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STRENGTH TRAINING AND WEIGHT LOSS

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Do you want to dramatically increase your chances of weight loss success? Of course you do! Who wouldn’t? And while you are at it become stronger to do activities of daily living with more ease then ever? Yep! The answer to this is strength training.

We talk to a lot of people who are either struggling to lose weight or have hit a plateau in their weight loss but are afraid to incorporate strength training into their routine out of fear that it will make them gain weight. This is especially true with women.

Let me give you the run down on why we believe strength training is a MUST if weight loss is your goal. (We actually believe that strength training is a must no matter what your goal is but let’s focus on the goal of weight loss.)

Strength Training Increases Your Metabolism

Your metabolism is the amount of energy you burn throughout the day doing every day things. Getting ready for work, walking up and down stairs, getting up from the couch etc. Basically, it’s the amount of energy you use up outside of planned exercise. Muscle is metabolic tissue, meaning that it requires energy to work. When your muscle contracts, energy is spent. The more muscle you have and the more efficiently it works, the more energy you use up throughout the day. This in turn allows for better weight loss results. And the best way that I am aware of to increase muscle and its efficiency is through regular strength training.

Without Strength Training You May Actually Be Losing Muscle and Decreasing Your Metabolism

This is a big point. If you take the route of just dieting or dieting and doing cardio to get to your weight loss goals you could actually end up in a scenario where you could be doing more harm then good for your body long term. For every pound of weight loss, up to 25% of that could come from muscle loss. If you kept this up it would have the opposite effect on your metabolism then we want. Decreasing your muscle mass would also end up decreasing your metabolism, which then slows down your weight loss results. And what is the best way to combat this 25% muscle loss? Regular strength training of course! Strength training keeps the muscle stimulated and significantly decreases the chances of it getting broken down in the weight loss process. We want our weight loss from fat loss not muscle tissue!

Use Compound Exercises

Strength training itself burns quite a bit of energy, especially when you do it right and focus on using compound movements in your workouts. Compound exercises involve multiple joints. Think squats or push-ups versus a bicep curl or calf raise. These types of exercise recruit several different muscles which in turn burns more energy compared to any single joint exercise. Again, over time, this increase in energy expenditure adds up to better weight loss results.

How Often Should I Strength Train?

The minimum would be two times per week, ideally 3 times per week would be most beneficial. There are many different ways to structure your strength training program but however you do it just make sure that you are setting yourself up for success. If you only realistically have time for 2 sessions a week then plan for that. Don’t use a program that is set up for 5 days a week and then get frustrated with yourself because you were not able to complete all of the workouts. Consistency is the key and you want to set yourself up to stay consistent for the long haul.

Final Thoughts

One last big point is that for strength training to be effective, regardless of your end goal, it must be done with effort. You want to use enough resistance to cause what is called temporary muscle failure, meaning you couldn’t do another repetition while keeping proper form. And please make sure that you are performing the exercises correctly. Proper form is crucial to getting the most out of the exercise and to ensure that you do not get hurt.

If you have read this and you get it, great, now go out and get busy. If you are confused or still unsure of how to incorporate strength training into your routine or how to perform exercises properly, don’t hesitate to ask for help. That’s what we are here for! Schedule a free consultation with us to see how we can help you reach your health and fitness goals!

It’s Just Human Nature

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Human nature can serve us very well in most cases, but truth be told, if you are not paying attention, human nature can also work against us, at least in regards to health and fitness. Let’s face it, most people automatically, without thinking, choose to do things the easiest way.

Last week I was at City Hall for a meeting. I entered the lobby and headed for the stairs. On the way, I encountered a City staff member who was headed for the same meeting which was to take place on the third floor. The stairs and the elevator are no more than fifteen feet apart, stairs on the left, elevator on the right. This staff member was half my age and knowing her position, this person likely was sitting most of the day. We walked together until I went left (towards the stairwell) and she headed right (towards the elevator). I said “I’ll see you up there, I’m taking the stairs.” I guess I guilted her into taking the stairs because she followed me up the stairs and mentioned something about her shoes as an excuse for heading for the elevator.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I don’t mean to judge or make fun of anyone for making the decisions they make all day long, that’s not my intent. My intent with this example is to show you how, if you are not thinking, you are being a detriment to your own health, in my humble opinion. I see things like this go on all the time.

Easier is better. Well, not so. I’ve seen grown men cutting their grass on a riding lawn mower that they could cut in 10 minutes flat with a push mower. I see people drive around shopping mall parking lots forever just to try to find a closer parking spot to the entrance. I see people all the time leaving their shopping carts in a parking spot next to their cars just so they don’t have to walk to the cart return to put it away like they should, just to save a 20 second walk. We think we are so smart finding these short cuts but in reality, we’re not so smart.

Why am I writing about this? Well, coming from a health enthusiast, and a professional trainer, most people don’t realize what a difference it would make in their lives if they just incorporate a few simple things into their lifestyles. Here are a few examples. Sure, one of these may not make a difference, but a combination of these things consistently will change the way you feel.

1. If you are headed to the second floor or even the third floor of a building, take the stairs, both up and down!

2. Stop looking for the closest parking spot to the entrance of wherever you are going, especially grocery shopping, It’s not like you have to carry your groceries. You have a cart to do that.

3. Speaking of shopping, take your shopping cart back to the cart return like you’re supposed to.

4. Depending on how large a yard you have, cut at least some, if not all of the lawn with a push mower and don’t buy the ones that drive themselves! Push it.

5. Get outside in the winter and shovel your sidewalks.

6. If you’ve been doing your cardio workout on the treadmill for ages, try an elliptical or even better a stair climber for a change.

7. Walk faster.

8. If you work, don’t sit around during your lunch break, especially if you sit at your job all day. Have a good healthy lunch and as soon as you are done, get outside and go for a brisk walk.

9. Again, unless you have a substantial amount of property, get outside in the fall and rake up the leaves using a rake, not a leaf blower.

These are some of the examples of how easy it is to make a difference in the way you feel and how your body stays fit. Stop looking for the easiest way to do things. We need to challenge ourselves physically more often than we are or Mother Nature will inevitably take over and before you know it, you will have no choice but to find the easiest way to do things or someone else to do them for you because you no longer can do them. Sad but true.

Gino