I’m going to give you some simple guidelines to follow that will help you choose exercises, to maximize weight loss. They're not epic and mystical exercises, in fact, you are probably already familiar with them. I want to make sure you have an understanding of how to get the most bang for your buck when training for weight loss.
As an analogy, let’s think of our muscles as an engine. What do you think burns more fuel, the engine of a hatchback, or a truck? The bigger the engine, the more fuel it uses. Similarly, the more muscles we have, the more energy required to maintain and fuel them. What do muscles use as fuel? Essentially, the calories we consume.
The more muscle mass you have, the more calories you will burn. Don’t worry, you’re not going to look like a bodybuilder by gaining more muscle. We simply want to, over time, shift your body composition to a lower percentage or fat, and a higher percentage of muscle. Because, muscle burns more calories than fat. This transformation is often referred to as “toning up”.
"The more muscle mass you have, the more calories you will burn."
Similarly, the more muscle we recruit in an exercise, the more calories we burn. So think about your strength training; bicep curls and tricep extensions may not be the best option. Rather, you should be performing compound exercises such as deadlifts, squats, rows, pushes, slams etc. Pick exercises that use multiple parts of the body. Super sets and giant sets are another great way to utilise more muscle groups. That is, doing two or three exercises in a row before resting.
The same can be applied to cardio. The rower and cross trainer burn more calories than the treadmill for example, because you are utilizing both your upper and lower body.
Let's talk "toning", try hitting 15 to 20 repetitions for 3 to 4 sets. If you are super setting or performing heavy compounds, such as squats and deadlifts, 10 repetitions per exercise is fine. With regards to rest, keep it short. Sixty seconds should be the limit. Obviously there are exceptions to every rule and if you have any questions, please hit me up. Otherwise get out there and use as many muscles as possible!