fitness training

When you are dieting and trying to lose weight, you’re probably already taking your cardio exercise pretty seriously. Getting at least 30 minutes per day of cardio, at least five days per week, is the perfect start to helping you burn fat and slim down. However, it shouldn’t be the only thing you are doing. Add lifting to your fitness routines to take your weight loss to the next level.

Benefits of Lifting

Lifting weights helps you lose weight in three key ways. First, it’s another way to burn calories, not only while you’re exercising, but also in the “afterburn” time immediately after you stop exercising. Second, muscle cells require more energy for basic metabolic function than fat cells, so every pound of muscle you add increases the baseline calories your body burns. Third, the more muscle you build, the more effective your cardio workouts will be because you’ll be able to go faster.

Preparing to Get Started

If you’ve never lifted weights before, it’s normal to feel apprehensive about it. However, lifting is actually easy to get started, and you’ll be surprised by how much your strength increases. Start by investing in a pair of dumb bells and an exercise ball, which allow you to set up a simple weight lifting routine to target the major muscle groups. In particular, focusing on your back and core will help you enhance your cardio activity to take your weight loss to the next level.

Example Weight Lifting Circuit

The best way to start weight lifting is to develop a circuit of exercises that you complete several times each week. Do 10 repetitions of each activity before moving on to the next one. Once you’ve completed the whole circuit three times, your workout for the day is done.

Dumb bell lunges: Hold a dumb bell in each hand and lunge forward, alternating legs, across a long space.
Dumb bell dips: Hold a dumb bell in each hand on the floor, with your feet extended in front of you. Dip down as you alternate pulling one leg toward you in a crunch movement.
Hamstring curl: Lie on the floor and rest your calves on a stability ball, then raise your hips and pull the ball toward you until your feet are flat on it.
Stability ball jackknife: Get in a push-up position with your shins balanced on a stability ball, then bend and extend your knees to roll the ball toward you and push it back out.
Balance squats: Stand with a dumb bell in each hand and one foot resting on a chair behind you. Squat down as you extend your arms straight out to the side, then come back up to a standing position.
Backwards lunge to kick: Hold a dumb bell in each hand and lunge backwards. When you come back up, kick the leg that was back straight forward and press the weights above your head.

You’ll probably be sore after your first day of weight training, but you’ll quickly start to see benefits. Give yourself at least 48 hours between weight training workouts and do cardio instead. As you feel comfortable with the circuit of exercises, you can look into adding even more to further tone your muscles.

Thomas is a fitness enthusiast with a love for writing. In his spare time, he enjoys blogging on behalf of Sears and other brands.

Originally posted on April 26, 2013 @ 2:22 am

Are you a health buff? Do you have a passion to help people get fit and lose weight? Perhaps you’re meant to become a personal trainer or fitness instructor.

Being in this position will give you an opportunity to assist people with weight issues and earn a decent livelihood. A rewarding experience awaits you as you share your knowledge and skills in helping clients stay fit and lead a healthy lifestyle moving onwards.

A background in physical education or physical medicine will be good enough to pursue your passion. However, it would help you more if you gain more knowledge by regularly reading books related to health fitness such as about anatomy, kinesiology, nutrition and exercise physiology.

An initial exposure to fitness clinics and gym would also be beneficial. This should have trained you on how to properly communicate with and motivate clients and how to use the different gym equipment.

In addition to that, you may need to enroll in a first aid training that includes CPR. This is an important subject to prepare you for any emergency when doing your sessions with clients.

But other than your educational background, trainings and initial work experience, a certification is a major requirement. Normally, certain organizations issue this certification. Make sure that you get yours from a nationally accredited organization such as the American Council on Exercise, American College of Sports Medicine and Aerobics and Fitness Association of America. Regardless of

Once you’ve obtained a certification, you also need to get a specific insurance that will protect you and your clients should you encounter problems in yor job. This is the personal liability insurance that covers for personal injury and property loss. Most personal trainers carry this wherever they go.

Those with no previous experience or exposure to this kind of job yet may find it worthwhile to work first in a gym or a fitness center. This will help you gain more skills and establish your network.

When you’re ready to go solo, decide on the fee you will charge on an hourly basis and the ways you’re going to market your services. Creating a marketing plan should be easy what with the internet and social media that you can take advantage for free.

Moving forward, do ensure that you pursue further studies to upgrade your skills and knowledge. This will enable you to learn about the latest in fitness training and equipment.

Photo via bodyperfectfitness.com

About the guest author:

Bobbie is a fitness writer who has followed several popular TV shows tracking people involved in a weight loss program. He recommends the PersonalTrainerCertification.net site for aspiring fitness instructors wanting to obtain a certification.

Originally posted on October 9, 2012 @ 12:05 pm

Taking Your Weight Loss to the Next Level

What are the Requirements to become a Personal Trainer?