When you think of working out to lose weight, what’s the first thing that comes to mind? Spending hours and hours (and more hours) on the treadmill, pouring sweat..
Trapped in front of a TV where you are forced to watch the “Footy”, because the alternative is staring at a brick wall (which is probably more interesting tbh)
But the thing is… NONE of this is necessary for losing body fat.
In the long run, all you are going to lose by slaving away on those cardio machines, is buckets of your own sweat. Those endless, boring cardio sessions are about as useless as a pair of chocolate hair straighteners (and much less delicious).
What’s Wrong With Cardio?
Why do we do cardio? Because it burns calories (you know this already)
But the big problem with doing cardio for fat loss, is that the ONLY thing it does is burn calories…
A great way to think about this is like renting a house:
You pay your rent every month so that you have a place to live… but at the end of the year, you’re still in EXACTLY the same position (just £10,000 poorer)
It’s the same thing with cardio – you burn those calories in the gym every day but at the end of the week you are in EXACTLY the same position in terms of how much food you can eat – you might have lost some fat but it’s JUST as easy to put it back on again.
What’s The Alternative?
Back to the “house” talk but about BUYING this time:
Imagine you buy your own place. You spend £10,000 on mortgage payments BUT you actually own something… In short – you have made an INVESTMENT which puts you in a BETTER position in the future.
and eventually… You will OWN that house outright and rent payments will be a thing of the past.
Much better, I’m sure you will agree!
So… what is the workout equivalent of “buying a house” or “investing”?
It’s a little thing we bang on about all the time:
Weight training – Lifting up heavy things and putting them down again.
But what is so magical about this? Why does weight training count as an “investment”?
Well… it comes down to three things really:
- Believe it or not, lifting weights still burns calories (there’s nothing magical about cardio). So you’re getting all the “fat burning” benefits of cardio plus…
- Lifting weights builds muscle (don’t freak out). That means “toning up” and putting sexy CURVES in all the right places – that’s right, a round, toned behind is actually made of muscle.
- So… as a result of this “muscle building” your metabolism will speed up. Meaning you can eat MORE food now (and in the future) without getting fat. AKA an INVESTMENT.
So that’s three great reasons… but #3 is the big one. That “investment factor” is the main advantage you get with lifting weights… being able to eat MORE food, making it HARDER to put all that weight back on again!
Let’s Wrap This Up
Weight training gives you all the calorie-burning benefits you get from cardio PLUS the added benefit of helping you get more toned and increasing your metabolism so you can eat more food than ever.
The flip-side is doing cardio EVERY day but STILL having to eternally starve yourself with pathetic little meals to avoid gaining weight. That’s no way to live I’m sure you’ll agree!
So, in summary:
Cardio = starve yourself forever
Lifting weights = eat like a horse and get lean and toned
What To Do Now
Once you’ve decided to actually give this “weight training” thing a go… how do you ACTUALLY get started? Well, we’ve got a two GREAT free ebooks for you to check out:
- How to Master The Basics Of Weight Training
https://traineatgain.com/teg-basic-training/ - A Two-week Training Plan To Follow (This One Is On The House!)
https://traineatgain.com/product/ultimate-bikini-2/
That should be enough to get you started… but to get the MOST out of your hard work and actually start seeing some results, you will need more that just a couple of weeks of training. Don’t worry if this next part sounds complicated, it’s actually very simple (when you know how).
What would I suggest?
What I would suggest is a periodised training programme where total training volume is increased week on week (whilst at the same time working on increasing strength!). I would also focus on making sure this “training programme” is not BORING as hell (so it doesn’t feel like self-inflicted torture). Last (but not least), cardio should be added at the right time – which is completely dependent on your diet plan.
But crucially… It’s not so much the “training plan” that will help you tone up and lose weight but the combined training and diet approach that you take over a period of weeks or months.
Want help sorting all that out?
Now… if you want help sorting all that out, the ONLY way you can get the chance to work with us is by joining our email list using the sign up box below: