There is no magic pill and nothing better than diet and exercise has yet been invented for weight loss. Furthermore, one does not work without the other. But even simple weight loss exercises will help you increase activity, burn calories and get a toned body.
So, you've decided to lose those extra pounds. Which road should you take?
- Understand your diet so you don't eat more than your body needs.
- Review your daily routine, rest and sleep enough, because fats are burned during sleep.
- Learn a little theory about how the body works, how muscle grows and how fat is burned.
- Buy sports clothes and sports shoes to avoid injuries during training.
- Try different exercises and choose the type of activity you like.
- Train 3-4 times a week while maintaining a calorie deficit.
- Enjoy your new lifestyle and your body.
By following this plan, you can lose weight and stay in shape through exercise and diet. Now let's take a closer look.
Proper diet for weight loss
When losing weight, diet is the most important thing. Whatever workout you choose, you can't do it without understanding your diet. We will not load you with information about calories and diets, but we will give you basic rules that will help you lose those extra pounds. The fitness trainer says that 80-90% of success in losing weight is diet. Your goal is to spend more than you consume. Sports can help you speed up the fat burning process, increase the number of calories burned, but the basis of everything is nutrition.
The instructor advises:
- Never make yourself feel hungry. The hungrier a person is, the more he will eat. When you are least hungry, that is the time to eat, because in half an hour or an hour you will eat much more.
- Keep your previous diet, but take a spoonful of your usual portion each day. This is a very small amount, but if you look at it over the course of a week, it is already minus seven spoons per meal. The stomach gets used to it quickly, it starts to decrease in size and you are satisfied with less food.
- Don't overeat. You don't have to wait for the "phew, I've had enough" feeling. The feeling of fullness appears 15-20 minutes after eating. Only after this time can one objectively assess whether a person is full or not. It is better to leave the table feeling full, but not gluttonous, when it is difficult to breathe.
When losing weight, proper nutrition should be mostly protein and fat. Eat more meat, cottage cheese, eggs, fish. Do not forget about vegetables and cereals, whole grain bread. Healthy fats can be obtained from red fish, nuts and avocados. This type of diet will not leave you hungry and will help you get all the necessary nutrients.
The diet should be balanced and varied so that there is no desire to break. But if you really want to remember the taste of cake and chips, then you can eat the "forbidden" food slowly. It is believed that if you eat 90% correctly, then you can afford 10% high-calorie foods.
Should you diet or count calories? Everyone chooses a suitable diet system for himself. In a diet, you eliminate certain foods and thus reduce the caloric content of your diet.
Advice.Try creating a menu for the week with recipes you like. There is nothing magical about PP recipes, and they are often even higher in calories than regular ones, and desserts made with almond flour take a long time. Take as a basis simple whole grain foods and protein foods. Don't like oatmeal? Have breakfast with scrambled eggs and vegetables. You need a flexible approach to your diet, because a healthy lifestyle is with you for life.
And don't forget to maintain an alcohol consumption regime, especially during active sports. Always have a bottle of water handy. If it is difficult to drink plain water, add lemon juice or mint leaves to it.
What to choose: training at home or at the gym?
Each person chooses where to train: at home or in the gym. Both options have their pros and cons.
You must go to the gym, pay for a membership and stick to the program if you sign up for group training at a sports club. But it is equipped with all the necessary equipment and exercise equipment for effective weight loss.
Home workouts have become very popular recently. No need to go anywhere, stick to a plan and schedule. But it takes a strong will and some physical training to do the exercises correctly.
The exercises themselves for weight loss at home and in the gym are not much different. They must be efficient, high-intensity and varied. You can grow your abs at home and in the gym with equal success. You can work with an instructor via video call.
What you need to start training: equipment and clothes
If you practice at home, a mat will come in handy. You may need small 2- and 5-pound dumbbells, and exercise bands if your workout plan includes them. In fact, you can exercise without any equipment and do fat burning cardio and strength training with your own body weight, without any special equipment. The gym has everything you need.
In any case, you will need clothes for sports:
- sports shoes with good cushioning and ventilation.
- leggings or well-stretched sweatpants.
- many t-shirts made of synthetic fabric (cotton takes a long time to dry from sweat).
- sports t-shirt for women.
This is an essential set that you can't do without in the gym or at home. You'll also need a water container and, if possible, a fitness bracelet or watch with a heart rate function.
Advice.Bring a small towel with you to the gym. You will need to put it on the exercise equipment when you do exercises.
Types and types of training and exercises: what to choose?
Various types of workouts and exercises are effective for weight loss. This is explained by the individual characteristics of the body. The most effective type of training is considered aerobic (cardio). But anaerobic exercise (strengthening) is also needed so that the skin does not sag after losing weight.
