Cardio or strength, a lot or a little, is dangerous or not, but am I going to be like an athlete at the gym? Questions like these 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 to get away with it, but also to not overdo it with exercise. We share five universal weight loss rules for women and men that will help you calculate the load correctly and maintain your body shape.
Combine Exercises
The question that needs to be answered first of all is what type of training should be included in a weight loss, cardio or strength program?
Cardio training is an aerobic exercise that trains the lungs and heart vigorously, and the heart rate increases above 120 beats per minute. In its course, fat is the main source of energy, it is oxidized by oxygen. Alas, these are not the fats that we first think of when we want to lose weight. Initially, intramuscular fat is used, and only the next stage is subcutaneous and visceral. Accordingly, to get results, you need to do moderate intensity cardio 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 take in fat. It seems like you can end up there and opt for cardio. But no. Thanks to strength training, total muscle mass increases and, as a result, 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 training and cardio should alternate: for example, within a week or one session (combination training).
More basic
From newcomers to sports clubs, you may hear the phrases "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 doesn’t work that way. By pumping the press systematically, you will, of course, form a beautiful relief, but it will be safely hidden under a layer of adipose tissue.
Any isolated exercise intended to train one muscle or group of muscles does not require a large amount of energy. And for effective fat burning, you need to spend more, and basic training will help with this.
Basic exercises are called exercises where several muscle groups and more than one joint are involved simultaneously: squats, deadlifts, lunges, gluteal bridge and others.
Let's look at an example. Let's imagine an ordinary woman who weighs 65 kg, is afraid of weight and loves to work out with a simulator. To "lose weight on the hips", he most often does leg extensions in the simulator, 15 repetitions with a weight of 15 kg. At the same time, it uses only 32 kcal of energy. However, taking a barbell weighing 40 kg and doing 10 squats, he will already spend 45 kcal.
In general, if we compare the caloric expenditure of exercise that includes only isolation exercises and exercises that only consist of compound exercises, the latter uses 50-70% more energy, and therefore it is more effective.
Calculate your exercise intensity
Strength training intensity can be calculated briefly as the number of training repetitions 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 increase to 240. Therefore, the second exercise will be more intense.
Fat is most effectively burned on medium -intensity long workouts, which can be changed by changing the number of repetitions and rest times 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 children in their thirties, the maximum heart rate during aerobic exercise is 190 beats per minute, and for effective fat burning, 60-85% of this figure is alreadyenough, namely 114-161.
Number of exercises
If for massive gains it is important that the muscles have time to recover after exercise, then in the case of weight loss this is not necessary. Accordingly, the number of exercises can be increased.
Fat oxidation levels can be increased in just a month of regular exercise three times a week. If you practice less, then the class 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 regime, because fitness is not only about exercise, but also about a healthy lifestyle:
- sleep for at least 8 hours, otherwise tolerance to stress decreases and motivation is lost;
- adhere to a strict drinking regime to compensate for water deficiency 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 the oxidation of fats. For example, if you eat sweets before exercising, fat burning suppression can reach 35%.
Basic principles of nutrition for weight loss:
- Eat 20% fewer calories than you spend. Yes, you need to count calories, and it’s easiest to do this in a meal planner app. Popular products are listed there (some even have specific brands and manufacturers) with KBJU already counted.
- Eat always in small portions. The longer we experience hunger, the stronger the body’s need to "store" energy is shown. On the other hand, if you eat regularly, smaller amounts of ingredients will go into stock.
- Make sure you replenish energy after a workout - even a light snack is better than none.
- Reduce fats and carbohydrates in the diet, but increase protein. Most are in meat, eggs, low -fat cottage cheese.
Active physical activity, such as cleaning or walking, can help reduce the urge for snacks. It happens that the areas of the brain responsible for satiating food and water become confused and mistakenly feel thirsty 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, food planning, otherwise, chaotic snacks and excuses from the category of "now there is no time to cook, tomorrow I will start eating healthy food" are guaranteed to you.
If the recommendations do not help and the persistent hunger does not subside after a week or two, you should see a doctor. This condition may be caused by hypothyroidism, excess prolactin, or the body’s low sensitivity to leptin, the hormone responsible for feeling full. Based on the test results, it will be clear how to adjust the diet and whether it is necessary to continue 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 easy - you can run while maintaining an average rhythm and watching your heartbeat. The disadvantage is that in this case the body will receive a serious shock load. Cardio equipment, such as a stepper or ellipsoid, allows you to reduce it, while not being less effective. You can also replace running with dancing, cycling, step and aqua aerobics.
Finding adequate training for strength training is more difficult. Replicated training programs rarely take into account that a person wants to work out at home and does not have the necessary equipment: dumbbells, barbells, exercise benches, and even fitness rubber bands. But there are some exercises that can help you get started without preparation and equipment.
No inventory:
- Press down on the bench.Instead of a bench, you can use a bench or a stable chair. We stood with our backs to the bench, we rested with our hands, a little wider than our shoulders. We put our feet on the floor, straight or bent. We start pushing and making sure the body moves vertically up and down, and doesn’t deviate forward or backward. The big advantage of this training is that it is easy to adapt to any level of training. It is easiest to do push -ups on a bent leg, but more difficult if you straighten it and place it on a stand.
- Lift pelvis lying downaka the gluteal bridge. We lay on the floor, arms along the body, bent our legs at the knees. We begin to raise the pelvis, at the highest point we linger and tense the buttocks, and descend to the back.
- Hip extension on all crawls. The exercise is not very basic, but it uses a lot of energy, it is good that they complete the butt pumping exercise. Stand on all fours, resting on your elbows and knees. Lift the right leg up, trying to get the knee (i. e. the knee, not the toe) to be raised as high as possible. We hold the leg at the highest point and slowly lower it down, pulling it to the chest. We repeat with the left foot.
With rubber band:
- Deadlift.One of the basic exercises that loads mainly the buttocks, lower back and upper thighs. We took a long ring tape, folded it in half, and stepped in the middle. We hold the loop at the end with our hands. The legs are slightly bent, at the lower back we maintain a natural deflection, we do not bend. We straighten the back and legs, make sure that the gluteal muscles are functioning primarily, and lean backwards.
- Horizontal pull.We sat on the floor, legs straight. We clung to the long rubber bands on our legs and leaned forward. We straightened our shoulders, strained our backs and lifted the body straight, while pulling the tape with our hands. We linger in this position and humble ourselves. Exercise allows you not only to work on relief, but also to stretch muscles.
With weights (dumbells, weights):
- Squatting.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 stood upright, feet slightly wider than shoulders. We start squatting and make sure the back is straight (maybe to lean forward, but no more than 45 degrees), and the knees don’t protrude beyond the stockings - otherwise it’s very easy to injure the knee joint. We squat until the thighs are parallel to the floor, and then return to the starting position. The lower you squat, the more your glutes work.
- Lunges.We took a dumbbell in our hand, stood on the right foot, and took the left back and placed it on the toes. We started squatting on one leg (you could, of course, do lunges, step forward, but there was no difference in efficiency). We make sure that the body is not bent, and the knees do not protrude beyond the toes. Involving the thigh muscles, we bounced back. We repeat with the other leg.
In general, exercise programs aimed at weight loss should be dominated by basic training and moderate -intensity cardio at a moderate heart rate. To improve 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 by summer", but about a healthy lifestyle, systematic exercise, proper nutrition and well -being. And if you build this system correctly, then the coveted result, expressed as a number on a scale, will not keep you waiting.