Let’s face it, we all want to lose weight. Start now. You don’t have to wait until January. You need certain strength and power training techniques to help you burn fat and lose weight. It is not enough to train hard. You must train smart also. At Unique Fitness Concepts you can find the equipment you need to shape up.
Track your heart rate, steps, calories and total activity 24/7 with the Polar Loop.
To burn maximum fat and lose weight, train your body in all 3 planes of motion. Many athletic movements happen in the transverse plane (rotations, turning, twisting, etc.) and frontal plane (side-to-side, lateral).
Machine-based training concentrates on the sagittal plane (up- down, forward-backward movements). Do miminal training on machines because they limit your natural movement patterns.
Kettlebells or adjustable dumbbells are great for allowing you to train your body in all 3 planes of motion.
Train on your feet because most athletic movements are done standing and running. Simply put, you will burn more calories and fat by not doing sit-down exercises. Your exercise will be more intense, which will help you burn more calories and fat during and after your workout.
What about cardio exercise? Don’t waste away your muscle mass, your top fat-burning tool, by doing hours of cardio exercise. Twenty minutes of running intervals will burn major fat. If you want to do your cardio on a machine, I recommend the following ladder for full body fat-burning:
Again, you only need to do 20-minute interval sessions on the ladder, 2-3 times a week.
Stabilize and strengthen the core
This can be done using exercises like bridges, planks, bird dogs, cobras, supermans and back extensions. You would later progress to full speed core exercises on your feet like medicine ball chops, medicine ball slams, 2-arm and 1-arm medicine ball throws and medicine ball rotational throws.
Medicine ball exercises are ideal and you can do them anywhere.
Continuing with strength exercises, concentrate on compound (multi-joint) exercises like squats of all types, lunges of all types, bench press, rows, step ups, and deadlifts.
One-legged squats, step ups and lunges improve your running strength and power because about 80% of running is done on one leg. Do less single-joint exercises like bicep curls, calf raises and leg extensions because you get very little fat burning benefits.
Improve your fat burning by speeding up the pace of your workouts. This will also shorten your workouts because of the intensity and shape your body faster. If you need to ramp up the intensity and break through your weight loss plateau, use faster paced exercises and workouts. Speeding up your metabolism helps you burn more calories during the day and at rest.
What are you waiting for? These are great gifts to give to anyone who needs a jump-start on the New Year’s resolutions crowd. There’s no need to wait until January to start exercising and eating better. I highly recommend Unique Fitness Concepts to help you reach your goals.
Mark Dilworth, BA, PES
