When most people say they want to lose weight, what they really mean is they want to reduce their body fat and look more toned. There are a number of different ways to achieve this, one of the main ones being weight/resistance training. When you do resistance training regularly, you increase your lean muscles tissue which elevates the metabolism as well as giving you a cardiovascular workout. There are a number of different approaches to resistance training such as the following:
Bodyweight Training Circuits - Great for the beginner or individual who hasn't exercised for a long time as there is no equipment involved, using your body-weight to provide the resistance needed - you can do it anywhere and most people are already used to moving with their own body-weight in everyday physical tasks & activities so the injury risk is lower. You should still consult with a Personal Trainer such as myself first though, in order to find out which level of exercises are safe and effective for you to use as some are obviously more advanced than others.
The Plank is a great Body-weight based exercise to challenge to core!
Bodybuilding Style Training with free weights and machines - One of the best and most renowned forms of training in order to increase muscle tone, shape and size (if required) to assist in the fat burning process. Bodybuilding training utilises mainly free-weights & machines to provide the resistance needed to strengthen and shape your muscles. Do not make the common misconception that Bodybuilding style training is only for Bodybuilders and the big guys in the gym - everyone & anyone can use these principles and techniques in order to achieve better shape and feel fitter & stronger! Olympic Lifting - A much more advanced style of training and not recommended for the novice exerciser! If you're at a physical level where you are co-ordinated, strong & flexible enough to master these movements then this is an extremely effective way of training for weight/fat loss, strength, toning, flexibility and fitness all in one! Make sure that you have some proper coaching through these movements as the injury risk is very high with these exercises if you're not trained properly with them. Some examples of these exercises are the Clean & Press, The Snatch, the Power Clean, the Dead Lift & the Squat. Not for the faint at heart! ;-)
H.I.I.T. Training - Stands for High Intensity Interval Training, this is similar to weight/Resistance training but it is more fitness/circuit based. H.I.I.T. Training can be a mixture of weights, body-weight exercises, Olympic Lifting, Sprinting, Skipping, boxing and other various jumping exercises name to few. H.I.T.T. Training is another hugely popular and very effective form of exercising for weight & fat loss as you are fully exerting yourself to maximal heart rate in bursts with short intervals. The combination of working to full capacity as well as the variety of muscle-groups all working simultaneously stimulates your body to tap into those fat reserves and burn them for energy - now we're talking!
As mentioned previously, be careful going in 'Guns Blazing' on any of these methods particularly if you're new to exercise or haven't done anything for a length of time as the body needs time to adapt. The pursuit of weight loss, athletic excellence and the perfect body has now reached such phenomenal extremes, the body is often subjected to degrees of physical work that it is not designed to tolerate. While most body tissues have the capacity to adapt and strengthen in response to increased physical activity, overuse injuries occur when activities or activity difficulties are increased too quickly for the adaption to take place.
Contact me today and book in for a consultation to find out how I can help you achieve your weight-loss goals safely and effectively. I also offer an assessment in order to determine where you're currently at and to help devise the best program in order to take you where you to be.