Weekly strength training plan for weight loss and fat burning

The easiest and fastest way to improve your appearance is to burn fat. If you want to look slimmer, spend calories by actively exercising. Weight loss workouts for men and women are radically different. A competent comprehensive approach should include a balanced diet, exercise programs from a professional trainer and rest.

Today, weight loss workouts for men and women are becoming increasingly popular, but with the same goal, these are completely different programs. The features of programs for boys and girls are dictated by the physiological differences in their bodies.

Also, in addition to the training itself for weight loss for men and women, it is important to know the basics of proper nutrition before and after training.

Strength training for weight loss for men

It should be remembered that all weight loss programs for men and women are significantly different. This occurs due to the physiological characteristics of organisms of both sexes. Differences between programs are caused by the following factors:

1. The male body stores fat more slowly than the female body and in smaller quantities; it burns it much faster. This happens because a man is by nature a breadwinner, his life is connected with hard physical labor, so fat should be easily converted into energy. However, this does not mean that the stronger sex can safely ignore the need to exercise to lose weight.
2. In the body of a man and a woman, on average, the number of fat cells is the same, however, they differ in size and the functioning of enzymes. In men, fat cells are smaller and contain significantly more fat-digesting enzymes.
3. A man with large muscle mass per day has a higher energy expenditure for basal metabolism (at rest) than a man with a weak body, and several orders of magnitude higher than a woman, which is also reflected in the men’s training program for weight loss.
4. Men constantly have a certain level of anabolic hormones in their blood, which is why their fat cells, when losing weight, respond better to energy activity, which means that a man loses weight to a greater extent due to the consumption of fat rather than muscle tissue.

If you're a man looking to lose weight, try this 3-day weight loss workout.

Training program for men

Training for men, in turn, can also vary depending on the tasks facing the athlete. If your goal is to lose fat and tone your muscles, then you should focus your attention on programs that involve circuit training with a lot of cardio. If you have set yourself a goal - to become big and powerful, you should focus on programs with an emphasis on heavy (relative to your level of fitness), basic movements. Choosing a training program depending on your goal.

Strength training for weight loss for women

It is somewhat more difficult for women to lose weight, this is explained by a number of characteristics of their bodies:

1. A woman's body is naturally programmed to store energy in the form of fat, since after puberty the female body prepares for childbearing.
2. In women, fat cells are larger and contain more enzymes responsible for the accumulation of fat.
3. In the female body, the amount of muscle tissue is approximately 20-40% lower than in men, this significantly lengthens and complicates the process of losing weight. This happens because muscles expend much more energy than other body tissues.
4. There are no male steroid hormones in the female body, therefore, during weight loss through intense training, women's muscles are not protected from destruction.

Taking into account all the features of the female body and, in particular, the nature of enzymes, the fair sex should engage exclusively in female training for weight loss. This will allow you to get exactly the results you want without burning any hard-earned muscle.

All exercises in this workout are done in one superset (in a circuit format). Perform one set of each exercise without resting between sets. Then break for 1-2 minutes, and repeat the circle of exercises. You'll end up doing 3 sets of 20 reps.

During training, the heart rate must be increased (see Karvonen's formula) to trigger fat burning processes, but the weights used are insignificant to ensure comfortable repetition of movements.

Circuit training to burn fat

Circuit training at home - exercise program

I often read about circuit training on the Internet. Can you do the exercises yourself at home?

Yes, you can. The idea of ​​circuit training is that you do a series of exercises for different muscle groups with little or no break. The only time you pause is to change your position, pick up dumbbells, and move to another place in the room. This is the so-called circle. It includes 5-8 exercises, each of which must be repeated 15-20 times. After the circle, rest for 2-3 minutes, after which the circle is repeated. Usually do 2-3 laps per workout. It all depends on your level of fitness: the weaker you are, the fewer exercises and circles. The duration of the entire workout is from 30 to 60 minutes, optimally 45-50.

It is especially convenient that you can practice not only in the gym, but also at home, and in the summer - on the street area, and in the winter - at home. It’s good if you have dumbbells and a horizontal bar, but you can do without any equipment at all, using exercises with your own body weight (squats, jumping, push-ups, lifting and bending your arms and legs).

Fullbody for muscle growth

I've heard that a full body training regimen called the "full body" is popular now. Is this the same circuit training?

