Exercise for weight loss: 5 principles and a selection of exercises

The girl performs an exercise with weights to lose weight

Heartbeat or strength, high or low, dangerous or not, but will I be so joking 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 fit, not free myself, but also not overdo it with training. We share five comprehensive diets for women and men that will help you calculate the load correctly and keep you in shape.

Combine exercises

The question that needs to be answered first and foremost is what types of training should be included in the weight loss program, cardio or strength training?

Cardio training is aerobic exercise that works the lungs and heart diligently and the heart rate exceeds 120 beats per minute. Fat is the main source of energy, it is oxidized with oxygen. Unfortunately, this is not the fat we first think of when we want to lose weight. Initially, muscle fat is consumed and only the next level is subcutaneous and visceral. Accordingly, to get the result, you need to do a systematic cardio of medium intensity that lasts 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 choose an ECG. And no. Thanks to strength training, the volume of muscle mass and consequently the metabolism increases. Calories are eliminated more efficiently and the body no longer needs to "store" them for future use in the form of body fat.

For weight loss, strength and endurance exercises should be alternated: for example, within a week or one cycle (combined training).

More basics

From newcomers to a sports club, you may hear the phrase "I want to lose weight in my stomach" or "I just need to remove fat from my thighs. Unfortunately, the fat burning process does not work that way. adipose tissue.

Every isolated exercise that aims to train one muscle or muscle group does not require much energy. And for successful fat burning you need to spend more and basic exercises will help with this.

Basic exercises are called exercises where several muscle groups and more than one joint participate in one: knee bends, deadlifts, lunges, gluteal bridge and more.

Let's look at an example. Let's imagine an average woman who weighs 65 kg, is afraid of heavy weights and loves to practice simulators. To "lose weight in the hips" she usually does leg extensions in the simulator, 15 repetitions with a weight of 15 kg. At the same time it consumes only 32 kcal of energy. However, if she takes a 40 kg bar and goes for 10 knee bends, she will nowwhen consuming 45 kcal.

In general, if we compare the calorie expenditure of a workout that includes only isolation exercises and a workout that consists only of composite exercises, then the latter uses 50-70% more energy and is therefore more effective.

Calculate the strength of the exercise

Strength training can simply be calculated as the number of repetitions of exercise per unit of time.

For example, you practice for 60 minutes, where you do 7 different exercises in 2 sets of 12 reps. The total number of repetitions is 168 per hour, this will be the intensity value. If you do 8 exercises in 2 sets at the same time, but 15 repetitions each, the indicator will rise to 240. Accordingly, the second exercise will be more intense.

Fat burns best during long exercises of average strength, which can be changed by changing the number of repetitions and rest periods 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 child, the maximum heart rate during aerobic exercise will be 190 beats per minute, and for successful fat burning, 60-85% of this number is enough, that is 114-161.

Number of exercises

If for mass gain it is important that the muscles have time to recover after training, then it is not necessary in the case of weight loss. Accordingly, it is possible to increase the number of exercises.

Fat reduction can be increased in just one month of regular exercise three times a week. If you exercise less, times will have minimal effect. It is best to exercise 4-5 times a week.

At the same time, it is important to follow a general arrangement, because exercise is not only about exercise but also about a healthy lifestyle:

  • sleep for at least 8 hours, otherwise stress tolerance decreases and motivation is lost;
  • follow a strict drinking regime to make up for the water shortage and maintain the metabolism of water and salt;
  • maintain a low calorie deficit (more on that below).

Pay attention to food

Diet is an important part of losing weight. High levels of carbohydrates in the body prevent fat oxidation. For example, if you eat sweets just before exercise, the suppression of fat burning can reach 35%.

Nutritional principles for weight loss:

  • Eat 20% fewer calories than you consume. Yes, you need to count calories and it is most convenient to do this in meal planning apps. Popular products are listed there (some even have certain brands and manufacturers) with KBJU already calculated.
  • Eat often in small portions. The longer we experience a feeling of hunger, the stronger the need for the body to "store" energy. However, if you eat often, smaller amounts of substances will be stored.
  • Be sure to renew your energy 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 exercise, such as cleaning or walking, can help reduce the urge to snack. It happens that areas of the brain that are responsible for satiating food and water get confused and 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 plan meals, otherwise a messy snack and excuses from the category "now there is no time to cook, tomorrow I start eating healthy food" are guaranteed for you.

