Weight Loss Workout Plan Below!
It breaks my heart to see people working SO HARD in the gym to lose weight – spinning every day, running on the road looking like they’re dying, running high intensity sprints on a treadmill, training weights to failure. YOU DON’T HAVE TO KILL YOURSELF IN THE GYM TO LOSE WEIGHT! First and foremost – your gym routine is IRRELEVANT if you don’t have a nutrition routine. You CAN out-train a bad diet if you are exercising 2-6 hours per day, but if you’re overweight or obese, that level of exercise could cause extreme soreness, damage to your joints, and you probably don’t have the time for it anyway. So back to nutrition –
Your Daily Nutrition NEEDS TO BE The Driving Force Of Your Weight Loss.
Everyone Knows You Need To Create A Calorie Deficit, But That’s Not Enough… You need to eat
Approximately 20% Calorie deficit to YOUR Resting Metabolic Rate (which metabolic rates can vary 40-60% from someone with “slow” metabolism to someone with “fast” metabolism),
An appropriate amount of protein – not too much, not too little (typically .5-.75 per pound of lean mass plus additional based on your exercise regimen)
Adequate amount of water (minimum 1 ounce per 1 gram of protein consumed)
Adequate amount of fiber (typically 25-40 grams per day)
IF you follow a meal plan that hits those 4 points listed abnove and stay moderatively active, (I.E. 5000+ Steps Per Day) you will lose weight without exercise.
If you need to exercise to lose weight, you don’t have your Calorie target calculated accurately, and I’d HIGHLY recommend getting a Resting Metabolic Rate Test at Lift and Live.
Once you are losing weight JUST based off your nutrition plan, then it’s time to add exercise. HIGH INTENSITY EXERCISE IS NOT RECOMMENDED FOR WEIGHT LOSS!! This is because High Intensity workouts REQUIRE high sugar / high starch workout fuel to recover, and the lower you can keep sugar consumption when you’re trying to lose weight, the better.
The Ideal Exercise Program For Weight Loss Is – 2-3 days per week of moderate intensity (Heart rate 65-85% of max) 20-30 minutes of moderate intensity resistance training – whole body circuit training is best, but this can be substituted with interval training such as HIIT style cardio or bodyweight exercise. For Resistance exercise – stay 3-5 reps away from failure to keep rest to a minimum. 3-4 days per week of low intensity EXERCISE (Heart rate 55-65% of max) 20 – 60 minutes of low intensity exercise movement, such as walking, yoga, Pilates, barre, cycling. For Cardiovascular exercise- keep heart rate at 50-75% of maximum (Approximate Max HR = 220-age) UNLIMITED STRETCHING, FOAM ROLLING, AND RESTORATIVE YOGA each week Sample Workout Calendar: Monday - low intensity - walking
Tuesday - moderate intensity circuit training circuit A
Wednesday - low intensity - yoga
Thursday - moderate intensity circuit training circuit B
Friday - low intensity - walking
Saturday - moderate intensity - interval training
Sunday - low intensity - yoga or rest
Sample Workout Plan for 2-3 days of Moderate Intensity Exercise: Complete 2 circuits, 60 seconds per exercise. Choose a weight that allows 20-25 reps in the minute.
Whole Body Circuit A: 1. Squats or Leg Press 2. Pull up or Pull down 3. Hip Thrust 4. Push up or Chest Press 5. Hyperextensions or Supermans 6. Plank 7. Triceps dip 8. Reverse Fly 9. Lateral Lunge 10. Russian Twist
Whole Body Circuit B: 1. Deadlift or Leg Press 2. Low Row or Bent Over Row 3. Lunge 4. Overhead Shoulder Press 5. Pike or Sit up 6. Side Plank 7. Bicep Curls 8. Lateral Raise 9. Sumo Hip Thrust or Sumo Deadlift 10. Lateral Leg Lifts
For your optional 3rd day of Moderate Intensity Exercise, consider doing an interval cardio day:
Interval Cardio Workout - 5 minute warm up 20 minutes 1:2 intenervals – “Push” at approximately 75-85% of your max pace for 30 to 90 seconds, then “Recover” for double the amount of time you pushed. For example, if you “pushed” for 30 seconds, then you’d “recover” for 60 seconds. Repeat that 12 times until 20 minutes is up. 5 minue cool down
That’s it!
To recap –
Nail your nutrition based off your Resting Metabolic Rate Test
Add daily movement with nothing more intensity that 30 minutes moderate intensity every other day to maximize results
If you’re following the right plan, it’s guaranteed to work. Need help? Just reach out to us and we can help. Want more support on your form or training plan? Private and group personal training and training plans available at Lift and Live Fitness!