Resistance Training to Lose Body Fat
Weight Training Workouts and Diet Plan that Work
One great way to lose body fat is to weight train. Weight training (or resistance training), is the quickest way to lose weight, because it speeds up your resting metabolism, so you burn more calories at rest. Why is this important? A pound of fat burns only two calories at rest, a pound of muscles burns six. Only a four calorie difference you say? Yes, but you want your body working for you all the time, not just when you are exercising.
If you build, say, an extra ten pounds of muscle, you will burn an extra 40 calories an hour…so, an extra 960 calories a day, and an extra 6,720 calories a week. You need to burn 3,500 calories to lose a pound…so…if you are eating right and exercising, resistance training is going to be the best exercise to lose weight.
Which exercises in particular at the best for fast weight loss? Let us look at a variety of upper and lower body exercises and point out their benefits.
For the upper body, you need to hit all the major muscle groups. An unbalanced body will look odd and may result in pain in the underdeveloped muscles. For example, you must work chest and back, biceps and triceps. They are opposing muscle groups, and need to be worked evenly to promote balance. For chest, the granddaddy of all exercises is the bench press. Another really great chest exercise is the butterfly.
For the back, make sure to do a variety, as there are many muscles in your back, and the back is very important to your daily life. The back is part of the core, and as the term implies, it is the core of all movements. Rows, using a barbell or dumbbells are an essential back workout, as are dead lifts. Dead lifts work not only your lower back but also your hamstrings, quads, and abs.
Tricep and bicep work is probably self-explanatory. Bicep curls are something that everyone knows, but not everyone knows that the biceps work as helper muscles in triceps exercises. Tricep dips on a chair or bench are great for shaping the muscle, as are tricep kickbacks. Make sure to use a lower weight on kickbacks, as a heavier weight is unnecessary and will only compromise your form. To build tricep muscles, overhead presses and lying triceps extensions will do the trick.
Lower body exercises can be done two to three times a week, as the lower body contains the larger muscles. These muscles will burn more calories and get the heart rate up, so you will get a little cardio benefit as well when you work these muscles – another way to lose body fat. One of the best exercises to tone up in the lower half is the squat. Everyone has to do squats if they want to work the legs. Next in line are plie squats and lunges. Calf raises round out the lower half, and are great definers.
Put together, all these exercises will provide anyone with an excellent full body workout. Remember to alternate upper and lower body days, giving muscles groups at least one day of rest between workouts. Abdominals can be worked every day, or every other day, but no more than 15 to 20 minutes per day. Done correctly, these exercises will not only help you to burn excess body fat, but give you a toned, beautiful body as well.
Buying the Right Workout DVD
Best Selling Workout DVDs at Amazon
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Many people, on the road to losing weight have looked at the tons of workout DVDs on the market and wondered which ones would be the right one for them. This is not an easy question, but it gets a bit easier if you can ask yourself a few simple questions. Asking yourself these questions can really help narrow the field down to a few choices for you.
Keep in mind that losing weight is a persistence game – not only with your diet, but with your choice of exercise as well. Keeping this in mind, your first question should likely be, “What kind of exercise will I actually enjoy?” If you do not enjoy the exercise, you will not stick with it. There are many different types of exercises that work well for losing body fat. Some of those include cardio, Pilates, Yoga, interval training, and more. You should investigate as many as you can to find the one (or ones) that you are most likely to stick with.
Once that question is answered, it is time to find the best DVD for that category. The best DVD, does not necessarily mean the one that is supposed to burn fat the fastest. The best is more likely to be the one that can keep you motivated to actually plug the DVD in and do the work. It can be the most effective weight loss exercise in the world, and it will be useless if it doesn’t motivate you enough to use it! So ask yourself, “Will this DVD motivate me to keep going?”
My best recommendation is to go to a reputable retailer, such as Amazon.com and read the reviews. Don’t just look at how many reviews they have, but what the people say about them. When looking at the reviews, you could ask, “How long did the people stay with the program?” ” Did it work to motivate them?” ” Did it get them to lose weight and feel better?”
Another option is to go to a site that reviews a lot of DVDs and find out their recommendations especially one which deals with weight loss, or Pilates, or Yoga, or whatever it is you want to try and gives unbiased opinions on which ones they recommend. Sites that offer a workout DVD guide are great for steering you in the right direction.
