Too often people search for some miracle program or exercise that is going to have huge effects on their weight loss. However, in reality, a few tweaks to their current program could switch it from bland and ineffective, to a supercharged calorie burning workout!
3 Principles That Increase the Calorie Burning Effect of a Resistance Workout
1. Make the muscles that are already working, work harder
2. Involve more muscle groups in an exercise
3. Get more work done in the same (Or less) Amount of time
4 Ways to Use at Least One of These Principles
1. Increase The Intensity
Lift more. Don’t be afraid of lifting heavy weights if you are trying to lose weight. The added stress on the muscles can boost your metabolism for hours after training.
I normally recommend a weight that you can’t lift more than 8 times. If you can do 3 sets of 12 then it is getting too easy and it is time to move up in weight.
2. Combine Exercises Together
Could you do a shoulder press after every squat? What about a few mountain climbers in between each push-up? By adding exercises together we get much more bang for our buck. This can add up to a huge calorie burning boost over the course of a workout.
3. Decrease Stability
This is a way we can inadvertently add more muscle groups to an exercise. The decrease in stability means your core and ancillary muscles have to work harder to keep you in a stable position. If you have been using machine weights for awhile then a simple method is to switch to free weight exercises. If you are more advanced, then using kettlebells, Bosu’s and exercise balls are a good way to switch things up and decrease the stability of your current exercises.
4. Superset Opposite Muscle Groups Together
This to me is one of the biggest factors that separates a weight loss program from a strength workout. Typically in a strength workout, you will see people in the gym rest anywhere from 1 to 5 minutes in between sets. In a weight loss workout, we want to pair up at least two different exercises and switch between them back to back with little or no rest in between. As a general rule, the only “rest” you should be having in your workout is when you are setting up for the next superset/circuit.
Using this principle you can easily double what you get done in the same amount of time, if you have been taking long breaks, probably more! Certain exercises can be put together easily and others not so well. If you are not sure, just put an upper body exercise back to back with a lower body exercise, or a pushing exercise back to back with a pulling exercise.
I hope this advice helps to supercharge your current workout. If you aren’t sure about something, then don’t hesitate to send me a message through the Trainerize website.
