For many women losing excess weight and fat can be rather difficult. You watch what you eat and follow fad diets, you attend keep fit classes, and occasionally do the odd home workout, yet, still those fatty deposits persist. Though diets and general fitness routines are great, and certainly have their place, nothing beats a good resistance training programme for getting rid of unwanted wobbly bits. When an intense resistance training programme is combined with cardiovascular training and a nutrition programme the results will leave you astonished.
The '8/7 Fat Loss Workout' is an 8 week resistance training programme that incorporates high-intensity cardiovascular training before each workout and on days off from resistance training. The programme is fairly challenging and you will be expected to train 7 days a week over the course of the 8 week programme.
The '8/7 Fat Loss Workout' is designed for intermediate level participants, however, confident beginners can also give it a go - adjusting weight and intensity levels accordingly.
Training Principles
The '8/7 Fat Loss Workout' is designed to promote the building of lean muscle and aid fat loss through a programme that combines both resistance training and cardiovascular training. The programme lasts 8 weeks, with 5 days dedicated to resistance training and 2 days focused on cardio. Resistance workouts combine compound exercises that work multiple muscles simultaneously and isolation exercises that concentrate on a single muscle group. Compound exercises not only increase muscle size but are also great for calorie burning as they are pretty intense and demanding. Isolation exercises, on the other hand, help to tone and sculped individual muscles.
The '8/7 Fat Loss Workout' was conceived with woman in mind. Therefore, there is an emphasis on the legs and glutes which are worked 3 days per week over the 8 week period. However, this does not mean the upper body is neglected. Indeed, 2 training days are spent focusing specifically on the upper body. Before each resistance workout, participants are to complete a 15 min HIIT cardio routine on a cardio machine of their choosing. Use a system where 40 sec is spent at high intensity and 20 sec at low intensity. On cardio days spend 30-40 min on the treadmill, bike, or elliptical machine to work up a real fat burning sweat.
The programme employs a wide variety of exercises, with individual exercises rarely performed more than once in any given week. This means the body takes longer to get used to particular exercise movements, and is therefore able to maintain metabolic stress and the subsequent muscle adaptation. With this in mind, the workout schedule, rep ranges, and exercises chosen for each training day, remain the same for the full duration of the programme. However, participants are expected to increase the weight as they progress throughout the weeks.
Training
Schedule
Warm up
It is important to remember to warm up before any workout session to avoid unnecessary injuries or muscle tears. Typically, a warm-up consists of 5 to 10 minutes on a cardio machine and a few minutes spent stretching. Try to employ both static and dynamic stretches when warming up. In addition to your pre-workout warm up, do not forget to do warm up sets when doing heavy lifting exercises. Failure to do so can result in injury.
The primary goal of the '8/7 Fat Loss Workout' programme is, as you would expect, to help participants reduce body fat whilst building lean muscle. To get the most out of the programme and to achieve the results you want, your nutritional intake is key. For the next 8 weeks it might be a good idea to avoid eating too many cream cakes and family sized packets of potato chips.
For any fat loss programme achieving calorie deficit is a must. Simply put, consume fewer calories than your body needs to maintain its current weight. Do this in conjunction with regular resistance and cardio training and your excess fat should start to melt away. Before you start emptying your cupboards of tasty fatty foods and ordering tons of quinoa in your next online food shop, you need to first find out your basal metabolic rate (BMR) and what your normal calorie intake should be. You can do this by using an online BMR calculator. Once you know your current BMR, subtract roughly 150-250 from that number. Then, all you need to do is not exceed this number with your calorie consumption.
It is important not to be too obsessive about your diet. The next 8 weeks does not have to be a 'food lover's' hell. Just make sure you eat reasonably clean and consume the recommended amounts of veg, fruit, protein, dairy, nuts, and seeds. And remember, you are training 7 days a week, so give yourself the odd treat.
For guidelines on nutrition check out the Hoppa Fitness nutrition page.
Sample Day 1
8/7 Women's
Fat Loss
Workout
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