Weight Lifting for Weight Loss – Introduction
What is an excellent weight lifting for weight loss plan that works?
When it comes to working out for weight loss, most people turn to aerobic exercise, better known as cardio.
While cardio burns fat, it can be time-consuming.
Also, many people find trying to lose fat with a cardiovascular workout very dull.
After all, it often means spending 45 minutes or more on a treadmill, bike, rower, or stepper.
Yawn!
The good news is there is another way you can reach your weight loss goals – weightlifting for weight loss.
All you need is a weightlifting bench and a pair of dumbbells.
Table of Contents
- Can you weightlift for fat loss?
- Basic guidelines to lifting for weight loss
- The Program
- Exercise descriptions
- Recommended gear
Weight lifting for fat loss
Contrary to what many people think, resistance training is a great way to lose excess fat.
If you organize your exercises appropriately, you can increase your metabolic rate, burn body fat, increase your heart rate, and improve your overall health and fitness all at the same time.
In addition, strength training builds muscle, which will increase your resting metabolism, so your body burns more calories, even while you are sleeping.
According to Claude Bouchard, Professor and Director of the Human Genomics Laboratory at Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, every extra pound of muscle will translate to an additional energy expenditure of 6 calories per day at rest.
While that might not sound like much, it is still three times more than a pound of fat, which only requires two calories per day.
Muscle is your friend, and this post will reveal how to lift weight for weight loss while building muscle simultaneously.
Cardio Workout Vs. Weights | The Best Way to Burn Fat
How to Weight Lift to Lose Weight – Guidelines
So, how do you weightlift for weight loss?
The basics are:
#1. Choose compound exercises
The best exercise for weight loss and building lean body mass is the one that targets the large muscle groups.
For this reason, big lifts like squats and deadlifts burn a higher number of calories than things like leg extensions and triceps pushdowns.
If you want to improve your body composition, big compound exercises should be your focus.
#2. Workout intensity
The best way to burn fat when weightlifting is to train with high intensity.
Training with higher intensity doesn’t necessarily mean you have to lift heavy weights, but you will need to push yourself.
How do you “push yourself”?
#3. Use shorter rest periods
Most strength workouts involve more rest than work.
A typical set lasts 30-45 seconds, and then you rest for 60-90 seconds.
Some exercisers who train to build maximal strength rest up to 5 minutes!
Such long rest periods between sets is NOT the best way to lose weight with strength training!
Instead, you need to keep your rests short between exercises to create an intense workout that melts fat!
A series of weight training exercises with minimal rest is known as circuit training and is a “great form of exercise for individuals with limited time”and for those who want to alter body composition.” (NASM Essentials of Personal Fitness Training 6th Edition)
#4. Workout frequency
To get the most from this type of physical activity, you need to do it several times a week.
Ideally, three or four training sessions on non-consecutive days fits the bill.
Therefore, an every other day workout program will work well.
#5. Stick with it
Strength training for fat loss will only work if you stick with it, which means a long-term commitment.
Just a few workouts won’t cut it.
You’ll need to keep doing this program or one that’s similar for the next few months.
In return, if you choose to lift weights for fat loss, you can expect to:
- Burn more fat
- Lose weight faster
- Build strength
- Improve muscle tone
- Get fitter
- Improve your posture
- Increase mobility
- Increase bone density
While you can do some of these things with cardiovascular exercise, you can’t do all of them, which is one of the reasons that weightlifting for weight loss is such an efficient way to exercise.
5 Best Weight Lifting Exercises For Men To Burn Fat
How to Lift Weight for Weight Loss – The Program
This Fit Apprentice™ workout is a strength training complex.
A complex is a sequence of exercises you do with the same item of equipment for the entire workout.
There are kettlebell complexes, barbell complexes, and even bodyweight workouts, and even medicine ball complexes, but this one uses dumbbells.
Why?
Because that makes it ideal for home use!
All you need is one light to medium pair of dumbbells.
And don’t worry, if your dumbbells are too light or too heavy, you can just adjust the number of reps you do to make the workout effective regardless.
The exercises that make up your weight training for fat loss program are:
- Romanian deadlifts x 10
- Dumbbell alternating lunges x 5 per leg
- Bent-over rows x 10
- Hang cleans x 5
- Dumbbell push-press x 5
- Dumbbell front squats x 10
Simply do one set of each resistance exercise, without putting your weights down between each move.
The exercises should flow into a non-stop sequence.
Rest for 1-2 minutes after the last exercise and then repeat the entire sequence again.
Do 4-6 laps in total.
Please note – the reps prescribed are for guidance only.
Adjust your own rep count based on your fitness and the amount of weight you are using.
Exercise descriptions
There are two ways to do any exercise – the right way and the wrong way.
The right way is safe and effective, while the wrong way is more likely to cause injury, even if it allows you to lift heavier weights.
For best results, use great lifting techniques, and follow these instructions.
#1.Dumbbell Romanian deadlifts
This exercise works the muscles on the back of your body, including your hamstrings, glutes, and lower back.
It’s also a great assistance exercise for conventional deadlifts.
Deadlifts are fantastic for fat loss because they target the major muscles groups of your entire body.
How to do it:
- Hold a dumbbell in each hand in front of your thighs.
- Stand with your knees slightly bent but rigid.
- Push your hips back and hinge forward, lowering the weights down the front of your thighs until you feel a stretch in your hamstrings.
- Do not round your lower back.
