By Reggie Reyes, BKin.

Many people wonder what the best weight training method for weight loss is. Is it performing high repetitions with low weight, or performing low repetitions with medium weight? Is the magic number 15 or 20 for high repetitions? Is it 8 or 10 for low repetitions? These types of questions continually arise when talking about weight training for weight loss—and depending on the health expert you speak with, the answers will vary.

The one definitive answer is to lead a healthy lifestyle that includes proper nutrition, regular physical activity and adequate sleep. As soon as you adopt a physically active lifestyle, you’ve already conquered the most difficult obstacle. Once you do this, all you have to do is decide what type of activity best suits your needs.

It’s in the ‘how’
When it comes to weight training for weight loss, many people mistakenly focus on which exercises they should be doing. The truth of the matter is it’s far more important to focus on how the exercise is performed. This involves accounting for the intensity level, the duration of the activity, as well as how often the activity is performed. As stated by Michael Carrera, Truestar’s vice-president of exercise planning and development, “it’s not the what but the how of exercise that is important.” Whether you are jogging on the treadmill or riding a bike, the aerobic benefits you attain are more dependent upon the intensity, duration and frequency.

The same can be said about resistance training. Whether you choose to do a bench press or a chest fly, a leg press or a lunge, the adaptations are largely a result of the number of repetitions, how often you do the exercise and how much weight you use.

Types of weight training for weight loss
With the above in mind, the issue of style and type of weight training to use for weight loss still remains. Split routines that train separate muscle groups on different days are excellent; but so are full-body circuit training workouts. Heavy weights with three to six repetitions are excellent for developing a tighter looking muscle, while lighter weights with repetitions over 30 are excellent for developing muscle tone.

So which is better? The bottom line is that there is a perfect time and place for every training method. When asked which type of workout is best for weight loss, I suggest a combination of every kind of workout.

Change it up every now and then
The principle of variation in weight training states that for the body to continually reap the benefits of training, the stimulus must change periodically. The body is naturally designed to adapt. This adaptation is where progress can be made, as long as the stimulus is a positive one.

For those of you interested in long-lasting weight loss, an excellent training method to follow is the periodization of strength. This training method allows the body to adapt progressively to the changes in weights, repetitions, rest periods and exercises several weeks at a time. With the goal of weight loss in mind, you would complete several weeks of anatomical adaptation, maximum strength and muscle definition training.

Once again, the types of exercises are not as important as the intensity level or frequency and duration of the workouts. That is why each of these phases focuses on a different number of sets, repetitions and amount of weight lifted. Complete the exercise profile for a personalized 12-week periodized weight-training program for weight loss.

If following an active lifestyle is difficult due to time constraints, obligations and responsibilities, keep in mind that you can maintain a healthy weight with as little as 20 minutes of exercise a day. You can do this at home, at the gym, or even both, broken up during the day.

Challenge your muscles!
I have attached a sample full-body circuit training workout for you to try. This type of resistance training challenges your muscles and your aerobic system at the same time as you move from machine to machine with limited breaks. The goal is not to exhaust each muscle during every set, but to feel a slight burn or minimal fatigue. By the end of a 30- to 40-minute workout, you will feel energized. Complete this workout two to three times per week for four to six weeks and you’ll definitely feel more toned throughout your entire body. Combine this with light (30 minutes) aerobic activity two to three days per week, healthy eating and adequate sleep and you’ll see the weight fly off and stay off! As a final tip, always remember to complete a warm-up and cool-down session that includes a proper stretching routine.

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