Any sort of weight training is good for the body. Muscle not only helps you move better, but it also helps to increase the amount of calories you burn. In order to lose weight you must burn more calories than you consume. The type of weight training you perform can help to maximize calorie burn and get results more quickly. Machine weights are a great way to overload the muscle and provide the stimulus muscles need to be more efficient. However, machines are very stable and provide a guided range of motion which will require only one plane of motion. As mentioned, this can be good for muscles, but it does not require the rest of the body to provide stabilization. Fixed-motion weight machines can reduce the potential number of calories that can be burned during a resistance training session. Free weights and performing exercises in a standing position will help to maximize the amount of calories being burned. This happens because the muscles have to work harder to stabilize the rest of the body. Another important consideration is the speed at which the repetitions are being performed. A repetition is one complete movement of an exercise. The slower the repetition, the longer the muscles will have to work and the more calories which will be burned during the exercise. The last point to consider is the amount of rest taken between exercise sets. If a long rest period is taken, allowing full recuperation, the amount of calories being burned is reduced. In summary, when designing a weight training program for weight loss, it is recommended to perform the exercises in a standing position (if possible) or using free weights, with slow repetitions and minimal rest period.
Exercise For Weight Loss
Regular exercise, along with diet, is a critical part of any weight loss program and is often listed first when suggesting weight loss tips. To lose weight, your body has to be burning more calories than it's taking in – a difficult thing to do if you aren't actively working out. But it doesn't have to be a daunting exercise. Fun activities like gardening, dancing, walking, yoga and swimming can help you burn as many calories as an afternoon at the gym.
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See All 2 AnswersFitness Strategies for Weight Loss Success
Our body is designed for survival. That means that it is great at conserving and storing energy. This is a true disadvantage to those of us trying to reverse the amount of stored energy that we have.Here are a few suggestions to maximize your exercise time and results.
The strategies:
- Bottom line to weigh less: E IN vs. E OUT. If you are attempting to lose weight/fat you need to expend more calories than you consume. If you are not losing weight you are not in a deficit.
- Weight Loss is different than Maintenance of Muscle while losing Fat. These are two significantly different methods to two significantly different outcomes.
- Working out initially burns a significant amount of extra calories. Your body is an adaptive machine. Its goal is different than your desires.
- Your results slow down after 1-2 months. It is natural.
- Exercise increases the need for nutrients. If you are dieting and exercising then the body needs nutrition that is extremely difficult to attain from food alone. If you are in a nutrient deficit and a calorie deficit, this can begin to ruin your ‘metabolism’.
- The body strives for “the path of least resistance”. This means that it likes to be efficient. This is counter-productive towards any Fat Loss goal. Mentally, you are striving to burn more calories; physically your body is trying to figure out how to burn less.
- If you are exercising for the same amount of time and at the same intensity on the same machines for more than a month you are allowing the body to become efficient. (S.A.I.D. Principle)
- Make frequent changes to your workout. Workout changes prevent boredom and increase the challenge to your body.
- Utilize Strength Training. It helps to maintain muscle tissue, which will help to keep your metabolism higher, it maintains "tone" and it burns more calories than cardio does.
- When doing strength training be sure to use "bang for your buck" exercises that use multiple muscles and motions. If your goal is not to be a bodybuilder, then do not train like one.
To your health,
Robert
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Jeff Croswell , NASM Elite Trainer , Fitness, answeredSee All 4 AnswersSuper slow training from my experience does not help promote weight loss but can help promote strength gains. You just don't work hard enough to get your heart rate up to provide a high calorie burn to cause weight loss. You will however fatigue the muscles faster because you are using more muscle fibers in your exercises. So if you are looking for strength gains this would be great. However for fat loss you would want to do a program that will increase your heart rate and calorie burn like interval training. -
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National Academy of Sports Medicine answeredSee All 4 AnswersExercise is a great way to lose weight, but it’s only part of the equation. If you’re trying to lose weight, exercise, diet, practicing good habits, and a living healthy lifestyle all form the basis for losing weight.
