What to do in the Gym for Weight Loss

Description: Many people go to the gym to lose weight and achieve their fitness goals. Find out how you can maximize your gym time and do just that in this article.

In order to shed some pounds, you need to make the right food and lifestyle choices. This involves the mastery of the basics: Have a well-balanced diet, get adequate hours of sleep, and do some form of physical exercise. Many people want to accelerate their weight loss, and more often than not, hitting the gym comes on top of mind.

In some instances, though, other people face disappointment when they confront the weighing scale – nothing seems to have changed. So, what happened? The thing is, there's more to losing weight than just hitting the gym.

If you're curious about what to do in the gym to lose weight fast, this article is for you. We've listed a run-down of the things you need to do in the gym to maximize your weight loss.

• Begin your workouts with a warm-up.

Warm up exercises are invented with a purpose. Doing intense workouts without warming up first can shock your heart. Also, people who forget to warm up before doing intense anaerobic exercises tend to feel more exhausted or lazy the entire day. A morning warm-up routine proves to be a good idea so you can feel more energized even after the gym.

• Do more cardio workouts.

Cardio exercises stimulate both your heart rate and breathing so you can sustain your workout sessions longer. Compared to anaerobic exercises, which are more difficult and unsustainable, aerobic or cardio workouts allow people to keep up long enough to burn more calories. Fitness experts advise those who want to lose weight to dedicate the majority of their gym time (about 60 percent) on cardio workouts and spend the remaining 40 percent on other routines.

• Use a different cardio equipment.

Using a cardio machine that you're not used to can create a difference. The 30 minutes you spend on cardio training will feel like 45 minutes if you're performing it on a different, more challenging cardio equipment. For example, if you're always using the treadmill, you can try the stair climber for a change. Your muscles will surely wake up.

• Work with various intensities.

Your metabolism is affected by the intensity of your workouts. The more intense the workout, the better the metabolism. If you can, bring your workout's intensity up a notch and move faster. While this sounds like an effort, it's actually worth it. This is because your body needs to adapt to the changes in your routine. The more you compel your body to move, the more it burns fuel (aka calories) to get the job done.

Experts say this will work best by alternating the intensities of your exercises. You can start doing a steady-state cardio for four minutes, and then shift to a more intense cardio that challenges your body. Mental note: As long as you get your system taxed, you'll reap the benefits.

• Do different workouts.

It's important to not just vary the intensity of your exercises but the workout itself as well. Your body tends to get used to what it does every day especially if you're doing the exact same thing. Perfecting your workout routines may give you that extra confidence boost, but this also comes with a disadvantage. Your mastery of the routine makes it easier for you, which results in fewer burned calories. Instead of doing familiar exercises every day, try adding some fitness equipment or prop to your fitness routine.

• Lift weights.

We know what you're thinking: Weight lifting doesn't burn fats. But, here's what you have to know. While lifting weights doesn't make you lose fat, it will build more muscle. And when you have more muscle, your body burns more calories even when you've already left the gym. Weight training also allows your muscles to be toned and in shape when you lose weight.

• Exhaust your muscles.

You will commonly feel a burning sensation every time you work your muscles up. And while this feeling isn't pleasing most of the time, it only means one thing: you've torched more calories. It's worth it, isn't it?

• Squeeze your core every time.

Many exercises allow your core to be engaged, and you torch more calories when your larger muscles groups (back and abs) are worked up. To maximize your workout routines and boost weight loss, engage all your muscle groups at once. You can try certain movements that make your body rotate like plank twists. It also helps to have a stronger core because it tends to make you feel full faster. This is because the abs indefinitely prevent the stomach from expanding every time you eat.

• Try cross-training.

Cross-training is a technique where you work various muscle groups instead of focusing on one area. This fitness method allows you to keep a higher intensity for longer compared to staying stuck on a single muscle group. So, if you're already feeling your legs are getting tired from doing lunges, move onto other routines that focus on your other muscles such as overhead presses. Then, do another lower body toning exercise once your legs are feeling better.

• Keep your heart rate elevated.

Try not to take a break no matter how short it is. When you stop working, you're also allowing your heart rate to go back to normal. Keeping your heart rate elevated will compel your body to work harder, which in turn will result in more calories burned.

• Stick to your gym time.

More doesn't always mean better. The average gym time is no longer than one hour and 15 minutes. Unless you're training for a sporting event or you're a professional athlete, you should not exceed this fitness time. More time working at the gym doesn't necessarily equate to better results. Overdoing your workouts may lead to severe exhaustion, stress injuries, and insomnia. These are the things that you want to avoid as they can block your weight loss goals.

• Stand on a less solid ground.

Standing on a less solid ground such as a balance beam or a Bosu ball will challenge your muscles as your body is compelled to resist gravity and remain stable. This can result in more torched calories.

• Perform a HIIT workout once or twice each week.

High-intensity interval training (HIIT) workouts help increase your resting metabolic rate for up to eight days. It is important to remember though that it should not be done on a daily basis as your muscles won't be able to recover. What does the trick is a proper HIIT class where an instructor assists you in doing the technique safely, and perfecting it. Doing this a couple of times each week will make a great difference.

• Hydrate during your workout.

Hydration plays a crucial role in many aspects of our health. When your body loses oxygen, it runs out of steam, too. This explains why intense workouts often lead to heavy breathing. And because water has oxygen, hydrating yourself with it can help you sustain the workout intensity that you need in order to maximize your weight loss. Water also assists the lymphatic system in flushing our fat from your system during specific movements.

• Strategically plan your playlist

Your gym playlist can get you on the mood. Having some semblance of rhythm between the music that you're playing and your fitness routine can keep you going. It helps to plan your playlist according to the workout you're doing for the day.

Some Important Points to Consider

• Eat something before you hit the gym.

The best gym workouts for weight loss won't work if you perfume them on an empty stomach. When your body doesn't have food to burn as fuel, it ends up torching fat right away. Many people might think this is a good idea, but it comes with repercussions, too. Empty stomachs often result in low energy, and when you're feeling hungry and lethargic, you're not able to perform your workouts ultimately. When this happens, you burn fewer calories, as compared to hitting the gym with something in your tummy.

• Try to change your environment.

Try to perform your fitness routines outside the four corners of the gym. Working out in an air-conditioned room, and exercising outdoors on real terrain or under the heat are two different things. Changing your fitness environment can also challenge your body, resulting in more burned calories.

• If you feel better, you're doing great.

You might think that it's your weight that you want to lose when in reality it's just fat. Fats are the real culprits when you feel your clothes are getting too tight. But, if you want to lose weight, it's still essential to shed some pounds. Don't be discouraged, though, if you don't see results right away. It really takes time, patience, and determination to achieve your fitness goals. Also, if you feel better, it means you're doing great, regardless of your weight on that scale.

Conclusion

To be physically fit, one needs to have the determination and willpower to get moving. But more than anything, it takes discipline. This discipline goes beyond physical training, it also involves self-control on things that are counterproductive such as unhealthy eating and lifestyle habits. So, if you want to lose weight, don't forget about the other key players: nutritious diet, healthy lifestyle, and adequate rest."

Cite this page