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Losing weight can often feel like an overwhelming journey, but it doesn’t have to be. With the right approach, you can make the process effective, enjoyable, and sustainable.
One of the most efficient ways to lose weight is by incorporating gym workouts into your routine. But with so many exercises and techniques available, how do you know what the best way to lose weight at the gym is?
This blog will walk you through proven methods that combine cardio, strength training, and smart nutrition tips for maximising fat loss at the gym. Let's dive in!
1. Set clear, achievable goals
Before you even step foot in the gym, it’s important to set clear and realistic weight-loss goals. Are you aiming to lose a few pounds, or are you working towards a larger weight-loss target?
Setting measurable and attainable goals keeps you motivated and helps track your progress. Write down your goals, whether that’s losing a set amount of body fat or increasing your strength. Tracking your journey is crucial in staying focused and motivated.
When setting goals, use the SMART principle. Stress-testing your goal against SMART can help you ensure that it is Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time-Bound. Here’s an example of SMART Goal:
How to set a SMART goal
Specific: To lose 14 lbs of fat in 7 months. The ultimate aim of this goal is to reduce excess body weight so as to improve my long-term health.
Measurable: Aim to lose 2 lbs of body fat each month for 7 months. Before starting, I will weigh myself and take girt measurements.
Achievable: With hard work, commitment and persistence, the goal is achievable. Studies have shown that 2 lbs per month is a safe weight-loss target.
Realistic: The goal is realistic as I have rescheduled my commitments so that I can commit to a one-hour daily workout. Also, I have made dietary modifications by reducing my consumption of ultra-processed foods.
Time-bound: The goal time horizon spans 7 months. I will take body weight and girt measurements prior to starting. At the end of each month, I will assess my weight loss against periodic milestones.
2. Mix cardio and strength training
When it comes to losing weight at the gym, a combination of cardio and strength training is key. Here's why both matter:
Cardio (fat-burning workouts)
Cardiovascular exercises, such as running, cycling, rowing, or using the elliptical machine, are great for burning calories. Cardio is excellent for fat loss, as it increases your heart rate and boosts calorie expenditure during and after your workout.
You can aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity cardio per week (about 30 minutes a day, five times a week) to start seeing visible results.
Some effective types of cardio include:
HIIT (High-Intensity Interval Training): HIIT is a time-efficient workout that alternates between intense bursts of exercise and short rest periods. It can boost fat burning and continue to burn calories for hours after your workout.
Steady-State Cardio: This involves maintaining a moderate pace for longer periods of time, like a 45-minute jog or swim. While HIIT is great for burning fat, steady-state cardio can help build endurance.
Fartlek: Fartlek training (also known as ‘speed play’ in Swedish) is a freeform variation of HIIT. Instead of completing a specific number of intervals for a pre-stipulated duration (say 20 x 20-sec work/rest intervals), which is straightlaced HIIT all over, Fartlek bouts are arbitrarily mixed into a steady-state CV session. So, during the last few miles of your run (row, swim or cycle), you can start playing with speed. Simply pick an object in the distance, preferably a lamppost as they are usually spaced evenly apart, and sprint to it. Now jog to the next lamppost. Repeat for as long as your physicality will permit. Ready to try these Fartlek Workouts?
Strength training (muscle building)
Many people overlook strength training when trying to lose weight, but it’s an essential part of the equation. Lifting weights helps you build lean muscle mass, which in turn boosts your metabolism. More muscle means your body burns more calories even while you're at rest!
Aim for strength training at least 2-3 times a week. Focus on compound movements (exercises that engage multiple muscle groups) for maximum benefit. Some great exercises include:
Squats
Deadlifts
Bench Press
Hang cleans
Bent rows
As you build muscle, your resting metabolism increases, making it easier to burn fat over time.
3. Focus on compound movements
Compound movements are your best friend in the gym when it comes to weight loss. The reason, Arnold Schwarzenegger reminds us in his Encyclopaedia of Modern Body Building, is that compound lifts promote muscle growth which increases metabolic rate.
In addition, because these exercises target large muscle groups, they burn more calories compared to isolation exercises. Think of compound lifts as fat-burning tools that work your entire body. For example:
Deadlifts: Engage your hamstrings, glutes, back, core and many upper body muscles, making it an incredible full-body exercise.
Squats: Engage all the muscles of the legs including the core and the lower back.
Push-Ups: Stimulate all the upper body muscles including the core, hip flexors and quads.
By prioritising compound exercises, you'll challenge your body in multiple ways and ensure that you're burning as many calories as possible.
4. Progressive overload
If you’ve been at the gym for a while and feel like your progress is stagnating, it might be time to incorporate progressive overload into your workouts. Progressive overload simply means gradually increasing the intensity of your workouts to force your body to adapt and grow stronger. This can be done by:
Increasing the weight you lift
Adding more sets or reps
Reducing rest time between sets
Trying more challenging exercises
By gradually increasing the intensity, you keep your body in a state of adaptation, which leads to consistent improvements in muscle growth and fat loss.
5. Don’t skip recovery days
Many people think that the more time they spend in the gym, the faster they’ll lose weight. While consistency is important (so is selecting the most effective fat loss exercises), recovery is just as vital. Overtraining can lead to burnout, injuries, and stalled progress. Make sure to schedule regular rest days into your routine to give your muscles time to repair and grow.
A common misconception is that rest days are about lounging on the couch and avoiding all forms of physical movement. This is far from the truth. Studies have shown that active recovery sessions are more effective at promoting muscle repair than days of doing nothing.
