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Working out is one of the most important things you can do for weight loss. It is no surprise that cardiovascular exercise is important for burning calories, however, a complete workout routine is important to meet your weight loss goals. A complete workout should include cardio, resistance training, and flexibility, in order to have complete overall wellness.
Beginner Strength Training Routine
Establishing a beginner strength training routine for weight loss is critical for meeting your goals. Resistance training is important for developing muscle tone, mass, and lean muscle, which helps to boost your metabolism.
Studies have shown that when combined with aerobic training, strength training can help to increase lean body mass and reduce overall body mass, showing the importance of a resistance training program for weight loss.
What Does Strength Training Do For Metabolism?
Losing weight is all about boosting your metabolism and increasing the number of calories you burn. Your metabolism, or the total amount of calories your body uses each day to maintain its primary functions, fluctuates based on what you eat, how active you are, and the amount of muscle mass or tone you have.
This is why supplementing resistance training with your diet and exercise program is important to meet your goals. Fortunately, resistance training is ideal for shredding fat, increasing muscle mass, and overall is good for your metabolism.
So how does somebody who is new at weight training start reaping the benefits of weight loss? Listed below is a complete, basic routine that anybody can do when first starting.
Do I need special equipment for resistance training?
The short answer is no. However, it is important to have dumbbells, resistance bands, or even weight machines to aid in your strength training program. For a basic routine, a set of dumbbells should suffice.
The exercises below will incorporate dumbbells as the primary piece of equipment, however, feel free to adjust as you see fit based on your specific needs.
Exercises For Your Beginner Strength Training Routine For Weight Loss
1. Warm up. Every exercise routine you do needs to incorporate a warm-up. A warm-up is important because it elevates your heart rate, preps your muscles for activity, and gets your mind involved in the activities that you’ll be doing.
Follow a brief 5-minute warm-up which incorporates one minute of light jogging in place or jumping jacks, range of motion activities such as arm and lake circles, half squats, light bicep curls, and no more than 5 reps of shoulder presses.
2. Dumbbell Squats. This is perhaps one of the best multi-joint exercises you can do for weight loss. Proper form is essential for this exercise so make sure to take it slow, to begin with.
Beginners should start with three sets of 10 to 12 reps to maximize calorie burn and muscle building. When first starting your squats consider skipping the dumbbells and progressing with more weight as you get better with the exercise.
3. Dumbbell Biceps Curls. This is an essential workout for your upper body and it primarily only works one joint. To maximize your bicep curls, always have your palms facing forward (with your dumbbells in your hand of course) and focus on squeezing your biceps with each lift.
Perform three sets of 10 to 12 reps and progress with more repetitions as you get stronger.
4. Body Weight Dips. Dips are a very efficient exercise for working the triceps and secondarily the biceps and pectoral muscles. Find a sturdy and solid bench, chair, or workout platform that is about 10 to 20 inches from the ground and perform your dips in that matter.
Start with three sets of 10 to 15 dips, and progress with more repetitions with each set.
5. Abdominal Crunches. Working the core is essential for stabilizing the midsection of your body. In addition, a strong core can establish a foundation for all your other workouts.
Perform three sets of at least 15 repetitions to start and if that is too easy, then add more as your body allows.
6. Prone Back Extensions. In addition to working your abdominal muscles, you will need to work your lower back as well to start your beginner strength training routine for weight loss.
Start by lying in a prone position with your hands on the back of your head, and gently lift your shoulder blades off the ground. Hold that position very briefly and then lower back down to the starting position.
Start light with these and perform three sets of about 10 repetitions.
7. Squat Thrusts. This exercise incorporates multiple joints and will help to work many parts of your body. A squat thrust is essentially a squat with a shoulder press Incorporated. In order to do this exercise, place the dumbbells up at your shoulder level, lower down into a full squat, raise your body up, and also perform a shoulder press at the same time.
This is a complex exercise, but it will be worth the effort. Start light with this exercise and progress with heavier weight as you see fit. Start with three sets of 10 repetitions and progress as you get stronger.
8. Calf Raises. Perhaps one of the most important areas of your body is the calves. These muscles allow you to walk, run, and propel yourself forward. Start by holding on to two dumbbells at the side of your body, keep your body straight and upright, and lift your heels off the ground.
Hold that position for about 2 to 3 seconds and lower yourself down slowly. Perform three sets of about 20 to start and adjust as your body allows.
Wrap-Up
The exercises above are aimed to work your full body and are a great way to start your beginner strength training routine for weight loss. Perform every exercise in the order that you see it, and allow 30-60 seconds of rest between sets.
This type of workout should take about 30 minutes and it is something that you can do three times a week, preferably on a Monday, Wednesday, and Friday schedule, or similar schedule.
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Photo by Andrea Piacquadio