Achieve Your Weight Loss Goals with Combination Exercises
One of the first things most people do when they decide that they are going to take their workout seriously is getting a gym membership. They go to the gym, lift weights, go on the treadmill, and yet they don’t always see the results they want. The truth is that you don’t get large arms just by doing barbell curls, and you don’t get strong legs by solely doing leg extensions. These are exercises that are designed to isolate certain muscles. And while they do have their place in a workout regimen, the best thing to do to lose weight and get in shape fast is to replace those isolation exercises with combination or compound exercises.
So the first question you may ask is, why are compound exercises the best way to get in shape? Because they work more than one group of muscles at the same time whereas isolation workouts focus on one muscle. If you’re working multiple muscles at the same time, you get a lot more done and burn a lot more calories.
Compound exercises encourage your body to produce muscle building hormones. If you do a compound exercise like squats, the testosterone level in your body raises in response. And this total body muscle activation is essential for muscle growth and losing fat.
So if you want to get bigger arms, don’t just do curls. Get underneath the bar, throw on some heavyweights, and do a pressing movement. Bench pressing 200 pounds, for example, is going to do a lot more for the appearance of your arms, your shoulders, and your chest than doing a few curls or kickbacks. The same principle applies when working your legs.
So does this mean that you should ditch all isolation exercises? Absolutely not. Isolation exercises can be beneficial, but if you want to lose weight, they should not be the centerpiece of your workout. Combination exercises are going to help you build muscle throughout your body faster and lose fat quicker.
Isolation exercises are the most effective when you are trying to do a workout with an injury or when you realize that you have a muscle imbalance and need to improve the strength in one part of your body.
Some of the best compound exercises include bench presses, deadlifts, squats, barbell rows, stiff leg lifts, and incline presses.
An important thing to remember is that compound exercises work equally as well for men as for women. There is no such thing as an exercise that’s best for women and best for men.
If you’re looking for combination exercises to help you lose weight, contact Zero Gravity Fitness today. We proudly serve the Ocoee area and would be happy to recommend the appropriate regimen to help you reach your goals.