Training For Weight Loss
Generally, most people make the assumption that training for weight loss is done by engaging in cardio training and building muscle is done by lifting weights . However, if this minds set sounds like you then you are most certainly missing out some great weight loss benefits that training for weight loss via weight training offers.
Weight lifting is actually an effective way of burning excess fats, when done using proper methods. Provided in the following paragraphs, is the essential information that you need in order to make sure that your time spent training for weight loss is not mis-spent.
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Weight lifting has been proven to increase an individual’s metabolic rate both over short and long periods of time. Immediately after a weight training session, you will find yourself having an increased metabolic rate. On top of that, your body’s overall muscle mass will be increased, therefore ensuring that the metabolic rate increase becomes a permanent thing as muscle mass requires extra energy to maintain and that has to come in the form of burning up more calories. This is the case even when the body is at rest, more muscle equals more energy burnt!
On the other hand, training for weight loss via cardio training will only lead to a short, temporary rise in your metabolic rate. As a result, the overall calorie burning effects are not as beneficial when compared to lifting weights.
Another overlooked fact is that overloading on cardio activities in effect leads to a sharp reduction in total body mass as the body will dispense of any muscle that it does not use. This will in the medium to long term mean a reduction in metabolic rate over time as there is less muscle mass to have to support and supply energy for.
Altered body composition – Another advantage of weight lifting over cardio training when training for weight loss is that due to the very nature of lifting weights you will gain bigger stronger looking muscles. This gives you a feeling of achievement and the results are a lot more visible than if you just lose a few pounds. You feel a whole lot different when you look in the mirror and you will get more comments about how well you are looking.
If you pursue only cardio when training for weight loss then sure you may lose some body fat, however as mentioned you may well lose muscle as well. The overall effect of this is that you will simply look smaller i.e. your body composition will not change that much. If you workout with weights then you can expect your body composition to change completely, for example: wider shoulders will make the waist look smaller, plus if you have lost a few pounds there too then you will look even trimmer. As you can see training for weight loss through weight lifting and doing cardio is a very powerful combination! It provides the nice illusion that you have replaced body fat with muscle mass.
Designing A Fat-Loss Training Program: Quick Tips
While lifting weights for fat loss is not much different from lifting weights to build muscle mass, a few vital modifications have to be taken into consideration to see effective results.
Decrease total volume – As a result of a reduced caloric intake, the total duration of your weight training has to be reduced. On the whole, it is recommended that a reduction of approximately 50% – 60% is okay, and this would not lead to a significant reduction in a person’s body strength. If you attempt to do too much weight training whilst not consuming enough calories you are going to find it hard to recover in time for your next workout and will end up feeling drained and not gaining any strength.
Maintain weight intensity – One important point to take note of is that while lifting for weight loss, maintain the same amount of weight on the bar. Reducing the weight is a mistake most people are prone to making as they mistakenly think that reducing the total amount of weight lifted, while upping the number of repetitions will result in more calories burned.
While it is true that a greater number of reps will burn more calories during that workout it will not maintain your current muscle mass and thus in the medium to long term your metabolic rate will drop as you will have less muscle. You should keep the bar at the same weight so that if you decide to go back to pure weight training in the future then you won’t have lost any strength.
Utilize circuit-style lifting for cardio – Another idea to take into consideration is that of making use of circuit-style weight lifting rather than doing your current cardio-training for weight loss. One major plus for this style of workout is that while it is different from traditional weight training programs, there is an added presence of cardio, on top of the actual weight gaining. This is great for those people short on time or those people who just want to try something different.
Providing the body with enough recovery time is crucial when embarking on circuit training. It is a very stressful activity for your body to deal with continuously so therefore it is important to rest, or you will run the risk of CNS or other muscular ailments occurring due to over-training.
So, if you are serious about training for weight loss then you really ought to be implementing at least some element of weight training into your routine.