Can I Lose Weight Without Using the Treadmill?
Yes you definitely can lose your first 10 pounds without touching a treadmill!
Despite the fact that you burn more calories per actual minute of running versus lifting weights, cardio is not the most effective approach to lose weight. Here are a few reasons why I don’t recommend you head to the treadmill when you’re trying to lose your first 10 pounds.
- Cardio training can be hard on your joints and bones. Thumping away on a treadmill for hours a week, especially when you’re a new exerciser, causes a lot of stress on your joints and bones. Many of my personal training clients end up with knee or low back issues later in life, largely driven by too much running or jumping rope.
- Cardio makes you hungry. I’ve left the gym many times and seen someone who just finished a hard 30 minute run, over in the Tim Horton’s line-up grabbing a bagel with cream cheese. The 600+ calories from this ‘snack’, very likely exceeds what the person just burned on the treadmill, causing a calorie surplus, or weight gain.
- Cardio training doesn’t build muscle. Although you use muscles when running, you don’t max them out. If you don’t overload your muscles regularly, it’s unlikely they’ll increase in size or strength. In fact, excessive cardio exercise can actually diminish muscle mass over time.
The Answer to Losing Your First 10 Pounds is Strength Training
To help you lose those first 10 pounds, I believe the best exercise program is regular weight training. Muscle mass helps reduce body fat by stimulating the metabolism. A muscular body burns more calories all day long, even while at rest, who doesn’t want this?
Strength training is often easier on your joints, especially your knees and back, so it’s a great way to build up your comfort and confidence levels in the gym. A strong muscle base early on, will make running and completing more high impact exercises in the future, easier.
Muscle strength is especially important because it will help you in your every day life. We all bend over, carry, lift and reach many times in a day. Knowing how to properly engage your muscles during these regular movements will make all of these activities easier, and you’ll perform them more safely. Your posture will improve, and you’ll see your energy levels increase.
Strength Training Tips to Lose Your First 10 Pounds
Do it regularly.
I recommend most of my personal training clients to perform strength training three days a week. We often focus on the upper body one day, lower body another day and follow things up with a core intensive, or complete body routine during the third session. Like most exercise formats, it’s important to give your body a couple of days of rest from weight training each week.
Perform compound exercises.
These are the exercises that use multiple muscle groups at once. Compound exercises are more efficient and effective because they require more than one muscle to complete. This leads you to burn more calories in less time. They are the perfect way to get you started on losing those first 10 pounds.
Here are five of my of my favourite compound exercises.
- Deadlifts: This exercise targets your glutes, hamstrings, quads, stomach and back. It’s important to get the form right in this one, to protect your low back. Make sure to speak with a fitness professional before trying this move.
- Lunges: This exercise targets your quads, glutes, hamstrings, abs and back muscles. This version of the lunge, with your back leg elevated, is especially great at targeting the glutes muscles in your leg that’s rooted on the ground.
- Push-ups: This classic exercise targets your chest, shoulders, arms and abs. Even if you’re new to exercising, you can perform this elevated version of the push-up I’m demonstrating here, until your arm, wrist and core strength increases.
Plank: This exercise targets the upper and lower abs and obliques. Besides performing the common elbow plank, there are countless variations I use, to shake things up.
- Delt Flies: This exercise targets your mid back and arm muscles. It’s a great fitness move to help improve your posture.
Work large muscle groups first.
To get the most out of your workout and to stay safe, focus on your quads, glutes, core and chest muscles first. These regions are your largest muscle and calorie burners. Exercises for these zones take more energy to compete so they will offer you the largest benefit if you are tight for time.
To Sum it up…
So many beginners start working out on the treadmill for hours a week, thinking it is the best way for them to lose weight. In actual fact, cardio training isn’t necessary for weight loss. It can be hard on your bones and joints, make you so hungry you overeat, and prevent you from building muscle and toning your body.
I always recommend that my personal training clients spend more time strength training than anything else. This exercise format builds muscles, which increase your metabolism so you burn more calories all day. It’s easier on your bones and joints and it will assist you the most with everyday activities.
So get out there and start a strength training program today! Please reachout to me if you have any questions about getting started.