160819 STEP 3 – WEIGHT TRAINING for Fat Loss 3 of 5
One of the first things people ask me when they want to lose fat is “how much cardio should I do.” When I respond by telling them how much weight training they should do, they always look at me like I’m crazy.
But here’s the bottom line: if you go into an aerobics class and take a snapshot of the people in there then come back 6 months later and take another shapshot, chances are VERY good that most of the people in the class haven’t made any significant changes to their bodies.
Sure, cardio training burns calories, but it doesn’t reshape your body and it doesn’t build muscle mass to same degree as weight training. This is true for both men and women.
** And a note specifically to the ladies, when I talk about muscle mass for you, I’m NOT talking about big, bulky bodybuilder muscles…I’m talking about the sleek, toned muscles that give your body the curves and shape you’re looking for! Without THAT kind of muscle mass, you may get smaller but you still won’t have the shape you’re looking for.
If you want to lose fat, you should weight train at least three times per week (e.g. Monday, Wednesday, and Friday). I like to recommend total body workouts each session for beginning trainers as it helps the body to learn the exercises faster and build strength and muscle faster.
Here’s what a typical resistance training session would look like:
3 sets of back
3 sets of chest
3 sets of thighs
2 sets of shoulders
2 sets of hamstrings
2 sets of biceps
2 sets of triceps
2 sets of calves
2 sets of abs
Take about a minute rest in between each set and aim for about 8 to 10 reps per set.
The MOST important thing to note here with rep ranges is that those 8 to 10 reps are a GUIDE NOT A TARGET. The idea is to choose a weight that makes it tough to complete those 10 reps. The idea is NOT to take a weight that you can easily do 10 reps with, do 10 reps then stop regardless of whether the muscle was really worked or not. To make progress, you need to push yourself.
I cannot TELL you how many times I’ve seen people diligently counting their reps as they whip through an exercise then stop before they even put a dent in their strength levels. When I ask them why they stopped so soon, they always tell me “that’s how many reps it says to do on my program.”
Don’t be afraid to push yourself. THAT is where the real results are.
ActivelyFitSeniors 