There are training plans like sand at the sea – but not everyone leads you to your goal! Especially when it comes to getting rid of a kilo or two, there are countless plans on the net which are not pointless, but which put obstacles in your way.
Now this is over – here you can find out what the perfect training plan for losing weight looks like!
This is how important strength training is for fat burning
Let’s start with the basics: Many self-proclaimed fitness experts recommend their customers to use cardio units for weight loss, because that burns a lot of calories. If you also have this fitness myth in your head – please eliminate it quickly!
Of course, with an endurance unit you’re burning a lot of energy, so the pointer on the scales goes down. You are happy and satisfied with your coach/expert’s slimming plan and recommend it to others. Exactly what he wants.
What you may not know, however, is that the scales are not necessarily a good advisor when it comes to losing weight, because muscles weigh more than fat. And conventional scales unfortunately don’t take into account whether you are burning muscles or fat – and through hours of cardio sessions it’s mostly muscles. This in turn lowers your basal metabolic rate and makes weight loss more difficult – not to mention the appearance (keyword: skinny fat).
In short: Endurance training should not be your first choice. Instead: Strength training!
Because if you demand your muscles in the calorie deficit, you signal to your body that you still need them and that it should get the energy from the fat reserves instead. So your basal metabolic rate remains high during the diet.
But that’s not all: muscle build-up and maintenance damage the finest structures in your body – to repair them, it needs a lot of energy in the form of calories.
The afterburning effect of strength training is simply much higher than that of cardio. So you’re still burning up a lot of calories, even though you’ve been hanging in front of Netflix for a long time!
The role of cardio in your slimming plan
Strength training is therefore the metabolic booster par excellence and should always take the lead. But endurance training also makes sense. Not only do they have some fitness aces up their sleeves from a health point of view, they can also perfectly push fat burning.
HIIT units have proven to be particularly effective here: This is based on interval training, in which you alternate between short, intensive sprints and calm, slower phases. If that’s too blatant for you, you can of course do a longer workout with moderate intensity.
Important: No matter what you decide – always strength first, then endurance! Or you plan Cardio for your rest days – your decision!
Ideally, your weight loss training plan combines 3-4 strength workouts of 60-75 minutes each and 2 endurance units of 15 to 20 minutes.
Weight loss training plan: The basics
Before we get to the exercises, here are a few basics for your weight loss training plan:
Keep the intensity of your workout high with the shortest possible breaks.
This will keep your metabolism and fat burning at full speed and trigger the afterburning effect. Circuit training or super sets are perfect for this.
Do not train more than 3-4 times a week, because the calorie deficit already puts your body in a stress situation. Save him and you additional stress!
3-4 sets per exercise are top for losing weight.
Stick to a full body plan, which mainly consists of basic exercises.
Change regularly the exercises in your training plan to slimming, so that the stimulus on the muscle remains as high as possible. Because when your body gets used to the strain, it burns less fat and in the deficit – in the worst case – even reduces muscles.
Regeneration days are super important for super compensation. Here you can either go through your endurance training or alternatively exercise as much as possible in everyday life – this burns more calories than you might think!
A short reminder: As always, training is the icing on the cake for losing weight – 70-80 percent is of course achieved through diet! Find out here how you can create a diet plan to lose weight.
The perfect slimming plan for the gym
Enough theory, now it’s time for practice – here I show you the mega effective so-called basic exercises, which do not only demand individual muscles, but directly train whole muscle groups. Of course you can supplement them with individual isolation exercises for your problem zones or weak points.
Important: I don’t specify the level of difficulty here – it’s naturally high for all these exercises!
Deadlifting
Let’s start with a very complex and technically demanding exercise.
Stand shoulder-width in front of the barbell and grasp it shoulder-width in the upper or alternate grip. Now go slowly and control your squat, tightening your stomach tightly. See more on cryolipolysis for further information.
The arms remain stretched and the back is slightly in the hollow back throughout the exercise, the head in extension of the spine. Now you straighten up again, while the barbell is guided close to the legs. Parallel to straightening your back, stretch your legs. In the upright position pull your shoulders back and push your hips slightly forward. Repeat