Let's find out what the main types of weight loss workouts are in the gym and when working out at home. You'll understand why different types of activity are needed to successfully get in shape. And finally, decide what is better - cardio or strength exercises?
Strengthening exercises
Strength training aims at hypertrophy, i. e. muscle growth. Strength training actually speeds up your metabolism, but gradually. Usually, those who lose weight choose other types of training and there is a reason for this.
What are the benefits of strength training for weight loss?
- After strength training, the body expends calories to recover.
- When you work "to failure", micro-traumas occur in the muscles and the body expends energy to repair them.
- Muscle requires much more energy to "maintain" than fat.
- There are elements of strength exercises in interval training, for the successful implementation of which you must first master the basic correct execution.
It is a myth that strength training is only suitable for men. Women can also lose weight and build a figure with the help of squats, lunges and weight training with dumbbells and barbells. You need to do strength training 2-3 times a week, alternating with cardio for effective weight loss.
Cardio exercises
Cardio exercise is a great option for weight loss. They quickly lead to fat burning and at the same time pump the heart muscle and the respiratory system. You can do cardio at home and in the gym. It's not always high-intensity training, but it will take some effort to burn fat. And beginners should gradually participate in training.
Best Cardio Exercises:
- side step with arms raised.
- boxing;
- burpees?
- side kicks;
- lifting the knees from a walk.
- jumping rope.
Cardio exercise is beneficial for both men and women. You need to do weight loss workouts 3-4 times a week for 40-50 minutes. You can complete your strength training by briskly walking on a treadmill or using an elliptical machine.
Aerobic training
Aerobic exercise helps you lose weight and improves the function of your heart and blood vessels. During their execution, the body consumes a large amount of oxygen. These workouts make a person more resilient. Aerobics is considered the best way to burn calories.
Aerobic exercise, or cardio as it is popularly called, is the best workout for weight loss. This includes running, exercise bike at a brisk pace, skipping and brisk walking on a treadmill. What is important is that the fat burning process starts within 30 minutes. Training should last 40–60 minutes, but it is better to start with 10–15 minutes, adding 2–3 minutes each day.
Aerobic exercise includes running, dancing, team sports and skating. In short, any load that makes your heart beat faster. However, to properly burn fat through aerobics, you need to stick to a specific heart rate zone.
Aerobic exercise can be done daily. If you alternate them with other types of exercise, then twice a week is enough.
Anaerobic training
During anaerobic training, the body receives energy without oxygen. Muscles use up the glycogen (a product of the breakdown of glucose) that accumulates in the blood. These are strength training in the gym, aimed at developing and strengthening muscles and running short distances. They don't use fat as energy.
Anaerobic exercise burns fewer calories than aerobic exercise. How then can they be useful to you? The fact is that muscles spend energy for some time after anaerobic exercise - 12–36 hours. In addition, due to muscle growth, you will burn fewer calories at rest. However, trainers agree that aerobic exercise is more effective for weight loss.
Interval training
To lose weight fast, you need intense but not exhausting workouts that you can do regularly. HIIT (or HIIT in English) - interval training - is suitable for your goals. They are suitable for beginners and experienced athletes. You just have to adjust the pace according to your level of preparation.
A good example of HIIT is Tabata. Exercises should be done quickly (but efficiently) for 20–60 seconds. After that, you rest for 10-40 seconds. The longer the rest interval, the less intense the workout. A HIIT workout might look something like this:
- running in place;
- occupations;
- plie squats?
- push ups;
- pulling your knees to your stomach in a plank.
As a rule, a cycle consists of 5-6 exercises. Most of the time this is bodyweight training. Beginners can do three rounds, advanced - five rounds. Exercises can be repeated, but there is an option when each interval is aimed at working certain muscle groups.
Thanks to this program, within half an hour you will be wiping your sweat and panting with happiness that you managed to burn 300-500 extra calories.
Warming up before doing exercises for weight loss: is it necessary or not?
Here, trainers agree: warming up before weight loss exercises is essential. The physical warm-up takes 5-10 minutes, but it helps you prepare for the workout, avoid injuries and warm up all the muscles and joints.
Before training, even before stretching, you need to warm up. Do the simplest warm-up exercises:
- Slowly rotate your head 3-4 times clockwise and counterclockwise.
- Make circular movements with your hands at an average pace 5-10 times forward and backward.
- Stretch your arms away from your chest 5-10 times.
- Rotate your pelvis 5 times in both directions.
- Do 5-10 tilts towards your toes with straight legs.
- Make 5-10 turns in both directions.
- Rotate your hips.
- Stretch your arms and ankles.
After the warm-up exercises, you can walk on the treadmill at a brisk pace for 10–15 minutes to warm up. And then proceed to the main complex.
