 By Elena Voropay Let's get straight to the point - losing weight and getting in shape is all about exercising an eating right. But how do you know which program works best? Weight Training? Running? Cycling? Or crosstraining? It is not common sense and one doesn't work for all. Each program acts on your body in a different way, so they should be examined separately to determine which is best for promoting weight loss and making your body stronger and fitter. Here is your solution - The Complete Exercise Program. Now you don't have to question yourself - how should I work out today (the most difficult question to answer). Just follow the Program for a month, and you will see excellent results!
Burning Fat Throught Sweat An aerobic program usually consists of cardiovascular exercise performed three to six days per week. Assuming each session lasts 30 minutes, the caloric expenditure is anywhere from 300 to 500 calories per 30-minute session, depending on intensity.
Fit and Toned Body Now, compare a cardio session to a resistance training session of equal duration. The resistance training session will burn roughly half the calories of the cardio session. The main reason for this is that during the cardio session your heart and your muscles are working continuously for 30 minutes. In a strength training session, after you take away the rest between sets and the rest between muscles worked, you are really only working for about 10 minutes. Which One? So, does this mean that a session of cardio causes greater energy expenditure than a resistance training session of equal duration? Yes, however there are other factors to consider which influence your caloric expenditure for the rest of the day after you have finished exercising. Resting metabolic rate (RMR) is a term that is used often, but is not always understood. RMR is the minimum number of calories, or energy, required to fuel the vital functions required for life. These vital functions include things like breathing, circulating blood and mental function. When you exercise, your RMR increases due to chemical and hormonal changes and it stays elevated for quite some time after you exercise. After a cardio session your RMR remains elevated for roughly two to three hours; however, the RMR has been reported to remain elevated for 10 to 15 hours after a resistance training session. After following a resistance training program for some time, your daily RMR may also increase as you build more muscle. Muscle is more metabolically active than fat, so individuals with more muscle mass usually have a higher resting metabolic rate. The average female’s metabolic rate is roughly 5 to 10% lower than an average male of the same size simply because of females’ genetic predisposition to having less muscle mass. As you can see, while a cardio program provides an immediate higher caloric expenditure, a resistance training program provides a caloric expenditure of the same magnitude, but spaced over a longer period of time. So, the answer to the commonly asked question “Which program is better for losing weight” is simple: follow a program that includes a combination of both strength and cardio training. This way you will receive all of the short-term and long-term benefits of exercising. | Day | Morning exercises | Afternoon exercise | | 1 | E.g. 40mins treadmill (moderate speed on incline of 5) | Chest: 3 sets of 10 push ups Back: 3 sets of 10 assisted chin-ups on a bar Abs: 20 sit ups on a fitful Low Back: 20 back extensions on a fitful | | 2 | 25 min on elliptical trainer (variable pace), full body stretches | Shoulders: 3 sets of 15 overhead presses with resistance band, front, side and bent-over side arm raises with band Legs: 3 sets of 50 squats, 25 lunges x 2 | | 3 | 30 min walking/jogging outside, full-body stretching | Arms: 20 biceps curls, 20 triceps extensions | | 4 | 30 min cycling, 3 sets of 30 sit ups, 3 sets of prone low back extensions (lying on the stomach, lift upper and lower body up) | 30 min walk on a treadmill (moderate speed) | | 5 | Active Rest – walking, cleaning, gardening at your own pace, any