2. Weight Lifting
As you know, doing HIIT will help you lose weight by increasing your metabolism, allowing you to burn fat.
But if HIIT is the Daddy of fat burners, resistance training is the son.
Put simply, just by lifting some weights and doing a few sets, you will have a higher-resting metabolic rate.
But you may be asking why?
Quite easy, really…
This is because that, as muscle tissue is more metabolic than fat tissue, you will burn more calories and build more muscle as well as lose weight…
Two for the price of one!
But there's more
It also helps with increasing EPOC (that's Excess Post-exercise Oxygen Consumption for you fitness nerds).
Or to put it another way, resistance training helps increase your metabolism for the rest of the day (and in some cases, up to 48 hours, just like HIIT).
It goes without saying that this allows you to burn more calories and reduce body weight.
And of course, as long as you burn more calories than you consume, you will lose weight over time.
And you will certainly be making it easier on yourself!
But before we continue, a common fear…
Some people don't like the idea of lifting weights, because they don't wish to be buff.
Whilst that is understandable, contrary to popular belief, lifting weights will not make you buff (sorry about that;-)
It WILL help you get toned, and has multiple benefits for other parts of your body.
The Research
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Weight training can help reduce the loss of muscle due to natural ageing or doing a specific diet.
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Your metabolism increases thanks to lifting weights, which helps weight loss.
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1lb of muscle, on average, can burn up to 7 calories in a single day.
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Possible reduction of fat by 1.8 kg, after 10 weeks of resistance training.
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Your resting metabolic rate is improved thanks to lifting weights.
Possible Solutions
Lift weights, at least a few reps.
Don't start with heavy weights, start with light weights (I use about 10kg…that's 5 kg on either side of the handle, and no, don't laugh…I take form very seriously;-).
Tense your arms to gain muscle-mind connection (this is very important. I get that this is about weight loss, but you also need to maximise your muscle growth as well)
Also
Lifting lighter weights will also help you achieve good form, by reducing injury risk. Just make sure that you scapula your back when you do it (that's just a fancy way of making sure that your shoulder blades are almost touching).
You can purchase a good pair of light dumbbells online, without going crazy on the price…
And you will notice the difference after the first week.
For more help, please check this video out, thanks to Joanna Soh.
Click next to discover the, ‘miracle molecule', that aids your weight loss even faster…