The main mistake people make when starting on a Fat loss journey is doing countless hours of cardio! They usually start off jogging or join a running club in the hope of reducing the spare tyre around the waist.
This is in no way the best way to burn fat. In fact if you are seriously overweight then jogging is the last thing you should be doing because of the strain you will be putting on your joints. Running and jogging is so high impact that if you are carrying too much body weight you may as well wave goodbye to Your healthy knee joints.
Strength and resistance training however when performed correctly is very low impact and joint friendly. It will actually help increase bone density and strengthen the ligaments and muscles surrounding the joints making them much stronger and less prone to injury. Other health benefits include:
- Help reduce blood pressure
- Increased ability to carry out day to day tasks like carrying the shopping or lifting your kids into bed.
- Reduced risk of injury
- Is a great stress reliever - Help reduce risk of osteoporosis
- Most importantly it makes us look and feel great.
- reduce risk of Heart disease
- Improve insulin resistance
Commonly asked questions
So how can just lifting a few weights around for a few hours a week help you lose body fat?
Well the answer is quite simple really. It takes more energy for your body to maintain muscle than it does fat. so by building muscle you will be increasing your body's BMR (Basal metabolic rate) meaning you are burning more calories on a day to day basis than if you held more fat.
Whilst performing strength and resistance training you are creating tiny little micro tears in your muscle fibers. Your body has to then expend more energy repairing and building these fibers back up again.
Commonly asked by women 'I don't want big muscles. Won't lifting weights make me too bulky?'
quite simply No. It is hard enough for most men to put on Muscle. If this was the case everybody you see walking in and out of the gym would look like Arnold Schwarzenegger in his prime. This definitely isn't the case. What it will do is give your body more shape and tone as you start to lose body fat. Who doesn't want this?
Gyms are too scary and I don't know where to start
Here at physique Fitness we pride ourselves in having a gym atmosphere which is not intimidating to anyone and with only 100 members you will truly be part of an exclusive club. Being a gym run by personal trainers We have great, approachable and knowledgeable staff on hand to help you with any training or nutrition questions you might have.
Happy Lifting