Welcome back to our blog, we truly hope you enjoyed last months blog. If there’s anything in particular you would like us to write about, please let Jen know.
One of the most common questions asked -by a beginner- to a personal trainer is;
“What is the best exercise for fat loss?”
My initial response is usually a deep breathe followed by a lengthy chat about consistency.
We currently live in a world where we want the quickest route to get from A to B, therefor generally people trying to lose weight are trying to find the best calorie burning workout. ALL forms of exercise will burn calories, but as you can imagine if you can find exercises that stimulate multiple muscle groups, they will generally burn more calories. IE: a Chin up (forearms, bicep, shoulders, back and abdominals) requires more moving parts than a bicep curl (biceps and forearms).
The main ISSUE with complex compounds movements however, is the fact that they take hours of practice to perfect. Incorrect form may lead to injury which in turn will set you back even further away from your fitness goal.
Another ISSUE is the amount of fatigue and soreness an individual may get. I see little point in working out SO HARD that you have to miss the next 2-3 days of gym.
There is always a time and place for intense exercise however these factors should be considered when constructing your own workout.
Rather than looking at “What is the most intense exercise”, we should look at our overall level of activity. 1 x HR of an ASSWHOOPING workout a week WILL NEVER trump 5+ Consistent steady workouts.
Our exercise selection should be based off the type of training we like + focusing on the elements of our body we would like to improve.
I want you all to answer this for me:
CASE STUDY: I have a 30yr old lady, She enjoys weight training, looking to lose weight and get stronger… Which workout plan will she enjoy more?
Workout 1 – 30mins Assault bike, 100 Burpees
Workout 2 – 5mins Ski erg, Leg Press, Lat Pulldowns, Seated row, Ab circuit to finish.
If you said workout 1, you are a Sadist… Just kidding… Kind of..
Where I am going with this is; we will have the most success with our weight loss journey if we are consistent and ENJOYING our workouts. If you make your workouts a chore, you are setting yourself up to fail long term. Just remember ANY exercise added to your current lifestyle will aid you in your fat loss journey.
