Beginner Weight Training Program For Weight Loss

Today, I am going to show you a beginner weight training program for weight loss and why I have chosen this method to help you get better results from your time in the gym.

A beginner is someone who has either:

• Never been to the gym and wants to use weight training to lose weight.
• Has been going to the gym inconsistently for 12 months or so. On and off, on and off for 2-3 months at a time.
• Who has had a long lay off from training and needs to come out of fitness retirement.

First, some theory as to how and why weight training is used for weight loss.

Don't skip this as you will miss the most important reason for doing this training. If you really can't be bothered reading the theory, skip to the programs below.

Recently (Sept 2020)  I completed an up-to-date scientifically backed fitness course that covered weight loss (fat loss) fundamentals.

I say fat loss because when it comes to weight loss, we really want fat loss and not muscle loss and I will cover that below.

When it comes to weight loss there are two very important components that we can control.

We know that Energy In MINUS Energy Out ends up in weight loss.

Energy in, includes all the food and drink we consume every day.

Energy out covers our daily exercise, our metabolism, the energy cost of eating food and our non-exercise activity like fidgeting and gardening and walking etc.

Today we are going to focus on using weight training as a training method for weight loss.

QUALITY WEIGHT LOSS - IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT THE SCALE.

During the course I learned that research has repeatedly shown that ~30% of weight loss comes from muscle mass.  

That is, for every kilogram of weight lost, 300g of that weight is our muscle mass.

This is critically important for long-term results, as weight reduction that causes a significant loss of muscle tissue is strongly correlated with lowered metabolic rate and energetic cost of exercise, greater appetite and weight regain.

We know that when we try to lose weight, and if we lose muscle tissue during weight loss, the body fights against this, it lowers metabolic rate, it lowers the energy burned in an exercise session and it increases your appetite and can cause rapid weight regain.

This is why we are interested in quality weight loss.

Up until recently, it was weight on the scales that was the only goal of all weight loss programs. However, they are extremely variable.

Now we can use DEXA. You can now see where you are pulling from (muscle, bone and fat) from scan to scan to scan. If you want to get a DEXA, I highly recommend www.measureup.com.au


The preservation of muscle mass in weight loss is called Quality Weight Loss and the term Body Recomposition refers to the increase in muscle tissue while fat mass decreases .

"Quality weight loss is when you hang on to your muscle as you lose body fat. This is what we want."

All the best studies showing  quality weight loss reveal the same two features:

1. high-energy burning resistance training workouts and
2. high dietary protein intakes above 2g per kilogram of body mass. 

Therefore, the primary exercise intervention in a fat loss exercise program should be weights because it preserves the lean muscle (body recomposition quality weight loss).

I love cardio training and it should absolutely be a major part of your exercise program, but for quality weight loss which leads to a leaner, fitter, more athletic looking and functional body, weight training is a fantastic tool that should take priority.

Okay - so how does the beginner weight training program for weight loss work.

When you are starting off at the gym you are learning the ropes. You are laying the foundations for harder and harder training down the line.

The emphasis is developing baseline muscle strength, balance between limbs, and ‘plugging energy leaks’.

This is critically important for a fat loss program because in 6 months your workouts are going to be dead-lifts, push ups, barbell walking lunges, push jerks, chin ups, ab wheel roll outs,  repeat 5 times with no rest, and if you have energy leaks such as a weak grip or a weak low back, you cannot do that program.

This beginner weight training workout is teaching you how to train so that they you train effectively when you need to.

In effect, you are doing the program below to:

• Improve your baseline strength.
• Get familiar with weight training.
• Learn the basic foundational movements that lead to more advanced movements.
• Burn lots of calories during the session and after.
• Work as many muscle groups as possible.
• To create muscle symmetry between front and back, side to side, top to bottom and to prevent injury down the line.

TOTAL BODY WORKOUT.

This weight training workout for weight loss is a total body workout which you can perform 2-3 times per week. 

It uses the following principles:

• Upper body and lower body exercises are performed in pairs to move blood and oxygen all around the body and help you recover properly between exercises.
• Shorter rest periods to keep energy burning high.
• Lots of muscles being used to stimulate as much muscle as possible and move as many joints as possible.

The intention of using weight training for fat loss is to activate the largest amount of muscle tissue and achieve the highest amount of energy expenditure within reason. 

The Workout.

There are two days to the beginner weight training workout for weight loss.

You can perform the workouts 3 times per week so it would look like this.

• Week 1: 
• Monday: Day 1 weights
• Tuesday: Easy cardio or rest
• Wednesday: Day 2 weights
• Thursday: Easy cardio or rest
• Friday: Day 1 Weights

For week two you would then do Day two twice and Day one, once.

Alternate like this for 4 weeks and then change the program.

Warm Up.

A simple warm up is required here. If you are sitting all day in your office or home you can warm up woth 3-5 minutes of easy cardio and then perform 10 repetitions of the first 4 exercises and then get into the workout.

You won't be lifting heavy yet so there is no need for a complicated warm up.

If the first few exercises require weights, you would warm up with 50% of the weight you would use during the actual workout.

For example, if you were going to do the Goblet Squat with a 10kg Kettlebell, you would warm up with 10 reps of a 4-6kg kettlebell or a 5kg dumbbell.

If it is a bodyweight exercise like push ups, you could warm up with 10 reps at an easy incline angle.

How Do I Know How Much Weight To Lift?

This is a big question but lucky for you I have written an entire article to help you choose the best weights for your workout.

Check it out here.

Day 1 - Beginner Weight Training Workout For Weight Loss.

Above, is Day 1 of a the  beginner weight training workout to help with weight loss.

Here are some tips to perform the workout.

1️⃣. Perform the exercises in pairs. For example. Perform 15-20 Reps of A1. Take no rest. Perform 15-20 Reps of A2. Rest for 60 secs and repeat for 2 more rounds.

2️⃣. Do the same for the other pairs of exercises.

This is a high rep routine. It ends up being 450-600 Reps.

It burns a lot of calories and will prevent muscle loss if you are dieting.

Day 2 - Beginner Weight Training Workout For Weight Loss.

Above is day two of the beginner weight training workout for weight loss.

Make sure you take at least one rest day between every weight training day.

You can do cardio on the day in between or rest.

In Summary:

1. Weight training can be used as a very effective tool for weight loss because it can add to the energy out part of the weight loss equation.
   
2. When you are dieting, you can lose muscle if you don't do weight training so it's very important to make weight training your main exercise priority to prevent muscle loss and achieve QUALITY WEIGHT LOSS.
3. It is better to do higher reps with a greater amount of exercises that covers your whole body to increase energy burning but also build a balanced, strong, fit and functional body that looks, feels and performs better for the rest of your life.
   
4. Both high intensity exercise and continuous cardio training should be used in the training week but this will depend on your energy levels, amount of sleep and current fitness levels.

If you have any questions, comment below. Please enjoy the beginner weight training program for weight loss.

If you are looking to lose weight, get fit, more toned and confident, I'm looking for 5 men or women who want to lose between 5-10kg's, and gain strength, definition and tone.

This is a remote, online training program specifically geared towards those of you who don't live in Sydney, or can't get to my studio.

Spots are extremely limited and I'm only looking for 2 people who are ready to make a change today.

To apply, fill out the form in the link below and I'll be in touch if you meet the requirements:

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Thank you.