If the advice does not help and a constant feeling of hunger does not go away after a week or two, you should consult a doctor. This condition can be due to hypothyroidism, too much prolactin or the body's insensitivity to leptin, the hormone responsible for the feeling of satiety. Based on the results of the tests, it becomes clear how to adjust the diet and whether it is necessary to link medication.

Effective exercises for weight loss

Based on the principles outlined above, we have selected the most effective weight loss exercises that provide a high total load and require serious energy costs.

With an ECG, everything is simple - you can run while maintaining your average speed and keeping your heart rate up. The disadvantage is that in this case the body will get a severe impact. Cardiac devices, such as a stepper or an ellipse, allow you to reduce them, but are no less effective. You can also substitute running for dance, cycling, pedaling and water aerobics.

It is much harder to find adequate exercises for strength training. Repeated training programs seldom take into account that someone wants to exercise at home and does not have the necessary equipment: weights, bars, exercise benches and even exercise bands. But there are some exercises that can help you get started without preparation and equipment.

Without stock:

  • Bench arm bends.Instead of a bench, you can use a chair or a stable chair. We stand with our backs to the bench, resting against it with our hands, slightly wider than our shoulders. We put our feet on the floor, straight or curved. We start pushing up and make sure that the body moves vertically up and down, and does not move forward or backward. The big advantage of this exercise is that it is easy to adapt to any level of training. It is easiest to do elbow bends on bent legs, but it is more difficult if you straighten them and put them on a stand.
  • Lying pelvic liftaka gluteal bridge. We lie on the floor, arms along the body, bend our legs at the knees. We start to lift the pelvis, at the highest point we sit and stretch our buttocks and lower again.
  • Hip extension on all fours.The exercise is not quite basic but it consumes a lot of energy, it is good for them to finish the exercise to pump the butt. Stand on all fours, resting on your elbows and knees. Lift your right leg up, trying to get your knee (ie knee, not toe) to rise as high as possible. We keep our foot on the highest point and gently lower it and pull it to our 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 thighs. We take a long circle, broken 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 keep a natural bend, we do not nurture. We straighten our backs and legs, make sure that the gluteal muscles work mainly and lean back.
  • Horizontal torque.We sit on the floor, straight legs. We stick to a long rubber band at our feet and lean forward. We straighten our shoulders, pull on our backs and lift our bodies straight while pulling on the tape with our hands. We remain in this position and lower ourselves again. Exercise allows you to work not only on relief, but also to stretch your muscles.

With weights (weights, weights):

  • Knee bends.We take dumbbells in our hands or put on weights. You can start with 1, 5 kg weight and increase the load gradually. We stand straight, legs slightly wider than shoulders. We start cuddling and making sure that the back is straight (can be tilted forward, but not more than 45 degrees), and the knees do not protrude beyond the socks - otherwise it is very easy to hurt the knee. We grieve until the thigh is parallel to the floor and then return to the starting position. The lower you are on a knee bend, the more the glutes work.
  • Lunges.We take dumbbells in our hands, stand on our right foot and take our left back and put it on our toes. We start sitting on one leg (you can, of course, take lunges, step forward, but there is almost no difference in efficiency). We make sure that the body does not bend and the knee does not protrude beyond the toes. By connecting the thigh muscles, we rise again. We repeat with the other leg.

In general, a training program that aims to lose weight should be based on basic exercise and moderate-intensity cardio with a moderate heart rate. To increase muscle tone, you can add intense exercises with light weights.

As you can see, exercise is not just about building muscle or "losing weight for the summer" but about a healthy lifestyle, systematic exercise, proper nutrition and well-being. And if you build this system correctly, the desired result, expressed as a weight, will notlet you wait.