Best Gym Routines For Weight Loss

If you want to lose weight and get fit then you should know about the best gym routines for weight loss. Not all workout regiments are shared equally and not every training system is ideal for each person. You should have a clear idea about what kind of program can work for you based on your personality, stamina and goals.

Why You Should Have A Workout Routine

Having a workout routine is important because

1. It Keeps You Consistent

Most people with to-do lists will more often than not end up sticking to them. If you have an appointment scheduled in your calendar you are most likely to keep it in spite of whatever happens. The same logic applies to a workout routine. Slotting some time every week to exercise will keep you in line not letting you fall off the wagon.

2. Helps With Frequency

It is hard to either build muscle or effectively lose weight when working out just one day a week. No matter how hard you push yourself on this one day, you cannot beat the results or effects of someone who may have, say a 4-day workout routine for weight loss and muscle gain. Exercising for more days helps keep your metabolism up to burn calories and keeps your muscles active to help them tone up and grow.

3. It Is More Efficient

When at the gym, or even when working out from home, many of us would be tempted to stick to the exercises that we love and enjoy. While it is great to enjoy exercising, choosing to work out one part of the body in favor of the other is not an efficient way to lose weight or gain muscle. What is the point of having killer abs and strong arms when your lower body has little to no muscle definition?

4. It Helps Avoid Overtraining

Overtraining is constant intense training that does not provide adequate time for recovery. Pushing yourself too much and too far which causes the body to further break down. A proper workout routine always includes different workouts for different muscle groups. You also need to allocate rest days to help you relax, giving your muscles some time to repair and build themselves. Overtraining then leads to issues such as an altered resting heart rate, insomnia, increased injury, extended muscle soreness, plateaued progress, a loss of concentration, and an increased risk of injury, among others . Having a varied routine also prevents boredom, delays a performance plateau, and improves adherence

How To Create A Workout Plan?

Creating a workout is not as hard as some would consider it to be. If you are finding it hard to do, here are some tips on how to create a workout plan that works best for you and your goals (6):

• Determine What Your Goals Are

At the end of a set time – for example in 3 months – what goal would you have liked to have achieved? Are you looking to have a smaller waistline? Do you want to be able to run for 30 minutes straight or would you like to have increased your weights in the gym by an extra 10 pounds? Determining your goals helps you set a routine that guides you to work effectively towards this goal.

• Pick The Days That Work For You

Some people like to be at the gym first thing Monday morning, while others prefer to work out from the middle of the week heading into the weekend. Whichever days you choose, make sure that they are days that fit effectively with your schedule, which will make it less likely for you to skip out on exercising.

• Divide Up Your Days

Having an effective 4-day weight loss workout for men or women does not mean only doing cardio, HIIT, or strength training all the 4 days of the week. This will most likely lead to overtraining. Instead of doing this, it is advisable to dedicate different days to different types of exercises, all targeting different muscle groups i.e.,

1. Strength training – Mondays & Thursdays = lower body workouts while Tuesdays and Fridays = Upper body workouts
2. Mondays & Thursdays = Cardio while Tuesdays and Fridays are dedicated to either upper body or lower body workouts (depending on the week or day)
3. Mondays = Cardio, Tuesdays = Lower body workouts, Thursdays = HIIT and Fridays = Lower body exercises

PS: It is important to remember that you should not train only one muscle group all week. While you can train a specific muscle group two days in a row (7), dedicating a 4-day workout routine for weight loss to the same type of exercises for the same muscles groups will most likely lead to overtraining and possible injury.

• Determine Amount Of Reps Per Workout

When setting up your 4-day workout routine for weight loss and toning, it is important to realize that different goals require different approaches. One size doesn’t fit all. For example, for fat loss, it is advisable to do more reps (i.e., 15 to 20 reps per set),  while toning and muscle gain requires few reps per set – about 8 to 12 reps.

• Be Ready To Switch Things Up Every 3 Or So Months

After about 12 to 14 weeks of doing the same workouts, our body adapts to these moves and intensity and thus we end up burning less calories and the muscles tear less thus we end up experiencing a performance or weight loss plateau. Always change your workout routine after about 3 months.

