All fitness programs should include muscular strength training, aerobic exercises and flexibility exercises. Strength training will build your muscles, aerobics will help you burn calories and lose inches, and flexibility exercises will tone and sculpt your body. To improve strength and lose weight and inches, you should combine all three into your exercise regime.
Strength Training
Free weights, calisthenics and resistance machines provide opportunity for exercises that can add strength and tone your muscles, including the back, stomach, hips, chest, arms and legs. Strength training helps turn fat into muscle so you can lose inches and be more toned. According to "Women's Health," just two sessions of lifting weights per week can reduce overall body fat by approximately 3 percent in 10 weeks, equaling as much as 3 inches from your waist and hips. Combine machines and free weights for the most effective strength training. Perform one set of 8 to 12 repetitions to start with, working the muscles until they are fatigued. Lift the weights to a count of two and lower to a count of three or four. Once you are able to perform all 12 repetitions without strain, increase your weights by 5 to 10 percent.
Kickboxing
Kickboxing combines martial arts and aerobics in an intense total-body workout. A class typically includes repetitions of kicking and punching, increasing endurance and cardiovascular power. According to the American Council on Exercise (ACE), kickboxing burns about 350 to 450 calories during a 50-minute class, melting away fat and helping your lose extra inches.
Periodized Training
After a while of doing the same workout regime, your body can get stuck on a plateau because it has adapted to the workout. When you can't seem to progress further, you need to shock your body, giving it a new challenge to keep making gains and keep your body working harder. This is called periodized training. Periodizing your training changes your training program at regular intervals to keep your body working hard, which in turn burns more calories, tightens and tones your muscles and helps you lose more inches. This type of approach can work well for both cardio and strength training. According to ACE, a study done at the Human Performance Laboratory at Ball State University determined that a periodized training program produces better results than a non-periodized program.
To periodize your strength workout, increase the number of repetitions per set and/or increase the weight. Additionally, vary the order of the exercises and the speed with which you complete them. For cardio workouts, change the speed and strength at which you complete your workout. For example, if you run, allow for flat, easy runs as well as hilly, difficult ones.
Pilates
Perform Pilates weekly or bi-weekly to increase flexibility and sculpt your body. Pilates should be combined with a strength-training and aerobic fitness program to lose the most inches. This type of exercise will not only build flexibility and coordination, but it will also increase endurance and strength, tightening your abdominals and helping you lose inches. Two types of Pilates are available: mat and resistance Pilates. Mat Pilates can be performed on a mat on the floor, while resistance Pilates are performed on machines. Both sculpt and tone your body.
References
- American Council on Exercise: Three Things Every Exercise Program Should Have
- American Council on Exercise: Kick Your Way to Fitness
- American Council on Exercise: Periodized Training and Why It Is Important
- American Council on Exercise: Strength Training 101
- American Council on Exercise: Pilates Primer
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