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Program 3 - Weight Loss Program

If weight loss is what you're looking for then here's what you need. The best combination for weight loss is calorie restriction, resistance training, and aerobic work. Let's start with calorie restriction. Over the years I have had personal training clients as well as athletes come to me wondering why they are not losing weight. They tell me they eat right, exercise right, say their prayers, eat their vitamins, etc., and they just can't seem to lose weight. Well, most of the time, once I really get to know them, I find that nutrition is the culprit. You need to know what you're eating. Most of the people I'm talking about all thought they did.

How do you change this? Well, it may sound tough, but it's not that bad. You need to keep track of what you eat for 2 days over the week, and 1day over the weekend. Next, go to you're local book store. You can find charts, books, and computer programs that will help you analyze the foods you ate. Another suggestion would be to take your dietary recall to a nutritionist or exercise physiologist at your local college and let them find it for you. These recalls will tell you how many calories you're getting plus where they are coming from. For example, are they coming from protein, carbohydrate, or fat. It will help you see where you stand nutritionally.

Next, you need to get on a good strength program. When a person is losing weight, the weight comes from fat, as well as muscle. That's kind of an unfortunate thing because muscle is an important thing when keeping metabolism high. There is enough research out there to safely say that when going through a phase of high intensity aerobic work and calorie restriction, strength training decreases muscle wasting. So, in short, strength-train. It's important. I wouldn't strength-train for anymore that 20 to30 minutes. You can get what you need in a short period of time.

After the strength training, it's time to get on the bike, treadmill, stepper, track, whatever. Keep your workouts to 30minutes and up in order to burn the calories. Train between 3 to 5 times per week. Keep your heart rate at 60 to 90% of heart rate max.

Don't look at losing weight as some mysterious monster that you can't get the reins on. Look at it as nothing more than stored energy. That's what fat is…stored energy. If you had a tank full of energy and it kept filling up higher and higher, what would you do to keep your tank from growing too large from the excess energy? Well, burn some of the energy off. That's what you need to do to lose weight. Keep the "energy in" lower than the "energy out" and abracadabra, you're losing weight.

Note: You need to change your routine every 2-3 weeks in order to get the best results.

Monday
Leg Press 2x12
Chest Press 2x12
Lat pull-down 2x12
Shoulder Press 2x12
DB Curl 2x12
Tricep kickback 2x12
Aerobic Work 30 or more minutes

Tuesday
Aerobic work 30 or more minutes of aerobic exercise

Wednesday
Leg Press 2x12
Chest Press 2x12
Lat pull-down 2x12
Shoulder Press 2x12
DB Curl 2x12
Tricep kickback 2x12
Aerobic Work 30 or more minutes

Thursday
Same thing as Tuesday, or take a day of rest

Friday
Leg Press 2x12
Chest Press 2x12
Lat pull-down 2x12
Shoulder Press 2x12
DB Curl 2x12
Tricep kickback 2x12
Aerobic Work 30 or more minutes


Bio
Mike Sanders, MA, CSCS, is the assistant strength and conditioning coach at the University of Nebraska-Kearney, and is a Certified Club Coach with the United States Weightlifting Federation. He has written articles that have appeared in the Strength & Conditioning Journal, Current Therapeutic Research, and Muscular Development. He is currently the strength and conditioning coach for the wrestling, softball, tennis, and cross-country teams.