No, although they are often confused. Circuit training works all muscle groups in one session with a large number of repetitions (at least 15) and with a minimum of rest (only after a full circuit). Accordingly, the burden will be minimal or absent altogether, otherwise you simply will not have enough strength. In fullbody (from English full body - “whole body”) they also work with all muscle groups in one day. But there is a completely different regime: relatively heavy weights, only 8-15 repetitions of each exercise and rest for 1.5-2 minutes between all exercises, and not between circles. The full body exercises can be the same.

However, circuit training is essentially strength aerobics - everything is fast and seemingly easy, while fullbody is a full-fledged “muscle pumping” with large dumbbells and noticeable efforts. Therefore, a fullbody will not be of much help to those whose main goal is to lose weight.

How to alternate exercises correctly, training the whole body in a circle?

The most common and easiest to remember circle diagram is classic or linear. We start with exercises for larger muscle groups and gradually move on to smaller ones. Accordingly, at the beginning we do more complex (so-called complex) exercises that involve several muscle groups, because they require more strength and coordination. These are, for example, squats with weights and in a machine, lunges, leg press in a machine, deadlift (lifting a barbell from the floor), pull-ups, push-ups, bench press, etc.

We gradually move on to easier-to-perform and physically easier exercises for individual small muscle groups (they are called isolating, since here one or another muscle works in isolation from the rest). These are all kinds of biceps curls, triceps extensions, dumbbell lifts from the front, side and back for individual muscle bundles of the shoulder, etc. As a rule, they start with the legs and buttocks, devoting about a third of the workout to them, then load the back, chest, shoulders and hands. Ab exercises are usually done at the very end of the circuit.

Keep in mind that many complex exercises immediately involve the legs, buttocks and back, and exercises for the back, shoulders and chest in one way or another involve the arms. I advise you to think through the circuit exercises in advance and write down the sequence in a notebook; even professionals do not train “out of their heads.”

Is circuit training a good choice for a beginner?

The circular exercise helps to learn basic movements and will give good general physical training to those who have not done fitness before. This is the optimal type of exercise for burning fat. But in fact, its scope of use is much wider.

This is a great choice for those who do not have the opportunity to train more than 1-2 times a week. Or for those who prefer another type of movement (Nordic walking, skiing, dancing), but see that their favorite activity is not enough for weight loss. Just supplement your favorite activity with one or two workouts a week, and you are sure to move away from the plateau.

Another plus is that this type of training is more successful than others in fighting cellulite and sagging body, since you not only lose weight, but also tone your muscles. By the way, if you run a lot or do aerobics and feel that your muscles have become very thin (this often happens when you overdo aerobic training), circular exercise will help strengthen them. In general, circuit training can be complemented with any other exercise, no matter what, if you need to enhance the fat-burning effect, increase endurance and make the body more elastic.

Who is circuit training not suitable for?

First of all, for those who are interested in significantly increasing muscle mass. This requires training like the fullbody we mentioned. But during circuit training, it is important to calculate your strength so that it is enough for all the circuits. Beginners often start trying hard right away, and by the end of the first round they feel weak, after which they say that this scheme is too difficult. Really just start with minimal weights and don't be tempted to increase them right away.

Whether it was easy or normal for you can only be assessed after the last lap! And don't do circuit training more than every other day (i.e. more than 3-4 times a week). With this type of training, the muscles need two days to recover. In between, you can do very light exercise, such as regular walking or light swimming.

Adding cardio to strength training to burn fat

Some people go to the gym to tone up a specific part of their body, such as their abs. Such visitors come to the gym and perform several sets of crunches every day, but do not see any progress. Why?

It is important to know that there is no such thing as localized fat burning. If a person wants to reduce their waist size, several sets of crunches will not help.

For such a result, the fat content in the body must be quite low (for women 14-20%, for men 8-13%), and this can only be done by including cardio exercises in the program on the days between strength training. Aerobic training with elements of interval training is best.

How to choose a cardio workout program

So, what does gym cardio look like for beginners?

