Are you sure that any physical activity will help you lose weight? We'll have to upset you! When it comes to doing individual exercises rather than high-intensity circuit training, things are tricky.
There are a large number of exercises that, despite the high results in the formation of a beautiful body relief, are absolutely useless in terms of weight loss.
What are these exercises? And can we find an effective alternative to them? Together with the experts, MedAboutMe deals with it.
Back exercises
If you are just playing sports, you definitely need to strengthen your back. Firstly, it will allow you to minimize pain after hours of sitting at the computer and long trips around the city behind the wheel. Secondly, good posture, which will become a "reward for endurance" - a guarantee of a comfortable existence of internal organs, and hence their normal functioning.
But when it comes to losing weight, any back exercises, both on simulators and with the help of sports equipment, are useless. Don't be led by myths!
What to replace?
Go for a run! If there are no contraindications for health, this is a great option. During an hour's workout, 566-839 kcal are burned. The more the original weight, the more calories are expended and the more intensively fat is burned. Choose a comfortable speed, but aim for 10 km / h. In this case, you need to alternate jogging with running with acceleration.
“For workouts to be fat burning, you need to set yourself goals with the highest calorie burn potential. In this case, calories will be consumed not only during work on the body, but also for some time after,”says fitness trainer from New York Noam Tamir.
Squats
This exercise is loved by those who are haunted by the fame of Kim Kardashian. This is because it tones the hips and makes the buttocks more rounded and firm. And the legs are well tightened. But for weight loss, this type of load is not suitable! Moreover, it cannot be practiced if there is excess weight - it is easy to injure your knees and get serious injury.
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What to replace?
Try kickboxing! This type of load allows you to burn 582 kcal per hour or more. Effective training means short rest intervals between activities. Plan 30 seconds of rest for every 90 seconds of sparring. Repeat at least 10 times!
Exercises for the press
In the hopes of gaining a thin waist and losing weight as a bonus, men and women start pumping their abs. And that's a good exercise! But not for weight loss.
During work, a load is given on strictly defined muscle groups - the abdominal press. As a result, muscle mass increases, and with it the volume of the waist (muscles "lift" fat). The total body weight is getting more, and the kilograms are not “melting”. Since, in order to lose weight, you need to load as many muscle groups as possible at the same time.
What to replace?
Train on the stairs! It's as easy and convenient as pumping your abs. In one hour of training, you can burn 542 calories. In this case, an exercise is considered effective if you walk at a speed of 77 steps per minute or more. For the results to become noticeable sooner, take the weights with you. If dumbbells are not available, an impromptu scale will do. Be sure to start your workout with stretching, then warm-up - descend the stairs and only then climb up.
Fact
You work hard and here is the result: body fat does not decrease, but body weight increases. Calm down, everything is going according to plan! If you haven't exercised for a long time and have lived a sedentary lifestyle, your muscles are practically atrophied. With the beginning of regular classes, they return to the volumes laid down by nature. For men it is 40% of the weight, and for women it is 30%.
Dumbbell Bends
Get your abs and toned arms at the same time. Is it possible? Yes, if you regularly bend to the sides, using weights. But at the same time, you will definitely not be able to lose weight! This exercise, just like the previous one, works out limited muscle groups, and for weight loss, a more serious load is needed.
What to replace?
“Strength training can help you get leaner if planned properly. At the same time, the body can actively burn calories and, at the same time, fats up to 36 hours after the end of the workout!”, Says fitness trainer Noam Tamir. Effective strength exercises:
- circular rotation of the kettlebell around the waist (the kettlebell is passed from one hand to the other 10 times, then in the opposite direction),
- deadlift (10 reps)
- kettlebell squats (10 times),
- swinging the press with weights (10 repetitions),
- exercise "swing" (starting position - feet shoulder-width apart, kettlebell on outstretched arms at chest level; tilt down in a half-squat). 10 times.
All exercises must be performed sequentially, the pause between sets is no more than 20 seconds. The break between sets is no more than a minute. Repeat as many sets as possible.
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Seated Leg Raise
This exercise is often used to locally burn fat in the thigh area. This is what people who want to lose weight are counting on. But in fact, it turns out that raising and lowering the legs does not in any way affect the amount of subcutaneous fat, although it visually tightens problem areas. To get leaner, your workout needs to be intense!
