Trying to lose weight? Have you tried working in some strength workouts into your routine?
I can already hear you saying that you don't want mass and to get ripped like a bodybuilder. Well, as amazing of a specimen as you are, I want to reassure you that unless you're a special, tiny percentage of the population, you will need to put in a lot of effort, time, nutritional reinforcement and energy to get jacked like a body builder. The strength workouts we're talking about here are simple workouts that you can add into your current cardio routine that will help boost your calorie burn. This is how.
It's a proven fact that muscles need energy to work. Logically, the more muscle you have, the more energy you burn. The second tier to this is if you do interval weight training (lift weights in a certain format called intervals) it increases EPOC, or Excess Post-Oxygen Consumption. When your body is in EPOC, your metabolism increases. Higher metabolic rate means higher caloric burn. Here's the best part though...get ready for the key to how your strength workout will help you lose weight. Are you ready? This increase in EPOC can maintain that higher metabolism for up to 8 hours after your workout! To compare, cardio will keep your metabolism pumping for about 20 minutes post workout. That means, by doing medium-high intensity interval weight training, it will be like your body is working out for up to 8 hours in addition to your workout.
The reason your body continues to work after your workout is two-fold. First, strength workouts create natural byproducts in your muscles so your body's response is to keep your blood pumping to carry away toxins like lactic acid and carbon dioxide out of the muscle. Second, your muscle has been torn and needs to be repaired. The heart keeps pumping to carry nutrient rich blood to the muscle so it can repair itself and grow bigger and stronger. For some information on how to supplement your nutrition to maximize your muscle repair, check out our blog on Workout Supplements.
It's a constant cycle of your body working hard to repair and grow the muscle and then continuing to work hard to feed the bigger muscle. The result is a higher calorie burn each day and consequently weight loss, if your nutrition plan is designed properly. So the next time you want to shed a few pounds, think about working in an interval weight training workout.
What's an interval weight training workout?
If you've never done one before, here's what you need to consider:
Timing: for 30 seconds, do as many reps as you can, at an intensity as hard as you can, while still maintaining good form and not injuring yourself. Then rest for 30 seconds. Repeat the same exercise 2 times (add a 3rd rep for 15 seconds for intermediate). Then move to the next exercise when the last 30 sec rest is over.
Exercises: Use these dumbbell exercises. You'll want to stick with more leg or compound exercises (those are the big muscle groups) and exercises that target the most muscles to get the best results:
Arnold Press
Shoulders
Single Leg Deadlift
Squat Press
Hammer Curls
Burpee with a Row
Dumbbell Squa