• Determine How Much Time You Need To Spend Per Workout

According to the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, if you are looking to lose weight, you should aim to accumulate a weekly total of at least five hours of moderate cardio (300 minutes), or two-and-a-half hours of vigorous activity (150 minutes) In terms of strength training, it is recommended that you do both isolation and compound exercises two to three days a week (4). In a 4-day workout routine for weight loss, you could aim for one or two days of strength training, depending on your schedule.

• Schedule Time For A Warmup And Cool Down

Every effective exercise plan needs to include a few minutes for warming up and cooling down. Warm-ups rev up your cardiovascular system by raising your body temperature and increasing blood flow to your muscles, which in turn helps reduce muscle soreness and lessen your risk of injury. Cool-downs after a session allows your heart rate and blood pressure to slowly go back down to the pace they were at before you started your workout session. Failure to cool down could lead to light-headedness, dizziness and/or fainting (8).

Effective Beginner Workouts for Starting a Weight Loss Journey

Starting a weight loss journey can feel intimidating, but these apps and YouTube channels are full of fun, effective beginner workouts that’ll help. Exercise isn’t easy, and it’s especially hard when you’re just getting started. It’s tempting to set ambitious weight loss goals, but the best way to start a weight loss journey is to plan for gradual progress with a workout type you enjoy. Getting started with any new exercise routine can feel difficult, so it’s best to take baby steps and begin at your own pace. And finding one that’s fun will make the process a little easier. Little by little you’ll start to get better with the help of a reliable fitness tracker, workout apps, and online exercise classes. Here are some of the best beginner workouts to try if you’re starting a weight loss journey.

1. Walking: Walk at Home by Leslie Sansone

Walking is one of the most popular ways to exercise, and it’s also one of the best ways to start losing weight and improving your fitness. Since it requires no equipment, you can do a quick walk anywhere, and it’s absolutely free. It is a low-impact cardio exercise that can improve your mobility and strength, and you have plenty of opportunities to make it fun. If you have a pet who likes to walk, take them with you for some fun motivation. If you like hiking or taking nature photos, plan part of your walk along local trails. Even walking at a fairly slow pace can get your heart rate up and help you burn calories as you start a weight loss journey. If you’re sick of walking around your neighborhood and would prefer to do your walking from the comfort of your living room, then take a look at the Walk at Home YouTube Channel by Leslie Sansone. Her videos are incredibly popular, and they include a wide range of great classes that are free and easy to do for beginners. There’s also an accompanying Walk at Home mobile app that you can use to watch videos from different collections and download them for offline viewing. Whether you have 30 minutes or 15 minutes free, Sansone’s exercise classes are fun and will help you enjoy your walking workout.

2. Water Aerobics: Fitness Anytime and Anywhere by Marzena

Doing exercises in the water can have a range of amazing benefits, especially for people who suffer from painful joints and bones or have difficulty moving. Because water makes the body feel lighter, it is a wonderful way for beginners to start exercising. But if swimming laps is too harsh, water aerobics is a great alternative to try. If there are no water aerobics classes available where you live then it’s a great idea to follow along with a guided water aerobics class online. Try the Fitness Anytime and Anywhere YouTube Channel by Marzena, which offers water workouts that are simple and easy to follow. Her classes are varied and include water aerobics classes, water Pilates, exercise routines with pool noodles and resistance bands, and more. Popular workout videos include the following:

• Fat Burning Aqua Aerobic Workout with Water Dumbbells and Pool Noodles (YouTube)
• Water Pilates: Balance and Strength Exercises in the Pool (YouTube)
• Water Exercises with Aqua Noodles: Cardio (YouTube)

Add one of her workouts to your routine, and you’ll get all the benefits of exercising without the strain on your joints and bones.

3. Stationary Bike: Zwift

Just like walking, riding a stationary bike is another cardio exercise to add to your routine that’s easy to do and great for anyone just starting out a weight loss journey. Because you won’t be riding a bike through traffic or over rough terrain, using a stationary bike is safer and offers a more comfortable experience. Some seated, stationary bikes also come with a backrest for added support. It’s also beneficial for those who have back problems or need to strengthen their core muscles before they can ride long distances. Not only does riding a stationary bike enhance the muscles in your lower body, but it also contributes to other important health benefits, like cardio fitness, by strengthening your heart and lungs and improving your body’s oxygen capacity. One of the best benefits of having an indoor stationary bike is that you can make use of a great cycling app. Are you wondering which is the best cycling app for you? One of the most popular apps, Zwift, has an amazing app that makes cycling indoors fun! The Zwift app has over 1,000 workouts available that you can customize. Plus, you can track your progress and goals and chat with friends in the community groups.

