salt;
- 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 the oxidation of fats. 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 consume. Yes, you have to count calories and it's more convenient to do so in meal planning apps. Popular products are listed there (some even have specific brands and manufacturers) with KBJU already calculated.
- Eat in small portions often. The longer we experience a feeling of hunger, the stronger the need arises for the body to "store" energy. Conversely, if you eat often, fewer substances will go into storage.
- Make sure you replenish energy after a workout - even a light snack is better than nothing.
- Reduce dietary fats and carbohydrates, 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 desire 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 "now no time to cook, tomorrow I'll start eating healthy food" category are guaranteed.
If the recommendations do not help and the constant feeling of hunger does not subside after a week or two, you should see 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 the feeling of 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 therapy.
Effective exercises for weight loss
Based on the principles described above, we have chosen the most effective weight loss exercises, which provide a high overall load and require serious energy costs.
With cardio, everything is simple: you can run while maintaining an average pace and observing your heart rate. The disadvantage is that in this case the body will receive serious shock loads. Cardio equipment, such as a stepper or ellipsoid, allows you to reduce them, while still being no less effective. You can also replace running with dance, cycling, step and water aerobics.
Finding suitable strength training exercises is much more difficult. Replicated training programs rarely take into account the fact that someone wants to train at home and doesn't have the necessary equipment: dumbbells, barbells, a training bench, and even fitness bands. But there are a number of exercises that can help you get started without preparation and 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, we lean against it with our hands, slightly wider than the 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 does not swing forward or backward. The great advantage of this exercise is that it easily adapts to any level of training. It is easier to do push-ups on bent legs, but it is more difficult if you straighten them and put them on a support.
- Lying pelvic liftalso called glute bridge. We lie on the floor, arms along the body, bend the legs at the knees. We begin to raise the pelvis, at the highest point we linger and stretch the buttocks and go back down.
- Four-legged hip extension.Exercise is not quite basic, but it consumes a lot of energy, it is good that they complete the workout to pump up the glutes. Get on all fours, rest on your elbows and knees. Raise your right leg, trying to raise the knee (i. e. the knee, not the toe) as high as possible. We hold the leg at the highest point and gently lower it, pulling it towards the chest. We repeat with the left foot.
With rubber bands:
- Deadlift.One of the basic exercises that mainly loads the buttocks, lower back and upper thigh. We take a long loop tape, folded in half, and step on it in the middle. We hold the rings at the ends with our hands. The legs are slightly bent, in the lower back we maintain a natural deflection, we do not heal. We straighten the back and legs, making sure that the gluteal muscles work mainly, and we recline backwards.
- Horizontal shot.We sit on the ground, legs straight. We cling to a long elastic for the feet and bend forward. We straighten the shoulders, strain the back and lift the body straight, pulling the tape with our hands. We remain in this position and lower ourselves. Exercise allows you not only to work on relief, but also to stretch the muscles.
With weights (dumbbells, weights):
- Squat.We take dumbbells in our hands or wear 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 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, then we return to the starting position. The lower you squat, the more your glutes work.
- Lunges.We take the dumbbells in our hands, stand on the right foot and take the left back and put it on the toe. We begin to squat on one leg (you can, of course, do lunges, advancing, but there is practically no difference in efficiency). We make sure that the body does not bend and that the knee does not protrude beyond the toe. By engaging the thigh muscles, we rise backwards. We repeat with the other leg.
In general, a weight loss training program should be dominated by core and cardio exercises of moderate intensity to moderate heart rate. To increase muscle tone, you can add high intensity workouts with light weights.
As you can see, fitness is not just about building muscle or "losing weight by summer", but also about a healthy lifestyle, systematic exercise, proper nutrition and well-being. And if you build this system correctly, the coveted result, expressed as a number on the scale, won't keep you waiting.