When I started really focusing on losing weight, I flocked to the treadmill. I would run until my heartbeat pounded in my ears and my knees felt like they would cave in. After months of hard work, the weight came off but I really had to work for it and to this day, cardio is something that I dread. It wouldn't be until I started lifting weights that I found enjoyment in the gym and I was shocked to see how well it did at keeping the weight off. Its an often overlooked part of weight loss that I want to get you in on for a simpler and more enjoyable weight loss journey!
Lets start by looking at how weightlifting promotes weight loss:
Increases Muscle Mass:
Its all about hypertrophy. Through lifting weights, you are breaking down and rebuilding your muscles to be better and stronger. The more muscle you have, the more calories you burn at rest and thus, the harder it becomes to gain the weight back.
2. Increases Metabolic Rate:
The rate at which your body burns calories while resting is your metabolic rate. Lifting weights promotes a higher rate as the new muscle you are building needs more energy to be sustained. This means that you are burning calories even when you aren't in the gym!
3. Burns Calories:
I was shocked to check my Fitbit and see just how many calories I was burning during my weightlifting session. A hard cardio sessions may burn more, but a good weightlifting session will surprise you on just how much work you are putting in and will continue to burn away the calories for hours after the workout.
4. Easier dieting:
You can't out train a bad diet but you can make a rougher diet work for you. Eating salads after running for an hour satisfies few and far between. However, muscles need calories and protein to grow which means that they can soak up a little extra. Calorie deficits are still key to weight loss, but your new muscles will be taking extra calories that give you room to enjoy some more foods that you love.
Getting started can be difficult, so lets talk about how you can begin the switch to lifting:
Start with Light Weights:
If you're new to weightlifting, it's important to start with light weights and focus on proper form. This will help prevent injury and ensure that you're working the correct muscles. Eventually, the movements will become part of your muscle memory and you can begin challenging them with extra weight.
2. Focus on Compound Exercises:
Compound exercises are exercises that work multiple muscle groups at the same time. These exercises are more effective for weight loss than isolation exercises, which only work one muscle group at a time. Examples of compound exercises include squats, deadlifts, bench press, and pull-ups. This will give you the largest calorie burn return and promote the maximum muscle growth.
3. Switch to HIIT:
High-intensity interval training (HIIT) is a type of exercise that combines short bursts of intense exercise with periods of rest. HIIT can be incorporated into weightlifting by doing sets of exercises with little to no rest in between. This can help increase your heart rate, burn more calories, and improve your cardiovascular health in the process. Fifteen to twenty minutes of interval training feels much more dynamic than those long runs and still gives you the benefits that you need.
4. Vary Your Workouts:
Varying your workouts can help prevent boredom and keep your body challenged. You can vary your workouts by changing the exercises you do, the amount of weight you lift, the number of reps you do, or the rest periods between sets. At the end of the day, its all about having fun along the way or else you don't build a long lasting healthy habit that keeps you in shape.
5. Get Enough Rest:
Rest is just as important as exercise when it comes to weight loss. Your muscles need time to recover and rebuild after a workout. It's important to give your muscles at least 48 hours of rest before working them again. This means that you can take a day off to rest your sore muscles and don't need to push yourself too often.
6. Combine Weightlifting with Cardio:
The initial switch can sometimes feel wrong. The idea that cardio is the only way to lose weight has been said for as long as I can remember. So you can incorporate cardio into your workout by doing intervals of jumping jacks, running on a treadmill, or cycling on a stationary bike. Its all about getting used to lifting for long term benefits.
If you don't read anything else, know that weightlifting is an incredible way to shed those extra pounds and gives you a leaner physique in the process. If long runs and restrictive diets aren't enjoyable to you, try something that gives you more freedom to eat what you love and have shorter but more fun workouts. It may feel strange at first, but mixing it in with your current routine can make all the difference.