4. Jump Rope: Jump Rope Dudes

Besides being an old game that you might’ve played with your friends at school, jump rope is also an effective way to exercise and achieve amazing results. Jump rope is simple to do: with just a rope, you can burn almost the same number of calories as riding a bike. Although jump rope is a great way to exercise for beginners, it is a high-impact workout. It’s best to start slow, watch your posture, and slowly work your way up. If you’d like to start your weight loss journey by doing jump rope exercises, then it’s best to use a guided online class. The popular Jump Rope Dudes YouTube channel coaches you through lots of simple jump rope classes that you can do right at home. Do you want to do a 10-minute jump rope workout or commit to a 7-day beginner challenge? Either way, you can browse through the Jump Rope Dudes’ YouTube playlists and find exactly what you need.

Workout Strategies to Lower Body Fat Percentage

1. Start Stepping

It may seem small, familiar and just a little too easy, but it’ll make a difference: Get on your feet more often. As Costello puts it, it’s difficult to burn enough excess calories in an hour-long sweat session alone. But frequently taking breaks from your seat? That could actually make or break your daily deficit. In fact, a study found that simply standing rather than sitting for six hours a day could help a 140-pound person burn more than 50 extra calories in 24 hours. And that doesn’t involve any movement, just static standing. Imagine the calorie-crushing possibilities if you took brisk walks on the daily.

2. HIIT It Hard

Besides taking more moments to stand up, doing a more efficient workout means you’ll blast more calories and burn more fat. For that, you’ll want to turn to interval workouts, says Costello. Metabolic conditioning (aka metcon) workouts place a high-demand on the body by testing its different energy systems. “Once you influence your metabolic burn rate, it stays up even during rest intervals. That gives you a much more efficient fuel burn, without feeling like you overdid it,” says Costello. He suggests sticking with metcon workouts of about 30 minutes and HIIT workouts (in which you work at an even higher intensity) for about 15 minutes. Aim to do these every other day, or take two to three days of rest between each, so your body can properly recover, Costello says. “As you get in better shape, you’ll see that you burn more calories week after week, because you don’t get as exhausted,” Costello explains. That’ll also help you reach the caloric deficit you need for weight and fat loss.

3. Add Some Resistance

Beyond sweat-inducing intervals, another way to increase your fat-burning and muscle-building potential is resistance training. “Strength training is indispensable, because it’s the only thing that preserves muscle tissue over time,” says Brad Schoenfeld, PhD, CSCS, assistant professor of exercise science at Lehman College in Bronx, NY. “Cardio can burn more calories, but it doesn’t do much to prevent muscle loss.” And you’ll want more muscle to burn more daily calories. Science backs up this need to lift weights for weight loss. A study involving about 250 individuals in their 60s pitted cardio workouts against strength sessions. The researchers found that while you need both, resistance work wins out in terms of losing fat without losing muscle. “If you want to preserve muscle during weight loss, you need to stimulate it with a progressive resistance training program,” says Kristen Beavers, assistant professor of health and exercise science at Wake Forest University and lead author on the study. (She notes these results most likely apply to younger people, too.) So if you want to build muscle that staves off weight loss, you can’t turn to walking or running alone. Another benefit of strength training: It preps your muscles to push even harder during tough interval sessions, says Costello. “When you improve your muscles’ metabolic conditioning — so think of building lean muscles — you’re building the capacity to go faster,” he says. While lots of people place emphasis on how this helps you burn more calories at rest, Costello says it also lets you push yourself in your next workout. Aka the more you strength train, the harder you work in your next workout, and the more calories you burn overall. Hello, calorie deficit, weight loss and body fat reduction. To effectively implement strength training into your schedule, Shoenfeld suggests continuously changing up your routine and adding more resistance to see weight loss and muscle gain. “You have to lift at a high level of effort and challenge your muscles on a consistent basis,” he says. Shoenfeld suggests focusing on total-body, compound movements that work multiple muscles at once, which will also up the calorie burn. Aim for at least three days a week for these workouts, he says. As for choosing a weight (if you’re upping it from bodyweight), mimic the protocol of the Wake Forest study, opting for 70% of your one-rep maximum and readjusting as you get stronger.