Cardio or strength, a lot or a little, dangerous or not, but will I be like the athlete in that gym? Such a question pops into your head when you want to lose weight and don't know where to start. I want to be slim and fit, not loose, but also not overdo it with training. We share five universal weight loss rules for women and men that will help you calculate your weight correctly and stay in shape.
Combining Exercises
The question that needs to be answered first is what types of exercise should be included in a weight loss, cardio or strength program?
Cardio is an aerobic exercise that intensely trains the lungs and heart, and the heart rate increases above 120 beats per minute. On the way, fats are the main source of energy, they are oxidized by oxygen. Unfortunately, it's not fat that we first think of when we want to lose weight. Initially, intramuscular fat is consumed, and only the next stage is subcutaneous and visceral. Therefore, to get the results, you need to do cardio at moderate intensity systematically for 40-60 minutes.
Strength training is anaerobic, where energy is produced without the participation of oxygen, which means that the body does not consume fat. It seems you can end up there and opt for cardio. But not. Thanks to strength training, the volume of muscle mass increases and, as a result, 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 training and cardio should alternate: for example, in one week or in one session (combined training).
More basic
From newcomers to sports clubs, you can hear the expressions "I want to lose weight on my belly" or "I just need to get the fat off my thighs. " Unfortunately, the fat burning process doesn't work that way. 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 aimed at working a single muscle or muscle group does not require a lot 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 more than one joint are involved at once: squats, deadlifts, lunges, gluteal bridges and others.
Let's look at an example. Let's imagine an average woman weighing 65 kg, is afraid of heavy loads and loves to exercise in simulators. In order to "lose weight in the hips", he most often performs leg extensions on the simulator, 15 repetitions weighing 15 kg. At the same time, it consumes only 32 kcal of energy. However, taking a 40 kg barbell and doing 10 squats, he already spends 45 kcal.
In general, if we compare the caloric expenditure of exercises that include only isolation exercises and those that consist only of compound exercises, the latter uses 50-70% more energy, and are therefore more effective.
Calculate your workout 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, where 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 at the same time you do 8 exercises in 2 sets, but 15 repetitions each, the indicator will rise to 240. Thus, the second exercise will be more intense.
Fat is most effectively burned during long, moderate-intensity workouts, which can be varied by changing the number of repetitions and rest times between sets.
The intensity of the cardio exercise is determined by the pulse. The maximum number of beats per minute is calculated as "220 minus age. "So, for a thirty year old, the maximum heart rate during aerobic exercise is 190 beats per minute, and for effective fat burning, 60-85% of this figure is sufficient, i. e. 114-161.
Number of exercises
If for mass gain it is important that the muscles have time to recover after training, then in the case of weight loss this is not necessary. Thus, the number of exercises can be increased.
The degree of fat oxidation can be increased in just a month with regular exercise three times a week. If you practice less, then the class will have minimal effect. Fitness exercises should be done 4-5 times a week.
At the same time, it is important to observe the general regime, because fitness is not only about training, but also about a healthy lifestyle:
- sleep for at least 8 hours, otherwise stress tolerance is reduced and motivation is lost;
- observe a strict drinking regime to make up for the lack of water and maintain water-salt metabolism;
- 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 fat oxidation. For example, if you eat candy just before exercising, the fat burning suppression can be up to 35%.
The basic principles of nutrition for weight loss:
- Eat 20% fewer calories than you expend. Yes, you need to count calories, and it's easiest to do so in a meal planner app. Popular products are listed there (some even have certain brands and manufacturers) with the KBJU already calculated.
- Often eat in small portions. The longer we experience hunger, the stronger the body's need to "store" energy manifests. On the other hand, if you eat frequently, a small amount of the substance will enter your supply.
- Be sure to recharge after a workout - even a light snack is better than nothing.
- Reduce fat and carbohydrates in the diet, but increase protein. Most of them are in meat, eggs, low-fat cottage cheese.
Active physical activity, such as cleaning or walking, can help reduce cravings. It happens that the areas of the brain responsible for saturating food and water get confused and mistake thirst for 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, meal plans, messy snacks and excuses from the "no time to cook now, tomorrow I'll start eating healthy food" category are guaranteed to you.
If the recommendations do not help and the constant hunger does not subside after a week or two, you should consult a doctor. This condition may be caused by hypothyroidism, excess prolactin, or low sensitivity to leptin, the hormone responsible for feeling full. Based on the results of the tests, it will become clear how to regulate the diet and whether it is necessary to link drug therapy.
Effective exercise for weight loss
Based on the principles described above, we have selected the most effective exercises for weight loss, 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 watching your heart rate. The disadvantage is that in this case the body will receive a serious shock load. Cardio equipment, such as a stepper or an ellipsoid, allows you to reduce it, while being no less effective. You can also replace running with dancing, cycling, step, and water aerobics.
Finding adequate exercise for strength training is much more difficult. Replicated training programs rarely take into account that a person wants to exercise at home and does not have the necessary equipment: dumbbells, barbells, training benches and even fitness rubber bands. But there are a number of exercises that can get you started without any preparation and equipment.
No inventory:
- Bench push-ups.Instead of a bench, you can use a bench or a stable chair. We stand with our backs to the bench, we lean on it with our hands, slightly wider than our shoulders. We put our feet 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 deviate forward or backward. The big advantage of this exercise is that it is easy to adapt to any level of training. Push-ups are easiest to do with your legs bent, but more difficult if you straighten them and place them on a stand.
- Lying hip liftaka the gluteal bridge. We lie on the floor, arms along the body, bending our legs at the knees. We begin to lift the pelvis, at the highest point we linger and stretch the buttocks, and come back down.
- Hip extension on all fours.The exercises are not very basic, but use a lot of energy, it is worth completing the exercises to pump up the buttocks. Get on all fours, resting on your elbows and knees. Lift your right leg up, trying to keep your knee (that is, your knee, not your toes) as high as possible. We hold the legs at the highest point and gently lower them, pulling them to the chest. We repeat with the left leg.
With rubber band:
- Deadlift.One of the basic exercises that mainly load the buttocks, lower back, and upper thighs. We take a long ring ribbon, fold it in half, and step on it in the middle. We hold the loop at the end with our hands. The legs are slightly bent, in the lower back we maintain a natural deflection, we do not bend. We straighten the back and legs, making sure that the gluteal muscles work primarily, and lean back.
- Drag horizontally.We sit on the floor, legs straight. We hold on to the long rubber bands near our feet and lean forward. We straighten our shoulders, stretch our backs and raise a straight body, while pulling the tape with our hands. We linger in this position and lower ourselves. Exercise allows you to not only work on relief, but also stretch the muscles.
With load (dumbbell, load):
- squat.We take dumbbells in our hands or increase the load. You can start with a weight of 1. 5 kg and gradually increase the load. We stand straight, feet 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 thighs are parallel to the floor, 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 the left back and put it on the toes. We begin to squat on one leg (you can of course do lunges, step forward, but there is practically no difference in efficiency). We make sure that the body does not bend, and the knees do not protrude beyond the toes. Engaging the thigh muscles, we bounce back. We repeat with the other leg.
In general, a training program aimed at losing weight should be dominated by basic training and moderate-intensity cardio with a moderate heart rate. To increase muscle tone, you can add high-intensity exercise with light weights.
As you can see, fitness is not just about building muscle or "losing weight in the summer", but about a healthy lifestyle, systematic exercise, proper nutrition and well-being. And if you build this system right, then the desired result, expressed as a number on the scale, won't keep you waiting.