Losing Weight by Exercising
You have probably heard the saying that abs are made in the kitchen and that your nutrition has a greater impact on your goals than anything else, even more than sweating a great session at the gym.
However, exercising and staying physically active is also a crucial part of the equation and if you ever wondered what’s the best way to use it in favor of your weight losing goals read on to see what research says about using exercise to lose weight and get in the best shape of your life.
LOSING FAT AND NOT BODYWEIGHT
The first thing you should know is that your main goal should not be to lose weight rather to focus on losing body fat, that is focusing on improving your body composition instead of just seeing the numbers on the scale go down. And exercise can definitely help you set that focus and make sure you’re losing fat while maintaining your lean mass and even building some extra muscle. All of these might not be reflected on the scale when you weigh yourself but will definitely be noticeable in your body composition, the clothes you wear and how you feel.
Your training plan then should focus on this change of body composition and should help you: maintain muscle mass, burn a lot of calories to help you shed off the fat, improve your posture and strength and should be simple and easy to follow to make it enjoyable and sustainable.
Keeping this in mind a perfect weight loss training regime would entail some form of strength training against resistance (weightlifting, calisthenics, etc.) and a moderate amount of cardio.
HOW EXERCISE HELPS YOU BURN FAT
When it comes to maximizing your fat loss and body recomposition, strength training is the best way to go as it has a bunch of benefits that will align with your goals:
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Strength training with heavy compound movements in a progressive manner will help you maintain and build more muscle mass which is more metabolically demanding so it burns more calories, basically just having more muscle mass makes you burn more fat during the day. If you’re not sure what to do in the gym or how to start training check our amazing articles here.
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If you are lifting heavy and using all the muscles in your body, you burn a lot more calories and maintain a high metabolic rate post exercise which helps you keep burning fat the next couple of days after a training session.
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If you combine your training with good nutrition and a caloric deficit you’ll be able to shed fat while maintaining lean mass. So you can also consider hiring a meal prep service to make it easier for you to get those goals.
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In addition to strength training you can do a moderate amount of cardio which will help you burn even more calories and also increase your cardiorespiratory capacity and health.
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By getting stronger and improving your heart and lungs health you’ll feel better and feel more motivated to move more and exercise more.
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Cardio is a very efficient way to burn more calories to make sure you stay on the intended caloric deficit than just weightlifting. To burn the 700 calories that one hour of moderate cycling can burn you would need to do about 28 sets of heavy weightlifting which can take over 2 hours to complete.
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If you do some form of interval training at a high intensity you can be more time efficient and burn more calories with shorter workouts, the post exercise increased metabolic rate is also greater with HIIT. However this type of training is more demanding and can’t be performed as often.
So as mentioned before a good combination of strength training and different types of cardio is the way to go, always looking at what is enjoyable and sustainable for your unique situation, preferences and schedule.
HOW TO DO IT RIGHT
It should be clear by now that the best training program for fat loss is not necessarily the one that leaves you sweating on the floor every time or that makes you the more sore the next day. It should be instead enjoyable to you and more importantly sustainable, as that is the key to make it work in your favor. The general guidelines to keep in mind are:
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Focus on getting stronger, some form of resistance strength training will be best to maintain muscle mass, burn fat and feel better. Check out our recommended programs if you are not sure where to start.
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Keep in mind that all forms of training and every exercise can be adjusted to your level of skill, capacity or even if you had any previous injury. So it would be very advisable to consult with a qualified trainer to help you come with the best strength training program.
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Add some form of cardio that you enjoy and could try very often. Whether it is low intensity or HIIT or a combination of both, just make sure you’re consistent
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You don’t need to do long intense cardio sessions if you don’t like them or don’t feel capable of doing them yet. You can start with just walking and get great results, check out this great article to see how.
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To get the best results make sure you combine your training program with other healthy habits like eating a lot of whole nutritious foods, improving your sleep and recovery and managing stress.
