Starting your new year’s resolutions early, but don’t know how to approach the gym to lose weight? I answer this question and more in my recent interview with Livestrong.com below. You can find their fitness article based on the full interview here.
Personal Trainer Wisdom: Since our bodies are equipped and meant to move most of the day, a 30-minute session will rarely satisfy your true needs. Some programs, though, like a high-intensity workout, circuit training, or interval training, may increase your blood flow, muscular endurance, cardio endurance, and strength. Your nutrition efforts will account for most of your weight loss efforts since working out rarely offsets the effects of poor food choices (not an even exchange). Nevertheless, a 30 minute aerobic workout with an elevated heart rate may ignite the body to utilize its fat stores as fuel (most often desired during a weight loss phase).
Personal Trainer Wisdom: Considering the abundance of fitness exercise resources, I'd use your first session with your trainer to set intent and to identify your strengths and weaknesses through a gait analysis and a breakdown of your movement. If you bypass this important step, you may be setting yourself up for failure, injury, or wasted efforts.
Personal Trainer Wisdom: Machines offer quite a bit of versatility for dynamic and isolated movements. In the case of an injury or poor posture, you may perform an isolated movement like a stationary cable row on a seated bench with a cable. In the case of functional movement, you may utilize the cable cross machine to perform multi-planar movements like a chest press with an alternating lunge. The value of the machines will depend on your goals, strengths, and limitations. In terms of losing weight, the upper and lower body combined movements are the most taxing on the system and require the most energy (fuel). As long as you're not performing a series of faulty compensations, these balance movements will give the aerobic workout you desire for weight loss. Other isolated exercises may still be incorporated within a circuit to meet some of the same results.
Personal Trainer Wisdom: To achieve sustainable weight loss, you must take a mental, emotional, and physical approach. You want your body to work effectively and efficiently for you! If you take a well-rounded, optimal approach, your body will bring you back to your ideal weight. In order to do so, you must minimize inflammation from your diet and movement (control the number of battles it must fight), incorporate a plant-based diet, increase your respiratory function through cardiovascular movements, increase your muscular strength and range of motion through strength training, increase your muscular endurance through functional and circuit training, and integrate healthy coping behaviors through self-improvement measures. The answer to sustainable optimal health and weight loss will always be a collection of approaches across your mental, emotional, and physical selves (especially on the physical side).
Personal Trainer Wisdom: Too often, people enter the gym and wander aimlessly. Despite popular belief, you don't achieve optimal health or weight loss by "just moving." It requires a strategic, thoughtful approach with your strengths and weaknesses in mind. Otherwise, you may waste time jumping randomly from one exercise to the next or, worse, putting yourself at risk for an injury. If you truly want to find your best optimal you, you must adopt the motto "Move and eat with intent."
Photo Credit: Bigstock and Planetfitness.com – What will be your approach when you show up to your workout at Planet Fitness?
1. Is working out 30 minutes a day enough to lose weight?
Personal Trainer Wisdom: Since our bodies are equipped and meant to move most of the day, a 30-minute session will rarely satisfy your true needs. Some programs, though, like a high-intensity workout, circuit training, or interval training, may increase your blood flow, muscular endurance, cardio endurance, and strength. Your nutrition efforts will account for most of your weight loss efforts since working out rarely offsets the effects of poor food choices (not an even exchange). Nevertheless, a 30 minute aerobic workout with an elevated heart rate may ignite the body to utilize its fat stores as fuel (most often desired during a weight loss phase).
2. If you are new to the gym, should you get at least one session with a trainer to learn how to use the machines?
Personal Trainer Wisdom: Considering the abundance of fitness exercise resources, I'd use your first session with your trainer to set intent and to identify your strengths and weaknesses through a gait analysis and a breakdown of your movement. If you bypass this important step, you may be setting yourself up for failure, injury, or wasted efforts.
3. What are the best machines to use if you’re trying to lose weight?
Personal Trainer Wisdom: Machines offer quite a bit of versatility for dynamic and isolated movements. In the case of an injury or poor posture, you may perform an isolated movement like a stationary cable row on a seated bench with a cable. In the case of functional movement, you may utilize the cable cross machine to perform multi-planar movements like a chest press with an alternating lunge. The value of the machines will depend on your goals, strengths, and limitations. In terms of losing weight, the upper and lower body combined movements are the most taxing on the system and require the most energy (fuel). As long as you're not performing a series of faulty compensations, these balance movements will give the aerobic workout you desire for weight loss. Other isolated exercises may still be incorporated within a circuit to meet some of the same results.
4. Will just doing cardio help you lose weight? Or do you need strength training, too?
Personal Trainer Wisdom: To achieve sustainable weight loss, you must take a mental, emotional, and physical approach. You want your body to work effectively and efficiently for you! If you take a well-rounded, optimal approach, your body will bring you back to your ideal weight. In order to do so, you must minimize inflammation from your diet and movement (control the number of battles it must fight), incorporate a plant-based diet, increase your respiratory function through cardiovascular movements, increase your muscular strength and range of motion through strength training, increase your muscular endurance through functional and circuit training, and integrate healthy coping behaviors through self-improvement measures. The answer to sustainable optimal health and weight loss will always be a collection of approaches across your mental, emotional, and physical selves (especially on the physical side).
5. What is the biggest mistake you see people make at the gym?
Personal Trainer Wisdom: Too often, people enter the gym and wander aimlessly. Despite popular belief, you don't achieve optimal health or weight loss by "just moving." It requires a strategic, thoughtful approach with your strengths and weaknesses in mind. Otherwise, you may waste time jumping randomly from one exercise to the next or, worse, putting yourself at risk for an injury. If you truly want to find your best optimal you, you must adopt the motto "Move and eat with intent."
Photo Credit: Bigstock and Planetfitness.com – What will be your approach when you show up to your workout at Planet Fitness?
