Strength Training for Weight Loss
Guest Article by Tony Rovere
Many people do not think of
strength
training for weight loss. Instead, they often perform only cardio
exercises to burn fat and calories.
One of the saddest sights I
see at the
gym are the people who are there day-after-day and are not getting
the results they are seeking.
For the most part, if I was
to
stereotype these people, I would describe them invariably as women in
their 40’s just walking on the treadmill.
They have the belief
that if they do enough cardio exercises they will eventually lose
weight and finally achieve the body they are seeking.
But unfortunately, this is
not the
case.
This lack of results is not from a lack of effort or a lack of
willpower…it is from not understanding how your body works and not
doing exercises in the right way to permanently lose weight.
And that’s what we are
talking
about…making your weight loss permanent.
Now, how do you do this?
How Strength Training Helps You Lose Weight
The
only way to make your weight loss permanent is for you to naturally
increase your metabolism so that you burn more calories BETWEEN your
workouts.
What I am saying is…it’s not the time in the gym that’s important…it’s
the time you AREN’T in the gym that is more important.
This is when you need to be burning more calories, whether it is
sitting in your cubicle at work,
watching TV at night…even sleeping!
And the only way to naturally increase your metabolism is to add muscle
to your body.
Now, I am not talking about lifting heavy
weights or even having to go to the gym to accomplish this.
What I am talking about is about 30 minutes worth of resistance band
and body weight exercises two to three times a week to add this
muscle.
You can do this from home if necessary.
I am not saying to completely eliminate the cardio exercises, but you
definitely need to add the strength training element to your fitness
routine.
This will help ensure your weight loss is permanent.
Strength Training At Home
So what I want to do is to give you an example of the type workout you
can do from home that will accomplish this.

Perhaps the simplest would be to do what is known as the ‘55’
workout. You start by doing 10 push-up.
If you can’t do
that, then do an assisted push-up where it is on your knees on the
floor as opposed to on your feet…that will make it easier to start out.
When you have completed the 10 push-ups, do 10 squats and then take a
30-60 second break.
You will then do 9 push-ups and 9
squats…take your 30-60 second break, and then do 8 and 8, and so on and
so on until you get to the last push-up and squat.
When you have completed this, you will have done 55 push-ups and 55
squats. Was that too much to start out?
Then start
with a lower number of repetitions. Do 5 push-ups and 5
squats and build from there. The choice is totally up to you.
But here are the benefits you will receive…
- The pushups will work your chest shoulders, upper back,
arms and your core…from holding the plank position.
- The squats will work your legs…and give you a far better
cardio workout than you will ever get from walking on the treadmill.
And in this way, you will start to add the muscle to your frame that
you need to in order to increase your metabolism.
Strength Training - Not Bulky Muscles
The one thing that I always hear when recommending strength training to
women is that women do not want to 'get bulky' by strength
training. I understand your concern but you have nothing to
worry about.
Women don’t have enough testosterone in their system naturally to build
that type of mass. We are talking about toning and getting firm…and
this is what every women wants, isn’t it?
There is one word of caution that I do want to give you when starting a
program like this…throw out your scale! Why?
Because if you are serious about increasing your metabolism in this
way, when you start to work out like this over the first few weeks you
might actually gain a few pounds.
DON’T PANIC! You are not doing anything wrong. What
is happening is that as you are working these muscles, they will need
to recover from the workout [this is the soreness that you feel after a
workout].
To facilitate this process these muscles retain more water to help with
the recovery process. So if you get on the scale you may end
up weighing 1-3 pounds more and think that this workout doesn’t work.
The real measure of how the workout is working will be how your clothes
feel. They will start to get looser because you are burning more
fat. And isn’t that what we all want after all?
About
The Author:
Tony Rovere regained his health, strength and vitality by losing 60
pounds and managing to keep it off for over 4 years.
This is why he created
Health-and-weight-loss-tips.com,
where he shares his passion for health and fitness with others so that
they can accomplish the same goals that he has achieved.
Additional Articles
Benefits of Strength Training
Get all the benefits of your strength training workouts. This type of exercise can help you build lean muscle, which in turns
will boost metabolism. This is just one of the many benefits of strength training.
Senior Strength Exercises
Strength training is not just for the young and the restless. Doing strength training as we age has even more benefits.
It can help maintain muscles and bones and helps prevent injuries.
Boost Metabolism Naturally
Use these all natural methods to boost your metabolism and burn more
calories. The more you rev up your metabolism, the more calories you will burn.