Exercises to lose belly fat: crunches, leg raises, sweep
It is impossible to lose weight in any area because fat leaves the body more or less evenly. But you can tighten your skin and strengthen your abdominal muscles with exercises to lose weight in the stomach and ribs. These are basic strength workouts that will help you burn a little more calories.
Belly fat loss exercises are no different for men and women: the technique is the same for everyone. The main thing is to train correctly and regularly and then, provided you are in a caloric deficit and sufficient basic activity, you will get the desired relief. When this happens - in a week, a month or six months, it depends on your constitution and diet.
Crunches: straight, reverse, side
Bench press crunch technique:
- Lie on your back on the mat with your knees bent.
- Tuck your chin into your chest and bring your palms together at the back of your head.
- As you exhale, lift your body slightly, lifting your shoulder blades off the mat.
- Tighten your abdominal muscles.
- As you inhale, slowly lower onto the mat without straightening all the way.
You don't need to get up too high, lift your chin from your chest and pull yourself forward with your hands. The press must be constantly tense.
Reverse floor crunchesis an exercise in which you have to lift your legs while tightening your lower abs:
- Lie on your back on the mat.
- Bend your knees so your shins are parallel to the floor and bring your heels together.
- As you exhale, lift your hips and lift your butt off the floor, placing your weight on your shoulder blades and pulling your knees toward your chest.
- As you inhale, return to the starting position without fully straightening your legs. Always keep your abs tight.
Straight and reverse crunches can be done on a bench, holding the bench behind your head with your hands.
Side creasesThe latissimus dorsi muscles are strengthened in the abs. It's convenient to do side lunges on a hyperextension machine:
- Adjust the height so that the top of the exercise pad is at the level of the pelvic bone.
- Initial position - feet rest on the base of the simulator, body straightened, arms at chest height.
- As you exhale, tilt your body down and as you inhale, return to the starting position.
Lateral crunches should be done using the obliques, not by inactivity.
Number of repetitions and approaches. For beginners men and women, three sets of abdominal crunches of 20 repetitions are sufficient. You can do the exercise at the beginning or end of your strength training, in the morning, afternoon or evening.
Periodicity. At least once a week. The outcome of abdominal seizures depends on the structure. You can switch between forward, backward, and sideways crunches.
Exercises for weight loss on the sides: plank, bends, swings
It is impossible to remove the sides only with weight loss exercises. To burn stored fat, you need to maintain a calorie deficit and move more. Planks, leg swings and push-ups are quite energy-intensive exercises, and will help you lose excess weight, giving your body beautiful curves.
A set of exercises for losing weight on the sides at home should include exercises for the oblique abdominal muscles. When combined, these training elements will help you quickly remove fat deposits around your waist.
Side plank: strengthen all muscles
One of the basic exercises that allows you to shape your waist while working the muscles of the abs, back, legs and arms. It can be done without special equipment. The side plank has a simple technique:
- Get into a regular plank position, resting on your forearms and toes.
- Turn and shift your weight to one side of your body.
- Tighten your stomach and straighten your body, supporting yourself on the forearm and ankle.
- Return to the starting position - a regular plank.
For those who have progressed to the side plank, you can add sit-ups to work the arm muscles and crunches to increase your abs.
Number of repetitions and approaches. It is enough to hold a static exercise for 30 seconds, gradually increasing the time. The exercise is performed in one approach.
Periodicity. You can finish every workout with a side plank.
Side bends: remove the sides
Bending over won't help burn fat in the problem area, but it will strengthen the corset muscles that support the spine. Technique for performing side bends:
- Stand straight with your feet shoulder-width apart. Squeeze your shoulder blades and keep your stomach toned.
- Slowly lean to the side, stretching your arm along your body. You must crouch as low as you can. Then return to the starting position.
- Repeat the movement in the other direction.
- You can do the exercise with nothing at first and then add 2kg dumbbells, gradually increasing the weight.
Number of repetitions and approaches. Three sets of ten technical reps on each side is a great addition to your workout.
Periodicity. Lateral side bends can be done once a week.
Standing hip abduction
The hip abduction movement engages the lateral muscles, which will help you tighten your body faster. This exercise has a simple technique, the main thing is to perform it carefully and not move your legs as quickly as possible.
- Stand straight, place your hands on your waist.
- Extend your leg to the side, trying to maintain an even body position.
- Slowly return your leg to the starting position.
You can also perform hip abduction on a machine or use an elastic band to increase the load.
Number of repetitions and approaches. Three sets of 15–20 repetitions on each leg.
Periodicity. Alternate this exercise with others by doing hip abduction once a week.
Raises the leg while lying on the side
Lying hip abduction is the same as standing hip abduction, only performed on a mat.
- Lie on your side and straighten your legs.
- As you exhale, lift your leg up.
- As you inhale, slowly lower your leg to the starting position.