What to replace?
Exercising on a stationary bike will help to drive off excess fat that has managed to be deposited on the hips and buttocks and at the same time to lose weight. For an hour of training at an energetic pace, you can painlessly part with 500 kcal. To notice progress, you need to alternate vigorous pedaling for 10 seconds with 50 seconds of rest. Then 15 seconds of activity and 45 seconds of rest. Finally, 20 seconds of active pedaling and 40 seconds of rest. Do not forget to turn on the resistance!
Did you know?
According to the American College of Sports Medicine, 60% of fitness practitioners cannot lose weight because their workouts are very short or are scheduled at long intervals. The optimal regimen is when a person goes in for sports every other day, for an hour.
Push ups
The favorite exercise of men, which makes them look masculine, is actively used by women today. And all because there is a myth that with it you can pump up the pectoral muscles, as well as enlarge and tighten the breasts. But everything turns out to be not so rosy for verification. If you are overweight, push-ups will help increase the volume of your arms and form larger shoulders. If men are only pleased with such prospects, then women are unlikely to please. But no one will be able to lose weight on such an exercise.
What to replace?
Try the Plank exercise to tighten your belly, strengthen your arms and legs, and lose weight. Today there are dozens of ways to do it, training will definitely not seem boring! After holding the body as much as possible in the desired position, proceed to jumping rope. For an hour of training, you can burn 667-990 kcal. At the same time, you need to jump quite quickly - at least 120 jumps per minute.
Expert commentary Anastasia Grigorieva, personal trainer for bodybuilding and fitness
- Any exercise consumes calories and promotes weight loss. The main thing in all exercises is the regularity of the exercises. If you train three times a week, you can quickly see the results. If from time to time, the path will be long.
Multi-repetition training is well suited for burning body fat - these are 3 sets of 20 repetitions in each exercise - this is the main criterion. Exercises can be chosen independently, depending on the problem area.
If you want to speed up your weight loss, add a cardio load to your workout. Its most effective type is considered to be interval cardio - 2 minutes of walking, 2 minutes of jogging, 2 minutes of jogging at the limit of possibilities. So in a circle for, to begin with, 20 minutes, and with every third workout for 10 minutes longer. But don't go beyond your cardio hour.
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At a uniform pace, it is important to monitor the pulse and keep it in the fat burning zone. This is 120 - 150 beats per minute. With an increase in this indicator, not fat, but muscles begin to be consumed to a greater extent. If there is no opportunity to visit a fitness club, turn on your favorite music and arrange a workout in the fresh air: squat, jump on the bench, push up from it, do lunges, and at the end, run. The total duration is one hour. The more oxygen enters the body, the faster fat will be burned.
Expert Commentary Elena Kalen, Nutritionist, Expert in Weight Loss Psychology, Certified Coach
- When losing weight, aerobic and cardio workouts are best. Most often these are the same exercises: swimming, running, jumping, but the difference in heart rate and in the intensity of the exercise. During aerobic exercise, a load on the muscles is felt, but a person can talk, breathing is even. As soon as it becomes difficult to speak, the workout becomes cardio. It is best to combine these 2 types of load. The most popular exercises for weight loss are Nordic walking, running, jumping rope, and burpee jumping.
Strength exercises also contribute to weight loss, among them squats, push-ups and pull-ups have proven themselves well. Firstly, this is a load on a large number of muscles at once, which requires more energy consumption. And secondly, well-developed muscle tissue contributes to fat burning.
It should be noted that the weight decreases evenly throughout the body, and it will not work to burn it locally in some area. The abdominal exercises loved by many girls will not in any way affect the burning of fat in the abdomen, but will only strengthen the muscles. The same applies to the hoops - neither the stomach nor the sides will become smaller from them. Leg swings are also ineffective for fat burning, the only thing they can give is strengthening the muscles of the thigh, and then subject to certain rules of execution.
In general, any physical activity contributes to the expenditure of calories, and this is exactly what is needed for weight loss. The more intense the load and the more muscles are involved, the faster the weight loss process goes. But it should be remembered that sports are only an auxiliary tool for losing weight. Food always comes first. Start eating only when you feel hungry and stop immediately when hunger is satisfied, and the weight will decrease even without additional physical activity.
