How to exercise if you are overweight or obese

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Iya Zorina tells where to start your fitness path so as not to harm yourself and get used to training.

How to determine if you are overweight

For this, the body mass index (BMI) is used - the ratio of a person's height and weight. This is not the most reliable indicator, since it does not take into account the percentage of fat and muscle mass, but since no other universal method has yet been invented, you can take it.

Body mass index is calculated using the following formula:

BMI = weight (kg) / height² (m)

According to the BMI Nutritional status of the WHO, overweight starts at a BMI of 25, and obesity starts at 30.

What to do before starting workouts

Regular exercise will improve your health and help you lose weight, but in some situations it is worth exercising under the supervision of specialists. These problems include diseases of the cardiovascular system, problems with joints and spine, diabetes.

In order not to harm your health, before starting training, consult with a therapist and, if necessary, with highly specialized doctors.

It is also worth choosing a diet that will help you maximize the benefits of your exercise. Exercise will allow you to lose weight, but with a properly built diet, the results will be several times better.

What to include in the program

For the best effect, it is worth combining several types of loads:

• Cardio- will help you burn out more calories and improve your cardiovascular system so that you stop choking during daily activities.
• Power loads- Strengthen muscles, improve your sense of balance, joint mobility and motor control, as well as add confidence in your abilities.

Don't try high-intensity interval training, as it puts a lot of stress on your heart and is too uncomfortable to do anything at all.

How to do cardio

Walking, exercise on a stationary bike and a rowing machine are well suited as cardio loads. You should not include running and jumping: they can cause discomfort.

It's hard to find a better cardio to start with than walking.

Start with 15-20 minutes of vigorous walking a day and gradually work your way up to 45-60 minutes. In one such walk, you will spend as many calories as in half an hour of running, but at the same time you will not choke and curse your desire to exercise.

If you choose another form of cardio, such as an elliptical, rowing, or stationary bike, start with 10-15 minutes of talking at a speaking pace. That is, when you can work and maintain a conversation at the same time without gasping for breath.

Over time, increase the duration of your cardio sessions to 30–45 minutes. Always be guided by your state: if you feel that you can work harder, do it. At any time, you can slow down and catch your breath.

How to do strength exercises

For power loads, it is advised to choose functional multi-joint exercises that copy movements from ordinary life: squats, lunges, deadlifts, presses and body turns.

During them, several large muscle groups work at once, so you will spend a lot of calories, learn to move efficiently and easily.

All exercises can be done at home, although some of them require compact equipment such as rubber bands, a horizontal bar, and training loops like the TRX.

For convenience, we have divided the exercises by type. Choose one movement from each category and create a workout from them. Do each exercise for 3-5 sets of 10-15 reps.

1. Squats

Gluteal bridge

We have included this exercise in the squat category because it is great for initial glutes and hamstrings. Lie on your back, bend your knees at right angles and press your feet to the floor. Raise your pelvis, squeeze your buttocks at the top and lower back down.

Squat on a chair

Stand with your back to a chair or other stable support about 50 cm high, stretch your arms forward. Take your pelvis back, straighten your back and lower yourself into a chair. Keeping your back straight, rise from the squat and repeat the exercise.

Full Range Squat

You will need training loops for this exercise. You can also use a sheet: pinch it with a door and grab both ends.

Place your feet shoulder-width apart, slightly turn the toes of the feet to the sides. Grasp the loops or ends of the sheet and straighten your back. Pull your pelvis back and do a squat, keeping your back straight.

Squat as deep as possible - until you can keep your back straight and your heels pressed to the floor. Holding on to the loops, exit the squat and repeat the exercise.

Air squats

These are regular squats without support, but also without additional weighting. Place your feet shoulder-width apart, slightly spread the toes of your feet to the sides, put your hands on your belt or keep them folded in front of you. Straighten your back, take your pelvis back and squat down to the parallel of your hips with the floor or below.

Make sure that at the bottom of the squat, the heels do not come off the floor. Straighten up and repeat the exercise.

2. Lunges

Movements in this category will not only pump your hips and glutes, but also improve your sense of balance. Since placing your feet in a lunge puts more stress on the forward leg, it is important to do the same number of times on both sides.

Split squats

Stand straight, take a wide step forward with your right foot and leave it in this position. Place your hands on your belt. If you are feeling insecure, you can use one hand to support the back of a chair or a wall.

Bend your knees and drop into a lunge. Try to sit down so that there is a palm-width space between the knee behind the standing leg and the floor. Straighten out of the lunge and repeat.

Back lunges

These lunges provide less stress on the knee joints than the forward or pass variation. It also makes it easier to balance.

Stand up straight with your hands on your belt. Take a wide step back with your right foot and lower into a lunge almost until your knee touches the floor. Keep your back straight, tilt your body forward slightly. Return to starting position and repeat on the other leg.

Lunge with knee extension

This progression will put additional stress on the hip flexor muscles. Lunge back with your right foot, then rise and bring your right knee forward. Without lowering your foot to the floor, go back into the lunge again.

