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Strength Training For The Obese

Let's start by saying this, strength training for the obese is the number one way to lose weight and keep it off. I hope to show you why and how you can create a positive exercise program suited for your needs. By the end of this page it is truly my hope that you will have a plan in place to better your health.

Let's get started. Strength training for the obese is a just as helpful and beneficial as strength training for everyone else. There really is no major difference between what to do or how to do it. It's more about finding your starting point and moving from there.

The Centers For Disease Control and Prevention declare that if you have a BMI (Body Mass Index) of 30.0 or greater then you are considered obese. To find your BMI click here (this opens a new window).

Let's talk a little about BMI before we move on. BMI is one tool we can use to receive feedback on our current fitness level. It is found by taking your weight divided by your height in inches squared. That answer is then multiplied by 703. This number is your BMI. Your BMI is then put into a category of either underweight, normal, overweight, or obese.

The problem with BMI is that it does not measure body fat percentage. Body fat percentage is the best indicator of overall fitness. Using BMI alone, a professional bodybuilder would be considered obese because they weigh a lot.

The thing is it's all muscle. So even though the bodybuilder has a high BMI it doesn't mean they are overweight. Making sense? BMI is simply one indicator of your fitness level. Body fat percentage provides the best indication.

Okay, lets move back to our original topic of strength training for the obese.

Daily activities can be quite difficult for over weight people. What slender people may take for granted (getting into a car, walking up a flight of stairs and sitting down) can be a massive struggle to others.

As you may already know body weight exercises (such as push-ups or squats) are considered functional exercises. They can be used in a strength training for the obese program because they work the muscles in a way that mimics everyday movements and tasks.

However, over weight people will usually find it difficult to perform these exercises correctly. As you'll see below functional and non-functional exercises will play an important role in building our strength training for the obese program.

Nutrition is also massively important. We can work those muscles until the cows come home, but we have to feed our body properly.

Think of it this way- you want to drive from your house to the west coast. You get into your car and see that you have a quarter tank of gas. The problem is that the west coast is over 3000 miles away.

You wouldn't dream of driving off into the sunset without refueling along the way. And you wouldn't dream of adding kool-aid to your gas tank, would you?

Hopefully you would make periodic stops along the way to fill up your gas tank using gasoline. Otherwise your car isn't going to make the west coast. Get it?

If not, this is my way of saying eat healthy foods throughout the day. Filling up on junk isn't going to get us to our goal. Not eating at all is not going to get us there either. Period.

We need to watch our portions and eat less carbs and fat, but we need to eat more protein, fresh fruits, and veggies, and drink more water. It's important to note that carbs are necessary for our body to function properly. Cutting them out totally leads to imbalances.

For a complete and comprehensive exercise and nutrition program, I recommend the Melt the Fat program. It is a clear cut explanation of the absolute best and safest way to drop the fat. It contains over 800 healthy meal ideas, loads of strength training routines and tons of motivation secrets.

Strength Training For The Obese
- Where To Start

In my experiences, strength training for the obese is a great way to start a positive fitness routine. Usually over weight people feel extremely intimidated to join a gym. There's problem number one.

If we feel intimidated, we cannot move forward with our goals. So how can we turn this negative into a positive? If you want to join a gym, go for it. If not, I have good news...you can workout from home and still have great results.

Build your program using functional exercises and cardio. Do the following a few times per day- getting in and out of your seat, walking for 5 minutes at a time, doing seated exercises with free weights (such as bicep curl or shoulder press).

This list will get you started. As these things become easier to do, increase the intensity a bit. For example, walk for 10 minutes three times per day, lift a higher weight for those bicep curls, or simply start to add in more exercises like squats or skull crushers.

It's about adding lean muscle mass and losing body fat. I can guarantee you that strength training for the obese is the best way to achieve your weight loss goals. The more lean muscle mass we have, the more calories we burn. If you need specific strength training routines, check this out.

Make your program challenging. Make it fun. And don't compare yourself to others. Do what you can, when you can. That's our golden rule for today, okay? One step a time. Eventually you will look back and realize you took 5,000 steps and that is nothing to laugh at :)

I positively know that we can turn our fitness levels around. With a little help and guidance we can all increase our health and decrease our body fat. I stated in the beginning of this page that strength training for the obese is the same as strength training for everyone else. The difference is finding your particular starting point and moving from there.

Use this site as a reference. Find exercises and methods that suit you and your goals. Again, there is no difference between strength training for the obese and strength training for everyone else. Find where you are, don't compare yourself to others, stick with it, and move, move, move!

Eat well, do some cardio, and strength train those muscles. It's not a magic bullet, but it is the million dollar secret. And you already knew it :)



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