Assuming you are on your way to weight loss, and have begun to implement a strategy for losing weight with a new diet, it’s now time to consider an effective weight loss workout plan.
Part of the plan aspect of working out implies that you are implementing some form of consistency in how you work out, and the frequency of workouts. Simply put, if you examine an effective workout regimen, but don’t consistently Implement by way of actually performing the suggested exercises, your weight loss efforts will fall short.
On the contrary, if you implement these strategic exercises in conjunction with a healthy diet, you will start to see significant improvements in your weight loss efforts and overall quality of life. Your energy levels will increase, and your body’s ability to utilize food as energy will be substantially improved.
So not only are we examining weight loss in the preceding article, but we are also examining the Improvement of one’s metabolic adaptation, and improvements in physical performance. I don’t just mean weightlifting performance, I mean day-to-day movement and activities.
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Building a Weight Loss Workout Plan
Though everyone’s body is different and responds differently to certain exercises, there are some general rules and approaches you can take to effectively lose weight while on a healthy diet. We are going to cover several different types of exercises you can implement in a modular way; inserted within your own schedule.
As long as you are performing the exercises, the time in which you perform them holds little relevance in the early stages of exercising to lose weight. Once you reach the more advanced stages, after several months of exercising or more, an adjustment to the exercise routine will be required in order to continually produce effective weight loss results.
In this article, however, we are going to be moving forward with the assumption that you are relatively new to exercising, and have started implementing some healthy eating routines to aid in your weight loss efforts.
Why a Workout Plan Is Needed
You can lose weight strictly with improved diet, however the results are significantly slower than if you were to implement an effective exercise routine to support weight loss efforts.
It’s the equivalent of having a boat and a paddle, or a boat with a high powered motor – both will get you to the destination, but one will do it significantly faster.
When you exercise, your body is training itself to metabolize food as energy. If your body is low on energy deposits, AKA food, it will begin to seek out stored fat deposits and burn those as a source of fuel so you can perform various exercises.
The point of this is that your body will start to improve its ability to allocate resources where and when needed. By resources, I simply mean stored energy by way of food.
And in improving its ability, I mean that your body will become a metabolic machine capable of breaking down and processing food much faster than without exercise.
Workout Plan for Losing Weight
Generally speaking, an effective workout plan for weight loss will include a sufficient amount of cardio or more intensive cardio such as high intensity interval training, along with moderate weight lifting.
When there is a balance between cardio and weightlifting, the body is not only developing its ability to circulate and utilize fluids more effectively, but it is also strengthening the musculoskeletal system which is crucial for losing weight.
The following simple exercise movements are highly effective for losing weight fast:
- Cardio (running, biking, jogging, skipping, hiking..etc) – great for keeping the heart rate up, and burning calories, all while improving metabolism.
- Push Ups – very simple yet effective full body workout that supports posture correction. If you are unable to perform this movement with ease, then do so with knees down to start.
- Burpees – One of my least favorite exercises because it’s so exhausting, yet works amazingly well for improving weight loss results.
- Hindu Squats – These differ from regular squats however are very similar to the standard body weight squat. In the Hindu squat the focus is breaking at the knees and hips, squatting down, and touching the ground with the back side of your hand (counting as 1 rep).
Regarding frequency, you can choose to see immediate results with frequent exercise, or less immediate with more days off.
Personally, I like to see results fast! So I suggest a minimum split of 4 days on 3 days off, however if you really want results, take that up to 5 days on with 2 days off. Feel free to change your days off within the below schedule.
The Split Throughout the Week
Monday (Upper Body Push/Pull)
- 10min Warmup Cardio
- 50 Pushups as 5 sets of 10, or 10 sets of 5 (maximum 2 minutes rest between each set)
- 50 Pullups as 5 sets of 10, or 10 sets of 5
- 10min Cool-down Cardio
Tuesday (Lower Body Legs)
- 15min Warmup Cardio
- 50 Hindu Squats as 5 sets of 10, or 10 sets of 5 (maximum 2 minutes rest between each set)
- 50 Lunges as 5 sets of 10, or 10 sets of 5
- 10min Cool-down Cardio
Wednesday (Rest)
Don’t forget your rest day to rest your muscles.
Thursday (Full Body Movement)
- 5min Warmup Cardio
- 100 Burpees as 10 sets of 10, or 20 sets of 5 (maximum 2 minutes rest between each set)
- 5min Cool-down Cardio
Friday (Cardio Day)
- 10min Moderate Pace Warmup Cardio
- 20min HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) with Sprinting or Cycling or Rowing for 2minutes HARD/FAST then 2minute moderate/slow pace, then 2min HARD – the objective is to increase heart rate in a controlled manor
- 10min Cool-down Cardio (walking pace or very slow jog)
Saturday (Lower Body Legs)
- 15min Warmup Cardio
- 100 Body Weight Squats as 10 sets of 10, or 20 sets of 5 (maximum 2 minutes rest between each set)
- 5min Cool-down Cardio
Sunday (Rest)
Another rest day before moving on to the exercises in the upcoming week.
How It Works
The mechanics of how this work is quite simple. We are turning your body into an efficient fat burning machine!
The focus of the aforementioned workout plan is to improve your cardiovascular health and movement patterns. We don’t need to focus on developing thick dense muscles, but we do need to perform some muscle assisted movements such as push-ups and pull-ups.
While developing muscle, you will be able to burn fat significantly faster because muscle tissue burns more calories — even when you’re at rest — than body fat.
Approximately 10 pounds of muscle would burn 50 calories in a day spent at rest, while 10 pounds of fat would burn 20 calories. So we want to develop some muscle to allow it to burn your body’s fat even during rest days!
Final Thoughts
The suggested exercises are super simple and easy to follow for a reason – you don’t need complex equipment! All you need is your own ambition and will power to see significant improvements in your life.
Before even starting down the road to weight loss, I want you to first stand in front of a mirror for 10minutes and visualize yourself thinner, stronger, faster…
See your true form, and recognize its only time which separates it from your current state of being. When I initially lost 40lbs in 3 months, it’s because I stood in front of the mirror before and after every workout, and held the intention to align to that version of me which has no patience for failure, weakness, or excess body fat and unhealthy living.
Take pictures to log your progress because it will allow you to reflect back and see how far you’ve come. Share your progress with your friends and family to not only motivate them, but to re-enforce your own efforts.
