There is a simple formula for weight loss: calories burnt > calories required. There is absolutely no short-cut to that. However, there is a way to be more effective at it. Be intelligent about your workouts and meals. In this post, we will exclusively be focusing on the workouts that are most effective for weight loss. If you believe in walking/running on the treadmill for 45 minutes, QUIT that thought right away! You might not end up achieving your weight loss goals but there is a high chance that you will fry your knees. Always remember that your workouts need to be challenging but effective and safe at the same time. Some of the best exercises for weight loss are SQUATS, DEADLIFTS, lunges, burpees, Kettlebell swings, and BENCH PRESS. Lunges and Burpees are quite effective ways to torch a lot of calories but they are fast. They require you to be in the perfect form and posture throughout the high paced repetitions otherwise the same moves can be really bad for the lower spine and the knees. I am going to elaborate more on a few exercises in this post.
THE SQUAT
Believe it or not, we are squatting a lot more in our daily lives than we think we do. For example, when you sit down you squat to sit or when you drop something you squat down to pick it up. The only fault lies in the way we squat, which is how people might injure the knees or lower back. It is important to know the right way to do it. It’s a fairly deceptive move, makes you think that you are only moving the muscles around your knees and hips but hey guess what? Your shoulders are working during the squat so is your lower back, you might not see them moving which is how it should be. But you are still activating them to stabilize your upper body and core. The knees have to be stable, in line with the hips and feet, following the direction of the toes. Plant feet firmly on the ground, Keep the spine neutral (Avoid arching or hunching). Roll the shoulders back and keep the chest out slightly. You can vary the squats; add weights to your squat by doing overhead Squats, front and back squats and Goblet squats. They are phenomenal for building strength and improving mobility.
DEADLIFTS
Whether you want to increase muscle mass, burn calories, increase endurance, or focus entirely on getting stronger, it's the one exercise that I will encourage you to go for. But only if you know the right form and posture to do it. The hip hinge is what you need to understand to do this move correctly: hips are the pivot points. You are pretending to be sitting back. That is how you differentiate it from a squat. You are thrusting the hips horizontally to sit back: then you contract the glutes and push them forward as you stand up. Since it's a full-body movement that uses a lot of muscle mass, the deadlift also builds total-body muscle. It focuses directly on the large muscle group at the back of the thigh: the hamstrings. It also works your upper back and core. The move is fantastic to reinforce the correct posture. Training your back, the back of the legs balances the body, so we can stand taller and feel stronger.
BENCH PRESS
The bench press is an essential upper-body exercise. It is believed that the bench press is just a chest exercise, but most do not know that your triceps, shoulders, back, and even your glutes are engaged. It's not an easy movement and if done incorrectly it can be lethal. Try to push your feet back toward your hip as far as they go, plant your feet firmly driving power through your body. When you place yourself under the bars, squeeze your shoulder blades together to prevent injury to your shoulders. Imagine trying to crush a ball between your shoulder blades, and push the upper back against the bench. Get a good grip on the bar, lift the bar and then inhale to lower the bar down and touch your chest. You can chalk your shoulders and back. Remember! If you haven’t done this move before you can watch a few tutorials and then start with it. First, do it just with the bar. When you are in practice, you can gradually add weights to it.
So, it is easier said in instructions than done. It is important that you do these moves in the correct form. Try incorporating these moves between some cardio like jumping jacks, high knees or jump ropes.
