Fat Loss vs Weight Loss
Weight loss and fat loss are related but not the same thing. Your body weight is composed of body fat and lean mass, which is the bones, muscles, and organs. Fat loss is a type of weight loss. Weight loss can be through body fat, water weight, and some muscle mass but with the aim of retaining lean mass. That's why you may find if you build muscle but also lose some fat from your body, your body weight may not always decrease. However, one of the great benefits of increasing muscle is weight control. The more muscle you have, the easier it becomes for your body to burn calories.
What Types of Strength Training Help with Weight Loss?
Two types of strength training are effective for weight loss:
- Pure strength training
- Metabolic resistance training (MRT)
Pure strength training
This part of the program is simply pure to the way it sounds - it is explicitly designed to build or maintain muscle mass. Building and maintaining muscles are important as people age due to the fact that muscle waste progresses faster with age. Another good news is that muscle strength can still be increased as older individuals age.
There are benefits, aside from increasing age and muscle strength, related to building muscle mass. The more muscles you have the more your metabolism will operate quicker, and the number of calories and fats your body burns.
The amount of weight you should be lifting and for how long depends on your body type and level of expertise. If you are more advanced, you can get away with heavier loads. If you are a beginner, use lighter weights-or no weights-and then add on once you've mastered the movement.
Metabolic Resistance Training
MRT includes high-intensity exercise bouts that are punctuated by a short rest period. A small study demonstrated that interval exercise was superior to moderate-intensity steady-state exercise for enhancing energy expenditure, the number of calories burned.
When done right, MRT can be the best way to catapult your heart rate and keep your body burning fat all the way throughout the rest of the day. There are several ways to do MRT including, Doing bodyweight exercises, such as
- mountain climbers or push-ups
- using dumbbells
- Using kettlebells
How Cardio and Strength Training Go Together
Although cardio should not be the bulk of your physical activity, you can still include it within your fitness routine. It can be done two different ways:Moderate or high intensity as a type of interval training. It all will depend on where your heart rate is, use it as a warm-up before your strength training workout—about 10 to 15 minutes to get the body moving.
You can use it as an MRT workout, getting your heart rate up to about 90% of its maximum effort and then recovering with a rest period. Try doing sets of 100 jump ropes as fast as possible, resting for 30 seconds to a minute. You could also run intervals on the treadmill such as sprint for a minute and then walk for a minute. Try increasing the incline by 1% each time for an added challenge.
Why You Should Have Rest Days
You take good rest days as part of your program. Your rest days are just as important as the days you go all out. You tear apart the muscle fibers when you work your muscles to exhaustion. To let them rebuild, you must allow them the time to heal. Moreover, your exercise performance may deteriorate, and you might develop health problems if you do not get the rest you need.
Are you over-exercising?
A sample workout to do strength training for weight loss not sure how to put together a great workout routine each week with strength training?Try beginning with this sample workout schedule:
- Monday: Cardio warm-up (moderate intensity) + pure strength training
- Tuesday: MRT (Metabolic Resistance Training)
- Wednesday: Cardio warm-up (moderate intensity) + pure strength training
- Thursday: MRT intervals (treadmill or jump rope)
- Friday: Cardio warm-up (moderate intensity) + pure strength training
- Saturday: MRT (Metabolic Resistance Training)
- Sunday: Rest
Other Strength Training Benefits
Other than helping you manage your weight, building muscle can have other possible benefits, including:- Helping you perform day-to-day tasks
- Improving bodily food processing for chronic disease prevention (e.g., diabetes)
- Keep your bones healthy
- Make you stronger
- Protect your body to reduce injuries
Tips for Strength Training
Always talk with a healthcare provider before beginning any exercise regimen. When you're ready to try strength training, keep these tips in mind:- Ask for help from a personal trainer or attend group classes with an instructor
- Begin with smaller weights and work your way up
- Keep arms and legs bent while lifting
- Remember to breathe throughout your workout
- Start slow if strength training is new to you or if you haven't been active in a while
- Take it easy on your body—you shouldn't be too much in pain, exhausted, or sore
- Use smooth movements when lifting weights