1. Choose Free Weights
Free weights have been around for decades. Dumbbells, Barbells, Kettlebells, adjustable cables are all great tools to maximise your results.
Free weights stimulate the stabilising muscles, prime muscle groups, the opposing muscle groups and load the bones, joints and tendons. You simply do not get this on fixed machines. (Which are in fact great for more precise sculpting work, but only at a very advanced level when adding finishing touches).
For the body to change we need to stimulate muscle damage and repair. There is a certain order we must follow for this to happen.
First we must perform the given exercise with full range of motion then secondly we then need to add load. This will stimulate muscle growth.
If we add load and the technique/ range of motion is compromised then we need to reduce the load until we can perform the exercise with the full range of motion.
2. Choose Compound Movements
The more muscle you can stimulate with a given exercise the more beneficial it will be for us. Big exercises like Squats, Deadlifts, Lunges, Pull ups, Dips, Vertical and Horizontal pressing and pulling patterns are the best choices.
Compound exercises load the muscles, joints and tendons more, improve posture dramatically and cause a greater amount of IGF-1 to be produced. (We want lots of this for fat loss and speeding up our metabolism).
Compound exercises also save bags of time, as isolated exercises are more time consuming and require far more work than compound exercises for the same fat loss results.
When we step into the gym to change our body shape, whether it be getting more muscular and/or leaner we want to stimulate as much muscle tissue as possible. Compound exercises are the most efficient way to do this.
3. Use the correct Work to Rest ratios
Many people make the mistake of going to the gym and having no idea how long they need to rest between sets and spend too much time on SMART phones, talking to people or staring at attractive looking men and women.
The best work to rest ratio for fat loss is a 1:1 or 1:2 ratio.
If you do a circuit and it takes you 60 seconds to complete, give yourself 60 seconds rest or 120 seconds rest maximum.
This can vary depending on many factors including the weight and rep range you are using. The heavier you lift the more rest you will need.
If you are more advanced and want a challenge you can also use a 2:1 rest ratio, where you may work for 60 seconds and rest for only 30 seconds.
4. Use Various types of Cardio as a Tool later in your program
Cardio is the usual go to for most people when they want to lose weight. The problem with this is that your body adapts very quickly to it, it east up valuable muscle tissue and puts 3x your body weight through your joints when you run.
Cardio can be very useful but should be an addition to a well-planned free weights based program.
Body builders like to use fasted cardio in the morning for 45 minutes 3-6 times a week. We recommend you use this in the final few weeks of your fat loss program and eat immediately after it.
You can also use Fuel burning which is simply going for a long walk or working at a very low intensity on a X trainer. The idea is to build up a light sweat and expend additional calories.
Intervals and HIIT training are also very effective, but require high motivation to perform them at the right intensity.
You may have a 30 second rowing sprint and rest for 30, and repeat this 15-20 times.
Sprints are another great way to build muscle and strip body fat.
Try 10x 100M sprints with 3-5 minutes rest between them
Modified strongman training is a favourite go to for us, lifting and moving heavy objects from A-B in a set time is competitive, fun and gets people shredded.
5. Keep workouts brief and Intense
Not everyone has the physical capacity, luxury of time to do 2 hour training sessions or train for multiple sessions a day. Our bodies produce high levels of androgens for 45 minutes and then they slowly drop off after that.
Make sure you train a minimum 4x a week for 45-60 minutes at a high intensity. Keep the sessions, focused, lift heavy enough, be strict with rest time and you will be amazed at the progress you make after 3 weeks or so.
It is not always so easy to work at this intensity by yourself, so look into hiring a coach to help get the best out of you.