When people think of weight loss exercises, they tend to think of cardio exercises like running and spin classes. However, strength training can be equally effective at helping people to lose weight. This guide delves into some of the reasons why strength training is good for weight loss and how to incorporate strength training into workouts.
Why is strength training good for weight loss?
Strength training can have many unique benefits that affect weight loss:
Burn calories at rest
You will not only burn calories while doing strength exercises, but also for several hours after doing these exercises. This is because your body needs energy to repair muscles. As a result, by incorporating strength exercises into workouts, you’ll continue to burn calories throughout the day even while you are resting.
Support your body
Strength exercises allow you to more easily support your own weight, so that you can carry out a greater range of exercises without getting tired as quickly. More varied exercises and longer workouts means more calories burnt.
Reduce food cravings
There is evidence to suggest that strength training can reduce food cravings over time by improving insulin sensitivity. This helps your body to control blood sugar levels more efficiently and can lead to less cravings as a result.
How to incorporate strength training into a weight loss workout
Strength training primarily helps to build muscle and improve physical strength, but can help you to lose weight, providing you incorporate it correctly into your workouts:
- Balance strength training and cardio: Cardio exercise will further help you to burn calories and is important for heart health. You can also break up strength training workouts with cardio workouts so that you’re not overworking your muscles.
- Target all major groups: Make sure that you’re strengthening every muscle group and not just targeting the same muscles. Aim to cycle between the chest, back, shoulders, arms, legs and core.
- Give yourself time to rest: It’s important to have rest days between each workout so that you’re not injuring yourself. Injuries will force you to stop exercising, which will then hinder your weight loss.
- Reduce your calories: While increasing calories is important for building muscle, reducing calories is key for losing weight. If the focus is on burning fat, keep the calories low – but not too low, as you still need energy to exercise.
- Explore other ways to help you lose weight: On top of exercise and dieting, there may be other things you can do to help you lose weight. An online weight loss doctor may be able to prescribe you medication like semaglutide to reduce your appetite, while strategies like hypnosis may also help to change your attitude to food and exercise.
Conclusion
Strength training shouldn’t be overlooked when trying to lose weight. It could help you burn calories at rest, support your body and reduce food cravings. However, it’s important to not solely rely on strength training – cardio and dieting are essential too. Make sure that you’re also targeting all muscle groups and giving yourself time to rest between workouts.