Good luck!
5 Healthy Exercises No Matter What Your Age
Age Defying Fitness: Making the Most of Your Body for the Rest of Your Life
Exercise is good for everyone, no matter how old you are and in fact it gets more and more important to stay active as you get older. While you may not want to practice extreme sports risking life and limb, there are some great exercises you can do throughout your life.
1.Swimming: There’s a reason that you see so many senior citizens swimming and so many classes offered in the water. This is by far the best exercises that the elderly can partake in. It’s gentle on the joints and muscles, yet so beneficial in terms of the activity that it provides. The elderly may find that a quick dip on their own or even an organized class is more their style, but there are endless options. This is one exercise that senior citizens should always consider.
2.Biking: You may not consider this to be an appropriate exercise, but it really is. Jumping on a stationary bike or getting outside to ride can be as easy and gentle as you make it. By being able to set the tone and the pace, you can control your input level. It’s easy on the joints as well but provides some great exercise that your body craves. So it’s well worth starting out slowly with this exercise to see how well you get on with it.
3.Walking: Another popular exercise amongst those getting on in years, and you can quickly see why. Walking is easy enough to do and can be done anywhere, so it has great appeal. It gets you up and moving, but doesn’t have to be strenuous. You rarely risk injury and you can control how far and fast you go. This is very appealing to the elderly who want to get in some activity but don’t want to risk injury. You can get outside to enjoy it, or you can simply hit the local mall or walking track, to get in your daily activity.
4.Yoga: Many senior citizens don’t necessarily think of this activity off hand, but it can work quite well in terms of overall well being. Yoga promotes stamina and flexibility and also ensures some very necessary physical activity. There are all different types of yoga classes nowadays so you can choose one that fits your lifestyle and particular situation. This can be good for the mind as well as the body, and that’s what makes it such a great exercise option.
5.Weight Training: If you never really thought of weight training as an appropriate activity once you get older, then think again. You can control the weight that you lift, and it helps to keep bones strong and healthy. It promotes flexibility and can in many instances prevent injury, which makes it a great option.
If you are still young and agile, you may not think of the elderly as being big into exercise, but there are so many serious advantages that you should persuade family and friends who are getting on in years to make sure they include exercise in their lifestyle.
This is a guest post by Mary M Frederick, who has a website about how to find Nurse Practitioner Online Programs.
Olympic Weights Set
York Barbell 300 lb Olympic Weight Set With Bar and Collars FREE SHIPPING (CLICK IMAGE FOR DETAILS)
Resistance training or weight lifting presents an opportunity for people to improve their physical fitness. The weights’ mass provides a force that resists the muscle’s ability to contract. This causes muscles to work, and results in muscle growth as well as an increase in strength. This short and high intensity muscle movement is called anaerobic exercise. Olympic weights provide one option for weight training.
Weight training that utilizes free-weights has advantages over weight machines. The weights cost less, and they are easier to move. They require less space in the house. Individuals lifting free-weights utilize more stabilizing muscles, improve their body’s balance and the lifting action follows a more natural movement. Machines offer fewer exercise options, and limit workout flexibility. With free-weights the athlete trains with a complete movement, and doesn’t just build strength.
Olympic weight plates differ from standard free-weight plates in a couple of ways. The Olympic plate has a bigger hole in the center of the plate, 2 inches instead of 1 inch. The larger hole accommodates a sturdier bar, allowing the weight lifter to work with greater weight. Also, Olympic weight manufacturers produce plates calibrated closer to the labeled weight.
In addition to weight plates, minimally, weight lifters need a bar, bench and spring collars. It might be best for beginners to buy a complete olympic weight set. The 7 foot bar has wider circumference and sturdier than the standard bar. It also weighs more, about 45 pounds. A set comes with about 160 pounds of weights, and two collars. Buy the spring collars; they are easier to work with than setscrew collars. The collars hold the weights on the bar. You also need an olympic weight bench. It is sturdier than a standard bench.
Olympic weights and weight lifting help people improve their lean body mass, or muscle. This increases the body’s basic metabolic index (BMI), and allows the body to burn more calories, keeping you slim as well as healthy. To be fully fit you will need to add aerobic exercise to your routines. You can run outside or buy a treadmill for use at home. If that is beyond your budget think about treadmill hire to give you a treadmill at home without a huge outlay.
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