Stepping onto the platform

Find a low, stable support about 30 cm high. You can start by going up a step. Stand in front of the dais and place your hands on your belt.

Place your foot on the platform, point your toe and knee straight ahead. Straighten your back, straighten your shoulders. Climb onto the platform, place your left foot on the toes next to the right, and then lower it back to the floor.

When you can easily do 10 times on each leg, try increasing the height of the support: step on a chair or bench 50 cm high.

Hip flexion steps

Take a step up the hill with your left foot, and after lifting, bring your right knee forward. Step back off your right foot and repeat the exercise.

3. Press

This type of movement will pump your chest and triceps, the muscles on the back of your shoulder. Also, in these exercises, the shoulders and muscles of the body are necessarily strained.

Push-up from elevation

Find a stable support with a height of 70 cm. Place your hands on it and extend your body in one straight line. Tighten your abs and glutes to protect your lower back from arching.

Bend your elbows and lower yourself until your chest touches the support, squeeze yourself back and repeat. Do not spread your elbows to the sides, keep them closer to your body. When you can do 15–20 times per set, reduce the height of the support: this will complicate the task.

Push-ups from TRX-loops

This exercise is somewhat more difficult than the previous one due to the unstable support.

Place loops or gymnastics rings at the level of your belt. Grasp the handles, bring your straight arms forward and position your body at an angle. Do push-ups from the hinges, keeping the body firm and even, tighten the abs and buttocks.

As with the support, the lower the loops or rings are, the more difficult the exercise is. By adjusting their height, you can increase the load on the muscles.

Knee push-ups

Stand on your knees, place your wrists under your shoulders, tighten your abs and buttocks. Push up until your chest touches the floor, keep your elbows close to your body.

4. Traction

These movements will pump your back and biceps, the muscles on the front of your shoulder.

Inclined pull-ups

For this movement, you will need a low horizontal bar. First, set it at chest level.

Grab the horizontal bar with a straight grip slightly wider than your shoulders and position your body at an angle. Tighten your abs and glutes, lower your shoulders. Bend your elbows and pull yourself up until your chest touches the horizontal bar. Lower to the starting position and repeat.

With an increase in fitness, you can lower the horizontal bar lower - to the level of the belt.

Pull-ups on TRX-loops

Adjust the loops or rings so that the handles are at chest level. Grasp the hinges with a neutral grip, with your palms facing each other.

Fold the body back, pulling it in line with your legs. Bend your elbows and pull your chest up to the rings or loops. Return to starting position and repeat. Try to keep your body straight during all phases of the exercise.

If you don't have rings and loops, you can try the sheet option. Throw two sheets over the door and close it, wrap the ends around your hands and perform this movement.

Standing or sitting expander row

You can perform this movement while standing or sitting on your knees - whichever is more comfortable for you. Hook the expander into a stable support and grab the ends. Step back a little while pulling on the elastic. Straighten your shoulders, lower your shoulder blades, tighten your abs.

Bend your elbows, bring your shoulder blades together and pull the expander towards your chest. Keep your shoulders down - don't press them against your ears. Straighten your arms and repeat.

You can adjust the load by choosing expander with different resistance, as well as changing the distance to the support: the closer you get, the easier it will be to do.

Pull of the expander to the belt in the slope

Step on the middle of the expander, place your feet hip-width apart. Grasp the ends of the expander, bend your knees slightly, take your pelvis back and tilt your body forward with your back straight. Bend your elbows and pull the ends of the expander towards your waist. Straighten your arms gently and repeat.

5. Movement with a turn

These exercises strengthen the core muscles well and at the same time, unlike the folds and leg lifts, they feel comfortable and do not overload the spine.

Side lunges with body rotation

In the video, lunges are performed with a medicine ball. You can use a medicine ball, dumbbell, water bottle or sand bottle as a weight.

Take your chosen object and hold it in front of you in bent arms. Lunge, turn the body first in one direction and then in the other direction. Return to a standing position and lunge with body twists on the other leg.

Body turns with expander

Hook the expander onto a stable support and step away from it a few steps, pulling the elastic. Stand sideways to the support, put your feet shoulder-width apart, stretch your straight arms with an expander in front of you - this is the starting position.

Keeping your arms straight, rotate the body in the opposite direction from the support, tighten the abs and buttocks. Return to starting position and repeat.

How often to practice

Arrange two strength training sessions per week, cardio can be done more often - 3-4 times a week. Here is a rough timetable for getting started.

• Monday:15 minutes walk at a calm pace.
• Tuesday:3 sets of 10-12 repetitions of the gluteal bridge, split squats, push-ups from the support, oblique pull-ups on the horizontal bar and body turns with an expander.
• Wednesday:recreation.
• Thursday: 15 minutes of vigorous walking.
• Friday: 3 sets of 10-12 repetitions of squats on a chair, lunges back, push-ups from the support, standing expander rows, body turns with an expander.
• Saturday: 20 minutes walk.
• Sunday: recreation.

You can also add some stretching exercises to increase not only muscle strength but also joint mobility. Try these yoga exercises - they are simple, safe, and suitable for all fitness levels.