Before we start exercising for weight loss we must know why we are exercising. Although you burn calories while exercising, the biggest advantage comes from building new muscle tissue. Muscles are very demanding in terms of energy, so to grow and maintain muscle you need more energy. Muscles therefore increase your metabolism and make you burn fat quicker.

This is why when we are talking about weight loss we always advise you to do full body workouts. It is not worth just exercising the abdominals because you want to increase total muscle mass as quick as possible to help burn more fat. To do this you need to perform compound movements (movements which utilise several different muscles groups at the same time) and also work the largest muscles in the body. This means legs, glutes, back and chest.

Do not worry about muscle – you will not bulk up or look all veiny like Angelina Jolie. The aim is to look healthy, athletic and curvy. Muscle provides curves, glutes are the main muscle of the bottom, and to get a good shape you need to work the muscle rather than rely on fat deposits. Muscle is fit as well as sexy! So lets look at our 4 workouts.

Exercise Workout Number 1

We start with the weight training. You can perform these exercises using free weights and a weight lifting bench or by using machines. Dumbbells and barbells are both allowed.

• Squats. Squats are possibly the most important exercise that you will do. To perform them properly you stand with your feet just over shoulder width apart and then squat down until your legs are almost parallel to the floor before returning to stand upright. Always look forward when squatting and not down, this helps maintain correct spinal alignment. Perform 3 sets of 10 squats with a weight that is challenging.
• Reverse Lunges. These involve standing up straight, usually while holding a dumbbell in each hand. Step backwards with one foot and sing your weight downwards, bending the front knee. Then return and repeat on the other leg. Again, 3 sets of 10 is best to start with.
• Bench Press. Bench presses work the chest. Do not worry, they are not going to make you look like a bodybuilder, and they will not burn off all your fat either. But they will help your muscles shape and support your chest. Use a solid flat bench and with dumbbells or a barbell press the weight directly upwards from your chest until your arms are straight. Many gyms have chest press machines that you sit upright on and perform the same movement.
• Shoulder Press. This helps to tone the shoulders and also triceps that help with under arm fat and “chicken wings”. Sit upright and press a bar (or dumbbells straight overhead).
• Curls. You can either curl dumbbells or a barbell. Excellent exercise for building stronger arms, not only will you look fitter and healthier but you will be able to carry your shopping and kids with ease!
• Calf Raises. These help build shapely lower legs. Just stand on a step with your heels off the step and lift your bodyweight up and the lower again. Repeat 20 times. You can hold weights if you need to.
• Pull Downs. These work he back, another major muscle group. A strong back helps to give your body an elegant structure and improves posture. Simple sit on a pull down bench and pull the weight towards your chest. You can instead do pull ups (modified of assisted).

Exercise Workout Number 2

The second workout is a traditional bodyweight circuit training workout to help increase muscular endurance and cardiovascular fitness. It also burns a lot of fat.

• Bodyweight squats. Same motion as the weighted ones, but with just bodyweight. Aim to complete 100 squats in a session. Either all at once or in any number of sets.
• Star Jumps. Classic old school gym exercise that gets your heart thumping and tones and strengthens your legs. The lateral movement of the legs helps to build stabilising muscles that will help you in other exercises.
• Skipping. Skipping is something that only school girls and boxers do, which is odd as it is such a great exercise, everyone should learn to skip. A great fat burning cardio workout.
• Burpees. They sound odd, but are very effective. From a standing upright position, you squat down to touch the floor, then kick your legs backwards, perform 1 push up, then hop your feet forward again to under your body, then explosively jump upwards with your arms in the air. Land on floor, and repeat. Excellent fun, burns a lot of fat and tones the muscles of the legs, core, and arms.
• Push Ups. Often a hard exercise, so “quarter push ups” are allowed which are when you support your body on your knees instead of your feet. Try to perform up to 50 in a session. Building up push up strength will really help to tone muscle and burn fat.
• Crunches. The classic abs exercise – although alone they will not get you a flat stomach, you still need to do them to tone the stomach.

Exercise Workout Number 3

High intensity interval training workout. This workout involves performing high intensity intervals, which just means sprinting then slowing down to recover  and then sprinting again. You can perform them on exercise bikes, elliptical machines, treadmills (although harder), rowing machines, while out running or swimming.

Short workouts with multiple intervals have been shown to be very effective at improving fitness and burning fat.

Warm up for a few minutes first, and then perform a 30 second sprint. At the end of the 30 seconds slow down to work at a gentle recovery pace for 60 seconds, then as soon as the recovery minute is finished perform another sprint.

Using a machine is easier as it can either be programmed or will have a clock. It is harder to perform this type of training while running. If you are outside you need an interval timer to beep at you for each stage. If you are on a treadmill you have to be careful to not go too fast that you can no longer control the machine! Ellipticals, bikes and rowers are really the best options.

Exercise Workout Number 4

Endurance training. Even though intensive workouts are best for fitness and weight loss, longer sessions are still important. Walking is actually a very good option, so walk for 45-60 minutes at a time to build up stamina and muscular endurance.

