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Strength Training has many advantages for weight loss. Not only does the exercise raise your metabolism (ie. burns more calories and increases the heart rate, similar to cardiovascular exercise) but it also increases the amount of calories you burn at rest during any time of the day. The more muscle you have, the more energy (calories) your body burns at rest. Think of your body as a car - the bigger the car, the more gas you burn. I always hear people say they will not lift weights because they don't want to have a lot of muscle (more common among females than males). The truth is that it's hard enough for a competitive bodybuilder to gain any muscle, even with an extreme and dedicated effort. Fitness models, for example, lift a lot of heavy weights and have a vigorous weightlifting routine just to get that "ripped" look (even female fitness models). Most of those models are not huge and bulky looking. Strength training will simply make your body appear more toned and appear to have less body fat. Some Terminology When reading about strength training you will hear these words a lot. Here they are along with a definition:
High Reps vs. Low Reps It is a common misconception that higher reps give you a more toned and ripped look. Although at higher reps (around 20-25) you recruit a different type of muscle fiber, the endurance type as opposed to brute strength, the physical appearance of the muscles will look the same. The only thing that makes you look ripped is low body fat levels. However, there are major differences between low and high rep sets. Low rep sets will give you more power and grow bigger muscles while high rep sets will give you more reflex ability and endurance. High rep is often good for sports and the workouts can often be prolonged because low rep sets are very intense. Low reps are good if you want more power and a stronger-looking physique. How Long to Workout This often depends on the person, but the general rule is no longer than one hour. After an hour (or even one and a half) the body goes into what is called a catabolic state. This is where the body is extremely low on energy and starts breaking down muscle tissue for energy more than fat. By working out too long you will actually overtrain, which has many bad side effects. How Often to Train This also depends on the person. If you gain weight easily, often working each muscle group 2 times per week is best. If you have a hard time gaining weight, working each muscle once a week often works best. No matter what type of body you have you should always give a muscle group at least 48 hours to recover. This does not mean you workout every 2 days (although you can). You can work one muscle group while another is healing. Training Splits A training split is something best designed by yourself. It is simply how many days you workout and which muscle groups you do each day of the week. For example, my training splits were often 4-day splits. For example, I would work the chest/triceps on Monday, back/biceps on Tuesday, legs on Wednesday, and shoulders on Friday. This isn't the actual routine I use, I just made it up as an example of how a split is made. Post-Workout Meal Another advantage of lifting weights is being able to eat more food. After you lift weights the body is low on carbs and also needs protein. You should eat a meal within 15-30 minutes of working out that is high in protein (to aide in recovery) and moderate carbohydrates (to supply energy). You should also drink plenty of water. My post-workout meal is usually a steak and some oatmeal when I'm trying to lose weight. |