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National Academy of Sports Medicine answeredSee All 3 AnswersTo lose any amount of weight in a healthy manner, you will want to set a goal of losing two pounds per week. In order to lose weight, you must burn more calories than are being taken in. One pound of fat is roughly 3,500 calories. To lose two pounds per week, you will have to burn 7,000 calories more than you take in each week. At the rate of two pounds per week, it would take up to 50 weeks to achieve your goal of 100 pounds. This may be discouraging, but 100 pounds is a significant amount of weight. To help you along the way, set smaller goals that can be achieved in a shorter amount of time. This will prevent thinking in terms of all or nothing. Setting a goal of eight pounds per month will be easier to track and will provide the necessary motivation to get to you where you want to be.
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Dr. Michael Roizen, MD , Internal Medicine, answeredSee All 6 Answers
Many Americans tend to spend a lot of time working their peripheral muscles (like their biceps or their calves), but efficient strength training comes when you work the big muscles that make up the core axis of your body—your legs, the large muscles of your upper body (like your chest and shoulders), and your abdominals. They're your foundation muscles. They burn more calories than smaller muscles, and are also involved in many more movements and functions than smaller muscles—which makes any vulnerabilities or weaknesses they have more influential to your day-to-day health of wellbeing. Luckily, you don't need any equipment to train your foundation muscles and see the benefits.Find out more about this book:
YOU: On A Diet Revised Edition: The Owner's Manual for Waist Management
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Dr. Michael T. Murray, ND , Naturopathic Medicine, answered
We at the Hunger Free Forever program recommend combination of aerobic, strength training, and flexibility exercises are recommended for gaining maximum benefits for weight control. Aerobic exercise refers to movement that increases utilization of oxygen. Aerobic exercises include walking briskly, jogging, bicycling, cross-country skiing, swimming, aerobic dance, and racquet sports. Strength-training (anaerobic) exercises include lifting weights and other resistance exercises as well as certain types of yoga. Circuit training, like the program at Curves, involves lighter resistance and higher repetitions of each exercise done with little rest between sets. Circuit training has some muscle-building benefits, along with greater aerobic or cardiovascular benefits than conventional weight training. We believe that there is too much focus on aerobic exercises for weight loss, and that strength-training exercise is actually more critical to long-term weight control, because it is able to build muscle mass. For overall health and fitness, we recommend engaging in both, as well as performing regular stretching exercises to maintain flexibility. Yoga, tai chi, and stretching classes are fantastic ways to increase flexibility.
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Saint Agnes Medical Center answeredSee All 6 AnswersThe type of exercise you do to lose weight doesn’t matter as much as you might think, as long as you're active. In one study, to test the effectiveness of different types of physical activity, researchers put 96 obese adults on a 22-week calorie-restricted diet and randomly assigned them to one of three exercise routines. One group did only endurance exercise, such as running; the second group was limited to biceps curls, bench presses and other strength-training exercises; and the third did a combination, which could include the treadmill, cycling, rowing machine and bench press.
All three groups exercised for the same amount of time at the same level of intensity and all experienced positive results, including significant reductions in body weight, body mass index, waist circumference and total fat mass. Each group also had a significant increase in lean body mass, according to the research.
Trinity Health is a Catholic health care organization that acts in accordance with the Catholic tradition and does not condone or support all practices covered in this site. In case of emergency call 911. This site is educational and not a substitute for professional medical advice, always seek the advice of a qualified healthcare provider. -
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Robert DeVito , Fitness, answeredSee All 2 Answers
Yes. Integrated training is beneficial for weight loss. First, any and all exercise will increase your total daily calorie burn. Second, the itegrated training model has been shown to maximize calorie burn.
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Dr. Andrea Pennington, MD , Integrative Medicine, answeredUtilizing free weights or the circuit training equipment at your health club is a great way to tone the major muscle groups. But when it's raining, snowing, or you've got to baby-sit, you can still get a good strength-training workout in the convenience of your own home. You could invest in small hand weights or use things you already have in your kitchen. Weigh some canned vegetables and perform simple bicep curls or, use two good-sized books or gallon milk bottles filled with water that you can comfortably handle.