It turns out that participating in low- to moderate-intensity exercise, such as swimming, cycling or walking, facilitates the removal of metabolic waste products. Furthermore, active recovery encourages blood flow which provides the muscles with essential nutrients.
Movement quality training
Alternatively, active recovery can consist of ‘movement quality training’ (MQT). As explained by strength and conditioning specialist, Nick Grantham, MQT is where we focus on the quality of movement patterns when performing a lift. MQT is conducted at super-low intensities, and all lifts would be executed with minimal resistance – typically an ‘unloaded’ bar.
The great thing about active recovery, whether it’s a gentle swim or a series of light lifts, is that your body is consuming more calories than it would at rest. So, as well as facilitating the repair of damaged tissue, you’ll also be burning a bit more weight.
In addition to active recovery days, consider incorporating activities like stretching or yoga to promote flexibility, reduce stress, and improve circulation.
6. Nutrition: The foundation of weight loss
I know this blog is about the best way to lose weight at the gym, but it’s a well-established fact that exercise alone won’t shift stubborn body fat. In The Obesity Code, Dr Jason Fung observes that at least 90% of weight management is down to the foods we eat on a daily basis. This makes sense when considered in the context of the calories in/calories out calculation. And while we know that not all calories are created equal, our exercise efforts can be seriously undermined if we are not careful about what we put in our mouths.
Dr Kenneth Cooper, author of The Aerobics Program For Total Well-Being, neatly puts this point into perspective for us. To burn off 100 calories, which is about one and a half biscuits, would require that we run at a fair clip for around 20 minutes.
So, to lose weight effectively, we must modify our dietary intake. But how should we do this? Well, according to Dr Chris van Tulleken, the most important step you can take is to stop eating ultra-processed food (UPF). UPF, Tulleken argues, is likely the leading contributor to the global obesity epidemic. This is a consequence of the fact that UPF is hyper-palatable, loaded with salt, sugar and fat (and synthetic chemicals) and accessible around the clock. An obesogenic recipe if ever there was one.
Another powerful dietary change that will help you reach your weight-loss goal is to replace UPF and refined carbohydrates with fresh vegetables, whole grains and legumes. Such foods are low in sugar and saturated fat but are high in fibre and essential nutrients.
Two other effective strategies that can be leveraged to facilitate fat loss are to stop snacking and time restrict your meals. Snacking – even on healthy foods – can significantly increase the total quantity of calories consumed across a week. Thus, snacks should be avoided or kept to a minimum. Restricting your meals to an 8- to 10-hour window, Dr Emeran Mayer argues, reduces blood sugar levels while improving insulin sensitivity. These physiological biomarkers, Mayer maintains, are consistent with people of a healthy weight.
Here are some basic nutrition tips for weight loss:
Simple nutrition tips for weight loss
Eat lean protein: Protein helps build muscle and keeps you full for longer – which can deter snacking. Include lean proteins from high-fibre plant-based sources such as legumes and lentils.
Control your carb intake: Carbs are a source of energy, but they are also easy to overconsume. Focus on complex carbs like whole grains, vegetables, and fruits, which are high in fibre and keep you satiated.
Stay hydrated: Drinking water boosts metabolism and helps regulate hunger signals.
Stop snacking: Stay disciplined and stick to your feeding schedule. But if a complete ban on snacking is too Spartan, try a day on/day off strategy or allow yourself a sneaky snack over the weekend.
Time-restricted eating: Try to confine calorie intake to an 8- to 10-hour window. Dr Mayer suggests skipping breakfast and having an early lunch and dinner.
7. Track your progress and stay motivated
Tracking progress is crucial to staying motivated. The author of Smarter, Faster, Better, a book about beating procrastination and boosting performance, tells us that keeping tabs on personal development fuels our drive toward pursuing goals. This is a consequence of the ‘dopamine reward system,’ a neurological quirk that imbues us with a sense of satisfaction when we acquire ‘perceived goods.’
The science behind this is robust. Scores of studies have shown that we are, to use the lingo, ‘programmed’ or ‘hardwired’ to seek out states that assure our continued survival – such as foraging for food, finding shelter and evading predators.
Though this is an evolutionary survival strategy (few of us need to forage for food or evade predators nowadays – thankfully), it can be utilised to help us achieve our goals. When we reach a milestone (say, to lose 2 lbs), we receive an uplifting ‘feel good’ boost. That can propel us forward to the next milestone – and so on until we finally reach our goal.
Here are some simple tips to tap into the dopamine reward system.
Top tips to track progress
Take progress photos
Track your strength gains (i.e., lifting heavier weights)
Monitor body weight, girth measurements and fat percentage
Also, remember to celebrate the small wins. Whether it’s achieving a new personal best on a lift or noticing your clothes fitting better, these victories will keep you motivated and remind you that you’re on the right track.
Conclusion: Consistency is key
There is no one-size-fits-all answer to weight loss, but by blending a balanced mix of cardio, strength training, and nutrition, you’ll be well on your way to achieving your goals.
It’s important to remember that the best way to lose weight at the gym is not about quick fixes. Losing weight is about instilling sustainable habits that fit your lifestyle. Regularly reflecting on this fact can enable you to avoid becoming discouraged when progress doesn’t happen overnight.
Stay consistent, listen to your body, and make adjustments as needed. Over time, you’ll see the results that reflect your hard work — and that’s the true power of weight loss.
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About Adam Priest –
A former Royal Marines Commando, Adam Priest is a content writer, college lecturer, and health and fitness coach. He is also a fitness author and contributor to other websites. Connect with Adam at info@hungry4fitness.co.uk.
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