One of the most common reasons people hire a personal trainer is because they want to lose weight and we love that BUT losing weight is not the only benefit of a regular strength training program. In fact you can begin a strength training program and not lose weight. WHAT!?
Strength training provides more benefits than most people are aware of. Some of the benefits of strength training include improved resting heart rate, prevention of chronic disease, decreased blood pressure and cholesterol, improved quality of sleep and mental clarity. There is so much more to weight loss than adding strength training but strength training is one of the most efficient ways to lose weight. At Titanium Performance we can coach you to lose weight by combining strength training along with a few other lifestyle changes!
Making Positive Changes to Improve Body Composition
- Strength train 1-2 days per week to momentary muscular failure. This will raise your Resting Metabolic Rate(RMR). Your RMR is your body’s energy expenditure at rest. Your muscles require extra energy when recovering from a strength training session to repair the micro-tears in the muscle. This is also where your body builds back stronger and may add slightly more mass. The increased strength and muscle mass requires more energy to maintain and therefore RMR increases over time.
- Nutrition Plan. I’m not saying follow a specific diet or that you should cut certain foods out. There aren’t any magic supplements that are going to give you results but there are a few staples to losing weight with a good nutrition plan. A good nutrition plan should include the right amount of calories and designed to include the right proportion of protein/fats/carbohydrates for you. Protein is necessary to build muscle. Fats are an essential component of your digestive system and a necessary piece of your nutrition program. Carbohydrates contain essential micronutrients that improve the function of all the systems of your body. Good sources of carbohydrates include vegetables, fruits, and whole wheat. Processed carbohydrates and added sugars should be limited due to their lack of nutritional value.
- Sleep. This one is easily forgotten in weight loss programs but necessary for proper recovery. If you don’t sleep enough your body does not fully recover. Limiting recovery time limits the amount of muscle you can gain and also decreases energy levels while awake. You are less likely to burn as many calories in a day and also more likely to consume unnecessary calories to get you through the day. The average adult requires 7-8 hours of sleep per night. Most adults can function with much less but at a suboptimal level.
- Limit external stress. The more stress you experience, the more cortisol (stress hormone) is released into your blood stream. Increased cortisol levels are associated with higher fat store.
More to Strength Training
Often times we see clients getting frustrated because they aren’t losing the amount of weight they wanted or not losing weight fast enough after only a few months of training. Realizing that lifestyle changes take time is important. Also, remember weight loss is just one positive side effect of strength training! Wayne Westcott produced on study titled Resistance Training is Medicine: Effects of Strength Training on Health. The study results prove that as little as two training sessions per week can reduce age-related muscle loss. Over time, the added muscle improves overall health and performance including improving movement control, cognitive ability, improve cardiovascular health, improve bone density, and reducing overall pain.
Putting It All Together
We are not trying to say here that you shouldn’t strength train if your main goal is to lose weight. What we are saying that it takes a major commitment from both the client and trainer if you want major body composition changes. At Titanium Performance we provide evidence-based resistance training routines that when executed with maximum effort produce improvements in muscular strength. Body composition changes are just one of the side effects of getting stronger and adding muscle mass.
To learn more about how Titanium Performance can help you lose weight or improve overall health, contact us for a FREE introductory session!
Written By: Morgan Maule