- Stand back up and repeat.
Dumbbell Romanian Deadlifts
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#2. Dumbbell alternating lunges
Lunges work your quadriceps, hamstrings, and glutes.
Because they involve a single-leg action, they’re also good for balance, coordination, and mobility.
How to do it:
- Stand with your feet together, and your dumbbells at your sides.
- Take a large step forward, bend your legs, and lower your rear knee down to within an inch or so of the floor.
- Make sure your front shin remains vertical.
- Push off your front leg and return to the starting position.
- Do your next rep leading with the opposite leg.
- Alternate legs until you’ve done five reps per side.
Dumbbell Alternating Lunges
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#3. Dumbbell bent-over rows
Working your lats, middle trapezius, and rhomboids, as well as your biceps and posterior deltoids, this is a strong postural exercise and a proven back builder.
How to do it:
- Stand with your feet hip-width apart, knees slightly bent.
- Hinge forward from your hips and let your arms hang down from your shoulders. Your back should be angled to about 75 degrees.
- Do not round your lower back.
- Without using your arms or lower back, bend your arms and pull the weights up and into your ribs.
- Extend your arms and repeat.
Dumbbell Bent-Over Rows
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#4. Dumbbell hang cleans
This is a power exercise.
Power is your ability to generate force quickly and is a crucial part of most sports.
This exercise will also increase your heart rate as it involves virtually every muscle in your body.
How to do it:
- Stand with your feet about hip-width apart and your dumbbells in front of your thighs.
- Bend your knees slightly, hinge forward from your hips, and lower the weights down to about knee height.
- Do not round your lower back.
- Stand up explosively and, as the weights come up the front of your body, pull with your arms to bring them to your shoulders.
- Snap your elbows forward and catch the weights at shoulder height.
- Lower the dumbbells down the front of your body, and then back to your thighs.
- That’s one rep – keep going!
Dumbbell Hang Cleans
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#5. Dumbbell push-press
This is the natural follow-up to power cleans.
The push-press targets your shoulders and triceps, but your legs are involved too.
How to do it:
- After your last clean, hold the weights at shoulder height.
- Bend your knees slightly and descend into a quarter-depth squat.
- Extend your legs explosively and use this momentum to help you push the weights up and overhead.
- Lower them back to your shoulders and repeat.
Push-Press with Dumbbells
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#6. Dumbbell front squats
Your final exercise is for your quads, hamstrings, and glutes.
It will also make sure your heart rate is high as your circuit comes to an end.
This is a tough exercise to end on, but you can enjoy a rest after doing it.
How to do it:
- After your last push-press, lower the dumbbells to your shoulders and step out and into a shoulder-width stance.
- Turn your toes slightly outward.
- Push your hips back, bend your knees, and squat down until your thighs are about parallel to the floor.
- Do not allow your lower back to round.
- Stand back up and repeat.
Front Squats with Dumbbells
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Recommended gear
Other than a pair of dumbbells, you don’t need much equipment for this workout, but here are a few items that may make it more comfortable, practical, or challenging.
#1. Liquid Chalk
- 🧗🏼LIQUID CHALK - Portable with less mess than block chalk and...
- ✅EASY TO APPLY - Quick dry and sweat resistant formula. Perfect for...
- DEADLIFT LIKE a BEAST - No more slipping off the barbell when you are...
Because you can’t put your weights down during this workout, you’ll need a strong, dry grip.
This liquid chalk is perfect because it doesn’t make a mess, and once you spread it on your hands, it keeps working to stop your palms from sweating.
#2. Travel Dumbbells
These dumbbells are ideal for exercisers who have to travel a lot.
Water-filled, just empty them when you don’t need them, and fill them back up when it’s time to work out.
Travel dumbbells are also perfect for home use.
#3. Gymboss Timer
- Compact interval timer times one or two intervals between two seconds...
- Built-in Stopwatch and Clock feature. Secure and Removable Belt-clip...
- Auto mode keeps repeating through intervals, up to 99 repeats. Chime...
Make your weight-training workout even more effective by timing your rest periods.
If you rest too long, you’ll be too recovered, and that will make your weightlifting for weight loss routine less intense and less productive.
A Gymboss Interval Timer Stopwatch is small and easy to use, making it ideal for home workouts.
Ultimate Dumbbell Complex Full-Body Workout
Weight Lift for Weight Loss – Wrapping Up
While there is nothing especially wrong with doing cardio sessions for fat loss, it’s good to know there is an alternative.
Lifting weights work just as well and, as an added benefit, will help preserve or even increase muscle mass, increasing your metabolic rate for even better results.
Be warned, this Fit Apprentice™ Weightlifting for Weight Loss workout is also pretty tough, so start off with lighter weights until you are used to it.
After that, try lifting heavier weights or doing more reps to make it harder.
What’s Next
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This guide is a template of the same fitness plan I followed to lose 75 pounds in 6 months.
Also, when you are ready to take your chest training to a new level, try out The Best Dumbbell Chest Workout at Home; No Bench Needed!
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- Weightlifting Gear You Need – Knee Sleeves, Wrist Wraps, Belts, and More!
- How To Do A Dumbbell Deadlift: Proper Form, Benefits + Variations
- The Best Dumbbell Chest Workout at Home; No Bench Needed
- 5 Cardiovascular Workouts That Can Shred Fat in Just 12 Weeks
Rich is a NASM-CPT (Certified Personal Trainer), an