• The first condition in order to achieve the greatest impact from training is not to eat for 1.5-2 hours before and after exercise. Moreover, the desired choice of food before classes is cereals, and afterward – emphasis on low-fat proteins.
• Be sure to monitor the water balance in the body. You can and should drink during training! As much as you want, without restrictions. It is best to take a liter of water with you to ensure you meet your drinking needs.
• The duration of the workout should be 20 to 30 minutes for beginners and 40 to 60 minutes for advanced ones.
• Ideally, the best time for cardio is the morning, when you can work out most effectively with fresh energy and on an empty stomach.
• The frequency of classes should be at least three times a week for beginners and 5 days a week for weight loss. It’s also not worth training every day for a week, since the body needs at least a couple of days to recover.
• And, since cardio training involves stress on the heart, it is necessary to closely monitor your heart rate.

On average, the maximum heart rate during training should correspond to the following value: 220 - your age. During the minimum load during exercise, your heart rate should be 0.6 of this value, during the maximum - 0.8. For fat burning, the recommended heart rate is 120-150 beats per minute.

Cardio training - maintenance

Interval training
Treadmill training

• 45 seconds of fast walking, then 2 minutes of walking at an average speed. Do 5 sets, but gradually try to increase them to 7.
• Body part: Quadriceps Equipment: Exercise

Treadmill workout

• 4-5 minutes of slow walking.
• Body part: Quadriceps Equipment: Exercise

Treadmill workout

• 25 minutes of walking at an average speed. Gradually increase the time to 30 minutes.
• Body part: Quadriceps Equipment: Exercise

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Let's consider the issues of menu planning.

Cardio machines

Let's look at what kind of exercise equipment modern gyms are equipped with for cardio training:

• First of all, this is, of course, a treadmill (the primary and ideal option for cardio training)
• Exercise bike (an excellent unit for training the muscles of the legs and buttocks)
• Ellipsoid or orbitrack (uses all muscle groups simultaneously)
• Stepper (a primitive version of a treadmill purely for walking)
• Rowing machines (a good option for pumping up the muscles of the back, shoulder girdle and hips).

It should be noted here that by constantly using only one of them, it will be difficult to achieve the required result. It is recommended to alternate exercise machines, developing and pumping different muscle groups, giving them the necessary load.

Diet for weight loss

You can’t buy an ideal body without excess fat and with beautiful muscles in a store or through an online catalogue. You really have to work hard to create it. This work is akin to a mosaic; each of its elements is important. Only together they will give an amazing result - a toned body.

Losing extra calories is just math. The number of calories consumed daily should be less than those expended. Professional bodybuilders and fitness models carefully calculate this ratio and therefore can burn as much as they need.

7000 kcal equals one kilogram. This means that if a person spends 1000 kcal more daily than he consumes, then the weight loss per week will be one kilogram.

Proper nutrition for quick weight loss, reasonable rest and recovery, sports supplements, strong motivation and focus on results, quality sleep - there are no trifles in achieving your goal. We study specifically what proper nutrition should be for weight loss.

Eat more vegetables; in the first half of the day you can treat yourself to fruits. Eat often, but in small portions.

How to create a nutrition menu and diet for weight loss will help:

• The best diets for weight loss, the best diet
• Protein diet for weight loss, menu for a week, 7, 10 and 14 days with menu
• A healthy and nutritious diet for weight loss
• How to learn to correctly count calories in food and products

Sports supplements

On training days, your muscles need nutrient support, so drink a protein shake 30 minutes before training, or after working out in the gym. A general set of additives may look like this:

Results of regular classes

If you visit the fat burning training room as part of a whole course and follow all the instructor’s advice, you can achieve the following results with Power Plate®:

• Due to changes in metabolism, a reduction in fat mass by 25% is achieved in six months of training. Such changes are due to an increase in testosterone, growth hormone, norepinephrine and serotonin, as well as an increase in blood flow to the muscles during training.
• Anti-cellulite effect. Cellulite disappears along with fatty tissues on the abdomen, upper arms, and mammary glands. At the same time, the production of skin collagen is activated.
• Tendons, ligaments, and muscle corset are strengthened. Due to this, a person’s endurance and performance increases, posture and gait improve. Read more about strengthening muscles using a vibration platform HERE.

Positive changes in the body are noticeable after the first fat-burning workouts. In this case, important attention is paid to the development of an individual training program.

All sessions of working on a vibration platform in a fitness club are conducted with an experienced instructor. A personal trainer helps you determine the shortest path to your weight loss and body shaping goals. In addition, the instructor always monitors the correct execution of exercises on the Power Plate® and helps to maintain motivation.