Exercise Your Way To Weight Loss

There are really only 2 rules for getting fit and losing weight that you need to know:

1. Exercise Without Diet Will Not Lead to Weight Loss
2. Diet Without Exercise Will Not Lead to Weight Loss

Losing weight really does require a good combination of both exercise (cardio and strength) and a healthy diet. Research has proved that if you only exercise you will not lose a significant amount of weight as your body will still naturally store fat. Also, if you just reduce the amount you eat you will slow your metabolism down and burn less fat. The answer is to exercise and diet at the same time.

Most people that start exercising do this without really realizing. Generally when you start exercising on a regular basis you do eat less, simply because exercise is generally done at a time when you would otherwise be sitting around snacking. Plus, many people chose a healthier diet when exercising to ensure that they refuel the body well.

So, what Exercise is best for Weight Loss?

All exercise can be broken down into two broad groups: Cardio Exercise and Weight Training. Although many types of exercise combine the two, and that there are various types of each exercise, cardio and strength are the two basic types of exercise. So, which is really best?

Well, the jury is still out on that one. Many people believe that the best way to lose weight is to do a medium intensity form or weight training to build muscle that helps increase metabolism. Many people favor extremes in weight training. Some people favor “volume training” which means performing many exercises each day using a relatively light weight / small resistance. This method used to be extremely popular amongst bodybuilders such as Arnold Schwarzenegger in his early years. The other method is the opposite and is called high intensity where you lift much heavier weights fewer times.

By medium intensity, we mean simply that you lift a weight in a rep range that is neither high volume or high intensity. Somewhere in the middle. Lifting 2 or 3 sets of 10 reps for each exercise would accomplish this. The purpose is to produce a workout that involves doing more work, and by that we mean weight over a greater distance. This means you burn more calories. Also, you build the important bigger muscles to help carry one burning more fat. For example, a high intensity routine may see you lift 5 reps of 100kg. Assume that this is a deadlift and you lift the weight 1 meter from floor to hips. So the work rank (not scientific units, just a way to compare work done in a relative way) is 5 X 100kg = 500. This may be the maximum you can lift if you are doing a high intensity workout, that is, you may be too exhausted afterwards.

So what if you did a very high volume workout, and dead-lifted just 10kg? You may be able to lift it 50 times before being exhausted. The work rank score would also be 500. But this would have fewer strength benefits and be more like a cardio workout. It will also take longer. So, what if you chose a middle ground lift, say 30 repetitions of 50kg. Half the weight of the high intensity lift, a weight which allows you to do 3 sets of 10 reps. Total work rank score would be 30 X 50kg = 1500. 3 times more work done. OK, anyone can pick holes in this example, but it is to illustrate that going for the middle range of lifts can help to burn more fat (use more energy) while also building muscle.

What About Cardio?

As good as weight training is, cardio is also essential. But not any cardio. Like weight training, there is good cardio (for weight loss) and bad cardio. Although all forms of exercise are good for health, not all forms of exercise are equal when it comes to weight loss.

The best way to lose weight with cardio training is to do intensive interval training. This simple means that rather than working at a constant pace while exercising you push yourself to work faster for intervals. Carious cardio activities allow you to do this with ease, such as running, rowing, cross trainer workouts, swimming and cycling. With running you really need to do this in the park and not on a treadmill though, as the sprint intervals can be hard to manage on a treadmill.

The idea is that after a warm up period of 5 to 10 minutes you start your interval training. You can really do this any way you like, the only rule is that during the sprint intervals you should be working flat out. You work as hard and as fast as possible for a set time, usually 30-60 seconds, before starting your recovery interval, which can last from 1-3 minutes. This form of HIIT (high intensity interval training) is excellent for weight loss.

What Diet is Best?

Diet rules are simple when exercising: Eat no more than you require to replenish your body and build new muscle. Drink plenty of water, reduce sugar, take more protein after training and before bed and in the morning. The key is managing portion size to ensure that you are not eating too much.