The goal of working out is to transform your body by replacing body fat with lean muscle mass. Weight loss for men often looks different than weight loss for women because many men want to build significant muscle mass as they lose weight, not just watch the scale go down. At Medical Transformation Center in Louisville, KY, we offer different wellness plans that can complement your weight loss and muscle-building routine so that you can reach your body goals.
Weight Loss for Men: The Best Exercises for Burning Fat
There are different kinds of weight loss. There’s the kind of weight loss that focuses on increasing activity while decreasing calories, and while it will accomplish the goal and make the scale move in the right direction, it’s not everyone’s goal. If you want to focus on strategic weight loss that helps you burn body fat and replace it with lean muscle mass, you need to work out with a strategy in mind that will help you accomplish your goals as quickly as possible.
Weight Training
Most people underestimate the power of weight training and how it can help your body burn fat in the gym during your workouts and well after your workout is over. When you replace body fat with lean muscle mass, you’ll automatically be setting yourself up for success. There is a way to make every exercise one that promotes fat-burning, you can optimize fat loss by performing strength training workouts that keep your heart rate elevated throughout the entire session.
Weight loss for men becomes easier when you work out with a strategy in mind. Working out this way will not only increase the number of calories your body burns but help you burn body fat.
The Walking Lunge
The walking lunge is a classic exercise that will strengthen your lower body and help you burn fat. This exercise works almost every lower body muscle and can be customized with added weight. You can also perform it in combination with another exercise such as a shoulder press or weighted abdominal twist. The walking lunge is so effective because it keeps your heart rate elevated while working many muscles at once.
The Battle Ropes
The battle ropes are a gym staple that can help you get in an incredible workout. If you’re looking for an exercise that works your entire body, this is the perfect option. The battle works will burn out your arms, your legs, and your core. Every exercise you perform with the battle ropes will increase your heart rate and help your body burn fat.
While most people stand in a squat position and use their arms to whip the ropes up and down, you can also use the ropes to work your abs by sitting down and twisting the ropes from one side of your body to the other. Additionally, you can add lunges in between your battle rope movements or perform a jump squat. However you choose to use these ropes, you’ll keep your heart rate elevated and will be on your way to burning fat and increasing muscle.
Box Jumps
Box jumps may seem intimidating, but the good news is men from all different fitness levels and backgrounds can perform this exercise to help burn body fat and transform their body composition. This exercise can be completely customized to your fitness level. The height at which you jump as well as the weight you choose to hold, can all be adjusted to your needs.
Plyometrics
Plyometrics are effective exercises to add to your workouts that will help build muscle while burning fat. They will definitely increase your heart rate, and you can also add weight to amp up the intensity and increase your caloric burn. Jump squats, single-leg squat jumps, burpees, and side skaters all qualify as some of the many different plyometric exercises.
You can work these exercises in between your weight lifting circuits for an added caloric burn or use them as part of your cardio at the end of your workouts. Whatever the case, they can help you reach your fat loss goals while also improving your overall physique.
How To Optimize Your Weight Training Workouts To Burn Body Fat
Circuit Train
One of the best ways to plan your workouts so that you can keep your heart rate elevated throughout the workout is by circuit training. Circuit training is a method of working out that involves performing several different exercises. Each of these is performed one after the under with minimal rest in between. Once the circuit is over, you will take a short rest and then complete the full circuit another two times for a total of three to four circuits.
You can add six to ten exercises to your circuit, perform them one after the other, rest, and then start it again. You’ll get an incredible workout and will be able to work your entire body, your upper body, or just your lower body based on your workout preferences and goals for that day.
Lift Heavy
Not only is circuit training a good way to increase your heart rate during your workouts to help burn fat, but so too is lifting weights that challenge you. Many people go to the gym and throw weight around without really activating their muscles. It’s important that you lift enough weight to challenge your muscles and put in maximum effort.
When you exercise with enough weight, you should reach failure, the point at which you cannot perform another rep. Failure is a sign that you are getting in an effective workout. You will see changes in your body composition when you lift heavy weights that challenge your body.
Don’t Overdo It
Sometimes the motivation to change your body composition for the better and burn fat while losing weight can make you feel like you need to spend hours in the gym or perform multiple workouts a day. While there’s nothing wrong with an intense and physically taxing workout, you need to be careful that you don’t overdo it. Over-exercising will cause your body to release excess cortisol, which can get in the way of your fat and weight-loss efforts.
As long as you are putting in the work during the regular workouts, you won’t need to perform multiple workouts a day because over-exercising will work against your body goals.
Cardiovascular Exercise
If you know anything about exercise, you’re aware of just how important cardio is to help you reach your body goals. However, performing just any cardio isn’t good enough.
If you’re looking to burn excess body fat, you need to perform some specific types of cardio exercises so that you can maximize your fat loss and reach your body goals. Running on the treadmill will burn calories, but there are more efficient ways to use your time at the gym that will help your body burn fat.
HIIT
High-intensity interval training, also known as HIIT, is one of, if not the most effective, forms of cardio that promotes fat loss. HIIT is a versatile form of cardio that can be performed on various cardio machines or even outside. It involves performing high-intensity all-out maximum effort for anywhere from 30 to 60 seconds followed by a 30 to 60 rest.
The cycle repeats for 20 minutes, and while this may seem shorter than your standard cardio session, you will not only end up burning more calories while promoting fat loss, but you’ll set up your metabolism to keep burning those calories throughout the day.
LISS
The opposite of high-intensity interval training is steady-state cardio, also known as LISS, low-intensity steady-state cardio. LISS sessions range from 30 to 60 minutes on the elliptical, walking on the treadmill, stepmill, or spinning, among others. During this type of cardio, you won’t perform any high-intensity intervals, but you can promote fat loss, especially when you perform this type of cardio on an empty stomach.
Your body will use fat for energy, and you’ll be able to get in your cardio and get one step closer to reaching your ultimate body goals. It’s difficult to perform HIIT every day because your body needs a break, so LISS is a good type of cardio to perform in between your high-intensity interval training days.
Wellness Plans Designed To Promote Weight Loss for Men
Exercise is an essential part of any weight loss journey and will help you burn fat while transforming your body. When it comes to weight loss, other integral factors are critical to helping you reach your goals. If you need a wellness plan that enables you to overhaul your diet and sets you up for ultimate success, we can help. Contact us today at Medical Transformation Center in Louisville, KY, to learn more.