So there you go, 4 types of exercise to do each week that will get you fit, tone your muscles and burn fat. Hop to it!

Web Sources and Resources

These sites and articles provide more information on the options we discuss above. The research papers provide evidence to support our workout ideas.

• “11 At-Home Exercises For Women – Save Time And Money” by Angelique Millis. Bodybuilding.com
• “Reduction in intra-abdominal adipose tissue after strength training in older women” by M. S. Treuth, G. R. Hunter, T. Kekes-Szabo, R. L. Weinsier, M. I. Goran, and L. Berland. Journal of Applied Physiology April 1995 vol. 78 no. 41425-1431. Abstract: jap.physiology.org/content/78/4/1425.short
• “Effects of Sit Up Exercise Training on Adipose Cell Size and Adiposity” by Frank Katch. Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport, v55 n3 p242-47 Sep 1984. Abstract: www.getcited.org/pub/103341727
• “Impact of exercise intensity on body fatness and skeletal muscle metabolism” by Angelo Tremblay, Jean-Aimé Simoneau, Claude Bouchard. Metabolism Volume 43, Issue 7, July 1994, Pages 814-818. Abstract: www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/0026049594902593

Available from Amazon

The Y Plan Body Confidence workout has been created by Central YMCA who one of the UK’s leading fitness training groups. The exercises shared in this DVD have been developed over the last 20 years to give the best results in the shortest time.

The Workouts

The DVD is set out in a logical order that takes you through a whole workout. So the first workout is an aerobic warmup workout that is very easy to follow.

There are 6 different workouts on the DVD, each lasting 10 minutes. This means that you can put together your own 20-30 minute workouts each week, and change the order and the workouts to create your own personal training session.

The 6 Body Confidence Workouts

The workouts are designed to be done with little or no equipment. With several exercises you are invited to use dumbbells or to hold a water bottle in each hand.

The workouts ensure that the whole body is exercised using a combination of high energy movements to burn fat and slow bodyweight movements to tone muscles.

The DVD allows you to exercise at several different intensities so that you can work at your own pace and then progress as you get fitter and lose weight. For example for press ups 3 versions a demonstrated at once, the box press up, the three quarter press up and the full press up.

The DVD also features fitness expert and author Caroline Sandry, who explains her approach to fitness:

“I am passionate about helping people change their lives through fitness. With these simple but effective 10-minute workouts, we are giving people the tools they need to position exercise in their busy lives”.

This DVD also provides an exercise tips and advice, as well as a behind-the-scenes documentary.

This is a good home fitness workout that will get you fit and toned if you persevere with it. Do a little every day and within a few weeks you will start to see some good changes to your body shape and weight.

Caroline Sandry is a fully qualified Pilates and yoga teacher and personal trainer, having worked with many celebrities including actresses, models and pop stars.

Available from Amazon.co.uk: Y Plan Body Confidence [DVD] [2010]

We feel it is best to start simple, so suggest a regime that includes some running, circuit training, and aerobics.

Aerobics does not only refer to aerobic exercise classes, but all forms of exercise which increase heart rate and respiration to the extent that the heart and lungs are working much harder than usual.

This leads to improvements in the heart and lung’s health and also general strengthening and toning of muscles.

Chair Exercise for Tums & Bums

Circuit training is an excellent way to improve fitness and strength, as it is traditionally a set of aerobic and strength training exercises that are carried out at stations around a gym, sports hall or in a martial arts class. Circuit training has many forms, and can be done with just calisthenics routines or using free weights and machines. Circuit training classes often incorporate exercises from different schools such as yoga and pilates as well as classic exercises such as press ups, skipping and sprinting. Interval training can also be done as a form of circuit training.

Pilates, also know as the Pilates Method, has become increasing popular in the last decade as the popularity of health clubs has increased. The exercises are taken from various schools, especially yoga and various hybrids have been developed, such as “yogalates”.

Martial arts are a great way to get fit and healthy. There are many styles to choose from and many clubs provide a great social environment in which to exercise. Martial arts can provide both physical training and exercise as well as mental training, as many of the forms and sparring, help to develop an alert mind. Many classes also provide a healthy form of discipline, which can aid children’s social development.

Swimming is an excellent form of exercise. The human body is very well adapted to water as our density is very similar to that of water. This means that when swimming the body is supported in the water placing less stress on bones and joints. Swimming is a good way for people to recover from an injury too, or to keep fit during pregnancy. Aqua-aerobics is a popular form of exercise done in water, which mimics swimming motions in shallow water.

Bodybuilding involves building muscle purely for aesthetic purposes. A bodybuilders training routine differs from that of athletes, as they need to increase muscle size and definition rather than core strength. Fat loss is essential to maintain perfectly formed muscles. Bodybuilding requires very strict diet.

Running is probably one of the simplest forms of exercise that can be done. No equipment is required and subscriptions to gyms are not needed – just get some good shoes and run.

We will be covering all of these different exercises as we slowly build this site (remember, it is new!)