How To Lose Weight On Gym

This article was co-authored by Laura Flinn. Laura Flinn is a National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM) Certified Personal Trainer, USA Olympic Weightlifting Sports Performance Coach and Certified Fitness Nutritionist, with an additional qualification as a TRX Suspension Trainer. Laura runs her own personal training program based in the San Francisco Bay Area and specializes in topics such as weight loss, muscle growth, cardiovascular training, and strength training.

If you’re trying to lose weight, working out at the gym is one of the best ways to do it. However, if you’re not exactly a “gym rat” to begin with, you may not know where to start! Ultimately, you’ll need to do both cardiovascular and resistance workouts in order to burn fat while building muscle. At the same time, you’ll also need to make sure you’re eating a proper diet.

This article was co-authored by Laura Flinn. Laura Flinn is a National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM) Certified Personal Trainer, USA Olympic Weightlifting Sports Performance Coach and Certified Fitness Nutritionist, with an additional qualification as a TRX Suspension Trainer. Laura runs her own personal training program based in the San Francisco Bay Area and specializes in topics such as weight loss, muscle growth, cardiovascular training, and strength training. This article has been viewed 35, 578 times.

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The keys to losing weight at the gym are a consistent exercise regimen and healthy eating habits. Try different exercises to find what works best for you. You can run on the treadmill for 30 minutes to burn fat or use the rowing machine to engage most of your body’s muscles to get a good workout. Try to work out at least 3 times a week to develop a consistent fitness regimen. In addition to exercising, be sure to eat enough protein to rebuild your muscles after working them out. Maintain a balanced, nutritious diet by eating something from each of the 5 food groups every day and avoiding processed foods. For tips about how to lift weights to increase your metabolic rate and lose weight at the gym, keep reading!Benefits Of Gym Machines | Resistance Training For Weight Loss | Cardio Machines For Weight Loss | Resistance Machines For Weight Loss

If you’re looking to lose weight and tone your body, navigating the wide variety of gym machines can feel overwhelming. With so many options, how do you know which machines are the most effective for your goals?

Here, Phil Carpenter, PT at  Portsmouth North Harbour explores the best cardio and resistance gym machines for weight loss, and why they should be a crucial part of your workout routine.

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While weight loss relies primarily on creating a calorie deficit (burning more calories than you consume), pairing your diet with exercise is a winning combination when it comes to losing fat (and maintaining that weight loss). Gym machines, whether that’s cardio or resistance, can be a helpful part of that journey. 

Outside of weight loss, both cardio and resistance training offer a wealth of physical and mental health benefits which we cover here.

In-built programmes and trackers on gym machines allow you to keep an eye on your progress, which can help in setting goals and measuring progress over time. They’re also convenient and versatile; with a range of machines in one gym, you can enjoy a varied workout under one roof. 

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People typically associate weight loss with endless cardio, often forgoing resistance training as a result. While increasing cardio can help with weight loss, resistance training is an underrated tool that can help you to get a lean, toned appearance.

It is a common misconception that weightlifting is just for ‘bulking up’ and shouldn’t be done unless you want to get big muscles, but that’s not true. While resistance training does help to build muscle, it takes a lot of time, hard work, and surplus calories to build big muscles.

Strength training while on a diet won’t make you bulky but it will help to prevent your body from breaking down the muscle (instead of fat!) to make up for the calorie deficit and can even help to build some lean muscle if you are progressively overloading and eating enough protein.

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Building muscle is helpful on your weight loss journey in two ways: 1) Muscle is more metabolically active than fat. By increasing the amount of muscle in your body, you can boost your metabolism and keep your body burning more calories at a steady rate throughout the day. 2) Helps to prevent muscle from being lost instead of fat, which can lead to a ‘skinny fat’ appearance.

Resistance training is also important for strengthening your ligaments and tendons and improving your bone density. As we age all of these can weaken, leading to an increased risk of injury - a resistance training programme can help to increase the strength and stability of your muscles and joints, keeping you healthier for longer.

You can learn more about weight training for weight loss here, but in summary, resistance training is just as necessary as cardio for getting fit and sets the foundations for effective weight loss. Ideally, your weight loss workout plan will include both training styles.

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Cardio, also known as aerobic exercise, is physical activity which raises the heart rate and keeps it there for a prolonged period. Cardio exercise burns calories, which can help with your weight loss efforts, and strengthens the cardiovascular system.

While there are many forms of aerobic exercise, cardio machines provide a variety of ways to work out, with low impact options available.

Gym resistance machines guide users to perform an exercise with correct form and range of motion. Compared to using free weights, there is typically less involvement needed from the core to stabilise the movement, which means resistance machines can do a better job of isolating the intended muscles. This is useful for building muscle as the intended muscle can be challenged without support from other muscle groups. 

Top 5 Best Exercises To Lose Weight Fast

Machines are more controlled and generally safer than free weights, so you’re less likely to get hurt and you don’t need to rely on a spotter. Because machine exercises have a fixed movement path they require less technical skill and are ideal for beginners or those returning to exercise after an injury.

Now you know some of the best gym machine exercises to help with your weight loss journey, you just need to plan what workouts you want to do each week. Our downloadable gym workout planners are a great way to plot how much cardio and resistance training you want to do each week, and hold yourself accountable to this!

If you’d like to find out more about what types of exercise to include in your weight loss plan, you can check out our How to Lose Weight hub. Popular articles include our weight loss workout and 5 exercises for fat loss.

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