Much has been written about the best practices for losing weight and then maintaining a normal weight. Weight training can be a part of the mix of tools, but it can't do it all.
What Does It Mean to Be Obese or Overweight?
The technical measurement of excess weight states should include a combination of body mass index (BMI) and body composition parameters. Body mass index is calculated by dividing your weight in kilograms by your height squared (in metres). For example, if you are 110 kilograms and 2 metres tall, your BMI will be 27.5 (110/4). (To convert pounds to kilograms, divide by 2.2. To calculate height in metres from inches, divide by 39.37.)
Standard BMI indicators are: normal weight - 18-25; overweight - 25-30; obese - 30-35; very obese - 35+. However, the BMI is not a sure-fire measure of your fat state. Here's why: very lean older men, for example, can carry excess belly fat -- the "pot belly." This is not healthy even though their BMI may be under 25. Second, athletes (mostly men) carrying a lot of muscle can exceed the 25 BMI range, even though they may have very low body fat percentage. Third, some women naturally carry more body fat than others, yet they can be very fit and metabolically normal even though they may have a BMI somewhat greater than 25.
Here's what happens next. You need to know the waist measurement. If that falls in the normal range, then BMI does not matter. And for some women (and perhaps a few men) body composition will not tell us a lot about their metabolic condition. Other tests like aerobic fitness, and even cholesterol and blood glucose may be required.
Physical Activity for Weight Loss
Even though special diets, foods, supplements and practices are widespread in the weight loss industry -- and many of them are nothing but scams -- there is no doubt that the main weight loss tools are the boring ones of eating less and exercising (and moving) more. There is no substitute for this approach. Many exercise programs produce good results, from running to cycling, gym group exercise, and pure weight training. Even so, whatever you take on, calories count -- by way of the food you eat (intake), and the exercise you do (output).
Here are five weight training programs designed to move that weight. Note that in these programs, you will be moving more than you might in a standard weight training session. Circuits and bootcamp type programs are included here:
- Circuit Training for Beginners
- Circuit Training Intermediate
- Advanced Circuit Training
- Dumbbell Bootcamp
- High-Power Fat Loss
Work Hard with Weights and Aerobics for Fat Loss
As explained in this top-ranking fat burning article, there are no shortcuts with weight training for fat loss. Moderately intense jogging or group aerobics or cycle spin for an hour can burn around 800 calories or more, depending on the intensity. You will expend much less energy than this doing a static weights session, that is, one in which there is little movement between exercises as you do in a circuit training program.
In addition, even though weight training can build muscle, and muscle uses more metabolic energy than fat, this advantage is not great. Nor is the "afterburn" -- the slight increase in metabolism after high-intensity exercise. These two things are not substantial enough to outweigh the extra calories expended in a strong circuit, bootcamp or interval type program, even though weights can help increase energy expenditure during such programs.
In summary, weight training can be part of a successful fat loss training program. But you need to incorporate some aerobic, and preferably anaerobic (high-intensity) movement training as well so that you can be sure you reach a reasonable level of energy expenditure. Attention to eating habits at the same time will surely produce success in the long term.
