﻿ Training against obesity - Fitness Science

Training against obesity

Obesity is a serious form Fitness against obesityof being overweight and is defined as a Body Mass Index (BMI) over 30. Trying to lose weight while being obese does not necessarily mean a different approach than being overweight, but there are some key points to keep in mind during when training against obesity. Many people who have become obese by not exercising enough and an unhealthy diet, have an altered metabolism This makes it harder to use fat to produce energy and therefore makes it more difficult to lose that fat. In other words, when someone gains weight, it gets progressively harder to lose it again in a healthy way, because the body has increasing difficulty to burn the excess fat and is only able to burn carbohydrates for energy. 

Therefore it is necessary to ‘teach’ the body to burn fat once again, which can be achieved by regular high intensity cardiovascular or even better, interval training. High intensity training almost always burns carbohydrates for fuel. However because carbohydrates are in relative short supply compared to fat, high intensity training gives off a sign that the body must save carbohydrates for those high intensity bursts of exercise and save them during low intensity exercise or rest, using fat instead. High intensity interval training forces the body to save carbohydrates and use fat in rest instead. Being able to burn fat once more is essential to achieve a normal metabolism and lose fat safely. Therefore interval training is highly recommended while training against obesity.

Additionally, metabolism can be lower than normal, because of a decreased (active) muscle mass, which can also be caused by unhealthy dieting. To increase muscle mass, or maintain it during periods of lower energy intake, it is recommended to perform resistance exercise to increase muscle mass. By increasing the size of the ‘engine’ of the body, energy expenditure and ability to burn even more fat increases. It is therefore recommended to increse muscle mass with training aimed at hypertrophy, and high intensity interval or regular cardiovascular training.

Training against obesity tips:

-High intensity interval training: Perform cardio training on your favourite cardio training machine for 10-15 minutes. Make sure you alternate low intensity with very high intensity training periods. Low intensity training periods should be comparable with normal walking. High intensity training intervals should be so high in intensity talking is almost impossible. For best results perform high intensity interval training two to three times a week.

See also: Tabata Training

-Strength training: Perform strength training aimed at increasing muscle mass two to three times a week. Perform exercises for all muscle groups. (Leg press, chest press, seated row, lat pulldown, shoulder press are good choices) You should perform 10-15 repetitions for two to three sets for each exercise seperated with 30-60 seconds of rest. This should take no longer than an hour per training session.

See also: Strength training for weight loss