You can do leg abductions while lying down with a rubber band or weights.
Number of repetitions and approaches. Three sets of 15–20 repetitions on each leg.
Periodicity. It can be done once a week, alternating with other exercises for losing weight on the sides.
Effective exercises for weight loss in the legs
Legs and buttocks are a problem area for many women. Fat accumulates here quickly and easily, but it takes a long time and is difficult to lose. But if you do exercises for your hips, you will lose weight faster and you will be able to maintain the results for a long time.
Squats - a basic exercise for weight loss in the legs
When you squat, you put pressure on all the muscles in your legs and glutes. If you do this exercise correctly, in addition to losing weight, you will get toned hips and buttocks. We will look at simple squats without weight: the exercise will help you develop technique and add weight.
- Stand with your feet apart as if you were going to squat. Feet about hip width apart.
- Straighten up, tighten your stomach, straighten your legs.
- Lower your pelvis while extending your knees to the sides.
- Tighten your glutes and stand up straight.
There are several options to make the squat technique more difficult:
- Barbell squats in the gym under the supervision of a trainer.
- Squats with dumbbells in hands.
- Jump squats.
- Exercises with elastic bands on the hips.
Interesting fact: squats are useful for men and women, but for some reason this exercise is considered purely female. It is not recommended to do it only for people with problematic knees.
Number of repetitions and approaches. Three sets of 25 reps with body weight.
Periodicity. You can squat with your own weight at least every day, but it is better to do it at least every other day so that the muscles have time to rest. Within 30 days you will see remarkable results from your hard work.
Exercises for weight loss in your hands
The exercises are very effective for losing weight in the arms and shoulders. They don't burn fat in that particular area, but tighten the skin and strengthen the biceps and triceps. As a result, your hands look slimmer and more beautiful.
Exercises for losing weight on your hands can be done at home without dumbbells. Push-ups are available anywhere and anytime - you can even do them at the desk while leaning on your desk.
Push-ups - classic workouts
Proper push-ups are a useful part of your regular weight loss workouts. The exercise works the triceps, abdominals and pectoral muscles. The classic version of push-ups - with wide arms:
- Take a lying position with your hands wider than shoulder width apart.
- Tighten your abs and glutes to maintain as flat a body position as possible.
- As you inhale, lower your body down while extending your elbows out to the sides. Lower yourself to the floor, but don't touch it.
- As you exhale, return to the starting position.
Number of repetitions and approaches. You probably won't be able to do many push-ups at first. Aim for 15-20 reps per set for men and 10-15 for women.
Periodicity. You need to do regular push-ups to improve your technique. Do this at least once a week if you have three workouts in that time frame.
knee push-ups
Those who still struggle to do regular push-ups should try doing push-ups from their knees. It is easier for girls to do this particular type of exercise. Technique:
- Kneel, place your hands on the floor at shoulder height. The exercise is performed with a wide stance.
- Tighten your abs, back muscles and glutes so that you maintain a straight line from your knees to the back of your head.
- Bend your elbows and touch your chest to the floor, then return to the starting position.
Number of repetitions and approaches. Three sets of 10-15 repetitions.
Periodicity. You can do push-ups from your knees at the end of each workout.
Reverse push-ups
The advantage of reverse bench push-ups is that you work the triceps. You can do reverse push-ups from a bench at the gym or from a chair at home. Classic technique:
- Stand with your back to a bench or chair. Place your palms on the support, so that your hands are symmetrical to your spine.
- As you inhale, bend your arms at the shoulders and elbows at the same time, lowering your pelvis down.
- As you exhale, straighten your arms and return to the starting position.
Number of repetitions and approaches. Three sets of 15 repetitions will be enough for beginners.
Periodicity. You can include reverse push-ups in every workout.
What to look for when creating a weight loss workout plan
- Never forget to warm up. A gentle warm-up minimizes the chance of injury and helps prepare you for your workout.
- Don't rest too much between sets. Your workouts should be intense, but not exhausting. Half a minute of rest between sets will be enough.
- Drink water while resting. It is especially important to replenish your water balance while doing cardio.
- If you want to lose weight in one area, you shouldn't do exercises only in that area. You'll try to get rid of your belly by lifting your abs and ribs, and you'll quickly train, get tired, and give up altogether. The totality of exercises should be built harmoniously, including strength, cardio and exercise of problem areas.
- Choose exercises that you enjoy doing. If you want to lose weight at home without a trainer, here are some tips: exercise for fun. Don't work too hard, overloading your muscles and nervous system.
- We recommend that beginners contact an instructor. A professional will help you master the technique of performing exercises, create a training program and menu.
- Top tip for weight loss: combine physical activity with a calorie deficit. You won't be able to lose weight through exercise alone; you need to revise your menu.