Weight lifting for weight loss
Weight lifting for weight loss is fantastic because it is great for your metabolism, it helps you release key hormones essential for losing belly fat and it increases your heart rate (see best weight training for weight loss| London Personal Trainer ). Many people neglect weight training in favor of doing cardiovascular training in order to lose weight.
However, weight training can be done in a way to get you cardiovascular fitness. I will explain in this article why weight lifting for weight loss is essential. I will also show you a weight training system to increase your cardiovascular fitness to achieve the same results as cardiovascular training.
Peripheal heart action training.
This is where you work upper body, than while your upper body is resting you work the lower body. The weights you will use will be heavy so that it builds up lots of lactic acid (the burning sensation you get in your muscles). You will be utilising big muscles of the upper and lower body for maximum calorie burning.
What are the key benefits?
- Fast weight loss results!
- Massive hormone release conducive for weight loss
- Great cardiovascular benefit as the heart rate is continually high
- Increased muscle mass, lower body fat and increased metabolism meaning that you will burn more calories throughout the day.
What do you do?
The repetition range for this system of training is 12 repetitions. You use 9 exercises in total for the session. You than split the 9 exercises in to 3 groups, for example (my work out):
- Group 1 – Dumbell press (30kg), squat (120kg) and pull ups
- Group 2 – Tricep push ups, dead lifts (120) and bicep curls (18kg)
- Group 3 – Internal shoulder rotation (rotator cuff exercise) (6kg), lunges (30kg dumbells), and external rotation (rotator cuff exercise) (4kg)
Each group of exercises are repeated 4 times, for 12 repetitions with no rest in between. The rest for one set of muscles is accumulated in the time it takes to complete your other two exercises.
So in this example you start with bench press and perform 12 repetitions (the 12th rep should be hard to get out but you probably could do 15 if you really pushed it), you then move from the bench go to the squat rack and do 12 repetitions (should feel hard), you than move to from the squat rack to do 12 pull ups and then once you have finished this you move back to the bench and do your second set of bench press. By this stage your heart rate will already be high and you have only just started.
Advantages:
- You are able to condense a lot of work into a short period of time.
- Your muscles get adequate recovery, but your heart continuously works given you a cardiovascular workout.
- You hit all the major muscle groups and some of the smaller muscles too.
- You are working with in a repetition range that will tone your body and release hormones for weight loss.
Now you know why weight lifting for weight loss is essential!
Give it a try. Do this work out 3 times a week for 4 weeks. Adjust the weights for your own strength and see your weight go down and your fitness go up.
Mary Slagel says:
Thanks for the great post! It is laid out in an easy to understand format and the idea of working on other parts of your body while allowing another part to rest in order to maximize time is brilliant to point out. I will definitely share this post with my boyfriend who is attempting to lose body fat and gain muscle mass at the same time.
gerald says:
If your boyfriend does this work out for 8 weeks he will see the difference. I can guarantee that
Kelly Wade says:
Especially for women, weight lifting can be confusing and intimidating, especially in a gym setting. But I agree; incorporating a few weight training sessions a few times a week, along with cardio can really amp up your weight loss and fitness goals. Everyone’s heard that “muscle burns more calories than fat” which means that when you have more muscle in your body, you burn more calories overall when you’re working out and when you’re at rest. Good information!
gerald says:
Your right about the intimidation factor as men like to stare and make a lot of unnecessary noise. I hope these tips help
Jeri says:
Thanks for the tips! The hardest part is just getting started. The idea of working with weights seems so foreign to me. I guess it always will unless I take the plunge and give it a try.
gerald says:
I understand where your coming from. I always think that men need to do a bit more cardio, and women need to more wights. Men have figured out that to look good they need to do weights, and once you do give it a go and get the results you wont look back.
Susan Cooper says:
This is exactly what I needed. I have never really understood what it was weight lifting does. I knew it was something I should do but not the why. I have been struggling with how to incorporate it into my daily exercise routine. I now have a pretty good idea of what I should be doing. Thanks for that.
gerald says:
Give it a try in your next work out
How to get Lean says:
Thank you for this informative post.Exercise will help me keep me lean
gerald says:
Your welcome Debbie