A myth has been prevailing surrounding the fitness industry for ages. People believe that cardio work wonderfully for weight loss and strength training is strictly confined to muscle building. Unfortunately, it’s not true. Strength training has proved to be a much better option for weight loss. You can strip off excess fat from your body while retaining your muscle mass. In addition, if you make cardio your only priority for losing weight, you will reduce your metabolism rate due to the loss of muscle mass. Although strength training might not provide you with sweat-dripping instant satisfaction, it works amazingly in the long run. If you are not sure where to begin, free personal trainer software can introduce you to strength training for weight loss. Read on to have a broader view of the concept.
Burn Calories
The equation is very simple. Strength training leads to muscle gain, which burns three times more calories than fat. The National Academy of Sports Medicine has suggested muscles be fat-burning machines. They believe that the more muscle a person has, his capacity to burn calories goes up. So even after getting out of the gym, your body still uses calories to repair the muscles. And this entire process contributes to your weight loss journey.
You can boost your metabolism rate to 5 per cent. Following a strict diet and counting your calories will accelerate shedding those extra pounds. Studies have revealed that strength training also helps resist gaining the weight back, apart from helping to lose it. It especially works in preventing the return of belly fat.
To maximize calorie burn, avoid too much rest in between your sets. Strength training is quite intense, and it demands higher fuel use. And your body provides fuel by burning up more calories. At the end of the day, your trainer can keep track of this through an app of fitness software for personal trainers available online.
Higher Base Metabolic Rate
The more lean muscle you have, the chances of calories burning increases while your body is at rest. Generally, people with more muscles have a higher base metabolic rate (BMR) than others. This is because a muscle’s energy requirements to keep functioning are way more than fat requires. So having more muscles will automatically accelerate the rate of your calorie burn.
Constantly, your muscle is broken down, synthesized, and created. This process demands a lot of energy. Therefore, when you build more muscles, your calorie deficit increases along with weight loss. You are lighting up your metabolism by building more muscle. And this could be possible only through strength training.
Remember not to put too much stress on what the scale shows. Instead, start measuring the fit of your clothes. Since fat is less compact, it takes up way more space. If your weight remains the same on the scale, but you observe changes in your clothes fit, you lose fat. Just know that it’s the effect of the growing muscle on fat.
Add strength training
You are supposed to consume fewer calories than you burn for weight loss. Undoubtedly, muscle building will assist in that process. However, you still have to watch your calorie intake per day. You can add both cardio as well as strength training to your routine.
Go for strength training thrice or more per week for 45 minutes to one hour. If you want to keep it limited to your home, make the most out of fitness software for personal trainers available online.
The more strength you have, the less work it requires to do the aerobic exercise. For instance, you can go running faster for a long time with stronger glutes. In addition to that, having a stronger core will correct your posture while biking.
So, do not ditch your cardio completely. Plan your exercises wisely, which involves both cardio and strength training. Make sure to throw some weights into your workout routine three to four times a week.
Conclusion
Besides helping you lose weight, strength training also helps improve posture and endurance, reduces injuries, and builds strength. Studies have revealed that it helps boost cardiovascular health and improve bone density and cholesterol. As we grow older, strength training helps retrain muscles and prevents them from getting replaced with fat.
For losing weight, always make sure to lower your weights and increase your reps. If you’re a bodybuilder focused on building muscles, train with heavier weights and go for fewer reps to isolate different muscles.
Nowadays, personal training has been replaced with free personal trainer software. One of the best available in the market is The Workout Coach. Now gyms and trainers can track their client’s progress through this app. You could say this works completely like a digital gym. You get rest periods between sets, detailed reports of every session, and much more.
A wide range of subscription options is available to suit everyone’s pocket. We have catered to many people from the fitness industry, and they’re quite satisfied with the services. So now it’s your turn! For further queries, you can write to us at support@theworkout.coach.
