Guys should be specific in how they use workouts to manage their weight and body fat. Here’s what you need to do.
How men lose weight
Some men find it easy to lose weight, but that’s not true for every man. If you have always struggled with your weight, carry a lot of excess body fat, or never really got to grips with healthy eating, weight loss might still be tough for you.
The great news is that, as a man, your body is primed for fat loss and lean muscle. You have plenty of those useful hormones, testosterone and growth hormone. You can eat a decent amount of calories even when you are in a dieting phase. It’s unlikely that you’ll ever need to cut your carbohydrates or calories too low. And you might not have a sweet tooth (which makes dieting a lot easier!)
Do you want to lose weight or fat?
Exercise is a great tool in your weight loss arsenal. It helps you shed the kind of fat you don’t want (body fat) yet keep or even gain more of the mass you want (muscle). As you lose weight, be sure to track your muscle gains and body fat losses. Body recomposition is important as the scale weight starts to fall.
How to use exercise to lose weight and stay lean
Now is the time to embrace weight training if you haven’t already done so. A combination of weights, strength training, and cardio (CV) will help you shed fat, maintain muscle, and add muscle mass to weaker or smaller areas of your body.
A good weekly workout structure would be 2, 3, 4 or even 5 weights sessions a week, plus enough cardio to burn calories and create a diet deficit. If you work out twice a week with weights, do a full-body session each time. If you have the time (and recovery capacity) for more, start to break things down into upper and lower, push and pull, or even classic body part splits.
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What type of cardio should you do?
The key with cardio is to burn enough calories to create that important calorie deficit so you lose weight. Some guys like to work up a real sweat during their CV workouts. Others like to use CV for sport, or social activity like long hikes or bike rides. Choose the cardio that you'll enjoy, stick with, and do regularly.
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Mistakes you could be making:
Not tracking your calories. You need to be sure that you are eating in a small calorie deficit, or you won't lose weight.
Not training your biggest muscle groups. When you add strength training into your weight loss workout routine, remember to train legs and back. These large muscle groups burn a lot of calories. Training them will demand a lot of calories. Plus, it will create a bigger, leaner physique as you strip the fat away.
Doing the cardio you think is best, not the cardio you enjoy the most. The very best workout plan in the world is no good to you if you only do it for a week or two. It's best to stick with an exercise and cardio plan that you enjoy enough to do for the long-haul. That will be key to managing your new weight loss and living the leaner lifestyle.
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