Cardio or strength, more or less, dangerous or not, but will I become that joke 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 in shape, not to let go, but also not to 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 in shape.
Combine exercises
The first question to answer is what types of exercise should be included in a weight loss program, cardio or strength?
Cardio is an aerobic workout that works the lungs and heart, and gets the heart rate above 120 beats per minute. In its course, fat is the main source of energy, it is oxidized by oxygen. Unfortunately, it's not the fat we think of first when we want to lose weight. Initially, intramuscular fat is consumed, and only the next stage is subcutaneous and visceral. Accordingly, to get the result, you should systematically perform moderate intensity cardio exercises 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. Looks like you can stop that and go for cardio. But no. Thanks to strength exercises, the amount of muscle mass increases and, therefore, the basal metabolism. Calories are spent more efficiently, and the body no longer has to "store" them for future use in the form of body fat.
For weight loss, strength and cardio exercises should be alternated: for example, during one week or one session (combined training).
More base
Newcomers to the gym may hear the phrase "I want to lose weight in my stomach" or "I just need to get rid of fat from my thighs. "Unfortunately, the fat burning process does not work like that. By systematically pumping the press, you will, of course, create a beautiful relief, but it will be safely hidden under a layer of adipose tissue.
Any isolated exercise that targets a single 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.
Basic exercises are called exercises that involve several muscle groups and more than one joint at the same time: squats, deadlifts, lunges, butt bridges, and others.
Let's 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. In order to "lose weight in the hips", she most often performs leg extensions on the simulator, 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 that includes only isolation exercises and a workout that consists only of compound exercises, the latter uses 50-70% more energy and is therefore more efficient.
Calculate the training intensity
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 at the same time you perform 8 exercises in 2 sets, but each with 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 that can be modified by varying the number of repetitions 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, for a thirty-year-old person, the maximum heart rate during aerobic exercise will be 190 beats per minute, and 60-85% of this number, that is, 114-161, is enough for effective fat burning.
Number of training sessions
If it is important for mass gain that the muscles have time to recover after training, then it is not necessary for weight loss. Accordingly, the number of training sessions can be increased.
The degree of fat oxidation can be increased in just a month of regular physical activity three times a week. If you train less, the lessons will have a minimal effect. It is optimal to do fitness 4-5 times a week.
At the same time, it is important to follow the general regime, because fitness is not only exercises, but also a healthy lifestyle:
- sleep for at least 8 hours, otherwise tolerance to stress decreases and motivation disappears;
- follow a strict drinking regimen to compensate for the lack of water and maintain water-salt metabolism;
- maintain a slight calorie deficit (more on that below).
Pay attention to the 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 sweets right before a workout, the suppression of fat burning can reach 35%.
Basic principles of nutrition for weight loss:
- Eat 20% fewer calories than you consume. Yes, you need to count calories, and the easiest way to do that is with meal planner apps. Popular products are listed there (some even have specific brands and manufacturers) and the KBJU is already calculated.
- 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 frequently, fewer substances will enter the stores.
- 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 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 get 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 "I don't have time to cook now, I'll start eating healthy tomorrow" category are guaranteed to you.
If the recommendations do not help and the feeling of constant hunger does not subside after a week or two, you should consult a doctor. This condition can be caused by hypothyroidism, excess prolactin, or the body's low sensitivity to leptin, the hormone responsible for satiety. Based on the test results, 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 exercises for weight loss, which provide a high total load and require serious energy expenditure.
With cardio, everything is simple - you can run, maintaining an average pace and watching your pulse. The disadvantage is that in this case the body will receive serious shock loads. Cardio equipment, such as a stepper or elliptical, allows you to reduce them, while being no less effective. Running can also be replaced by dancing, cycling, step and water aerobics.
Finding suitable exercises for strength training is much more difficult. Repetitive training programs rarely take into account the fact that someone wants to work out at home and does not have the necessary equipment: dumbbells, barbells, an exercise bench and even fitness bands. But there are several exercises that can help you get started without any preparation or equipment.
Without inventory:
- Bench press.Instead of a bench, you can use a stool or a sturdy chair. We stand with our backs to the bench, we rest against it with our hands slightly wider than our shoulders. We put our legs on the floor, straight or bent. We begin to move up and make sure that the body moves vertically up and down and does not move forward or backward. The great advantage of this exercise is that it is easy to adapt to any level of training. It is easiest to do push-ups on bent legs, but it is more difficult if they are straightened and placed on a stand.
- Lying pelvic liftaka sitting bridge. We lie down on the floor, hands along the body, bend our legs at the knees. We begin to raise the pelvis, linger at the highest point and tighten the buttocks and lower back.
- Hip extension on all fours.The exercise is not quite elementary, but consumes a lot of energy, it is good for them to finish the workout for pumping the buttocks. Get on all fours, resting on your elbows and knees. Lift your right leg up, trying to get the knee (that is, 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 rubbers:
- Deadlift.One of the basic exercises that stresses mainly the buttocks, lower back and thighs. We take a long ring tape folded in half 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 curve, do not bend. We straighten the back and legs, making sure that mainly the gluteal muscles work, and lean back.
- Horizontal drag.Sit on the floor, legs straight. We cling to a long rubber at the feet and lean forward. Straighten your shoulders, tense your back and lift your body straight, while pulling the tape with your hands. We linger in this position and descend back. Exercise allows you to not only work on the terrain, but also stretch the muscles.
With weights (dumbbells, weights):
- Sit ups.We take dumbbells in our hands or put weights on them. 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 (it is possible to lean 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 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 leg, and take the left one back and put it on the toe. We start squatting on one leg (you can, of course, perform 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. Engaging the thigh muscles, we rise back up. We repeat with the other leg.
In general, a training program aimed at losing weight should be dominated by core exercises and moderate-intensity cardio at a moderate heart rate. You can add high-intensity training with light weights to increase muscle tone.
As you can see, fitness is not only building muscles or "slimming until summer", but also a healthy lifestyle, systematic physical activity, proper nutrition and well-being. And if you create this system correctly, then the desired result, expressed as a number on the scales, will not make you wait.