kind of physical activity for 1 hour | Abs: 50 abdominal crunches Low Back: 25 low back extensions (lying on the stomach, lift upper and lower body up) | | 6 | 25 min on elliptical trainer, 15 min on a rowing machine (variable pace) | Chest: 3 sets of 10 push ups Back: 3 sets of 10 assisted chin-ups on a bar Abs: 20 sit ups on a fitful Low Back: 20 back extensions on a fitful | | 7 | 15 min jogging and 15 min walking on treadmill (up/down hill) | Arms: 20 biceps curls, 20 triceps extensions 30 min on a rowing machine, stretches for all body parts | | 8 | 40mins treadmill (moderate speed on incline of 5) | Shoulders: 3 sets of 15 overhead presses with resistance band, front, side and bent-over side arm raises with band Legs: 2 sets of 50 squats, 2 sets of 50 lateral lunges | | 9 | Walking outdoors 35 min (up and down hill), full body stretches | 45 min on elliptical trainer (variable pace) | | 10 | 25 min on elliptical trainer, 15 min on a rowing machine (variable pace) | 30 min walking outdoors | | 11 | | Chest: 3 sets of 15 bench dips, 3 sets of 15 modified push-ups, Back: 3 sets of 25 bent-over rows with resistance band Arms: 20 biceps curls, 20 triceps extensions | | 12 | 25 min on rowing machine (variable pace) | Shoulders: 3 sets of 15 overhead presses with dumbbells, 3 sets of leg presses on a machine | | 13 | 30 min walking/jogging outside, full-body stretching | Active Rest | | 14 | 30 min cycling, 3 sets of 30 sit ups | 30 min walk on a rowing machine (moderate speed) | | 15 | Active Rest – walking, cleaning, gardening at your own pace | 50 abdominal crunches, 25 low back extensions (lying on the stomach, lift upper and lower body up) | | 16 | 25 min on elliptical trainer, 15 min on a rowing machine (variable pace) | 3 set of 10 push ups and 10 assisted chin-ups on a bar 20 sit ups on a fitful | | 17 | 15 min jogging and 15 min walking on treadmill (up/down hill) | Full-body circuit with resistance band – 20 squats, 20 Abs sit-ups on a fitful, 20 overhead presses, 20 triceps extensions, 20 biceps curls, 20 modified push-ups, 20 bent-over back rows | | 18 | 45 min walking/jogging up-down hill | Rest, stretches for all body parts | | 19 | Walking outdoors 35 min | 45 min on elliptical trainer (variable pace) | | 20 | Full-body circuit with resistance band – 20 squats, 20 Abs sit-ups on a fitful, 20 overhead presses, 20 triceps extensions, 20 biceps curls, 20 modified push-ups, 20 bent-over back rows | 30 min walking outdoors | | 21 | Waking outdoors 45 min | Active rest | | 22 | Active Rest – walking, cleaning, gardening at your own pace | 50 abdominal crunches, 25 low back extensions (lying on the stomach, lift upper and lower body up) | | 23 | 40mins treadmill (moderate speed on incline of 5) | Chest: 3 sets of 10 push ups Back: 3 sets of 10 assisted chin-ups on a bar Abs: 20 sit ups on a fitful Low Back: 20 back extensions on a fitful | | 24 | 25 min on elliptical trainer (variable pace), full body stretches | Shoulders: 3 sets of 15 overhead presses with resistance band, front, side and bent-over side arm raises with band Legs: 3 sets of 50 squats, 25 lunges x 2 | | 25 | 30 min walking/jogging outside, full-body stretching | Arms: 20 biceps curls, 20 triceps extensions | | 26 | 30 min cycling, 3 sets of 30 sit ups, 3 sets of prone low back extensions (lying on the stomach, lift upper and lower body up) | 30 min walk on a treadmill (moderate speed) | | 27 | Active Rest – walking, cleaning, gardening at your own pace, any kind of physical activity for 1 hour | Abs: 50 abdominal crunches Low Back: 25 low back extensions (lying on the stomach, lift upper and lower body up) | | 28 | Active rest | Full-body circuit with resistance band – 20 squats, 20 Abs sit-ups on a fitful, 20 overhead presses, 20 triceps extensions, 20 biceps curls, 20 modified push-ups, 20 bent-over back rows |
General exercise rules: Always warm up and cool down effectively Choose a weight that leaves you struggling at the last couple of reps Eat a snack with protein within an hour after exercise Don’t overtrain, use the rest days to repair and recover |
Get Active 
.png)
