The Secret to Blasting Fat
Forget that "fat-burning" zone on the treadmill. I have learned firsthand that strength training has done a better job at helping me lose fat (especially belly fat....my collection area). While aerobic exercise burns both fat and muscle, weight lifting burns almost exclusively fat and the proof is in my personal results.At 30-something, I feel like I'm in the best shape of my life. Crazy right?! Especially since I have always been a super active person. In my late 20's (when I could finally afford to spend money on personal fitness) I began training with Markshane Malone 2-3 times a week. Our personal sessions consisted of functional, bootcamp style workouts for 30 minutes. The workouts were high intensity, jumping from one exercise to the next with little to no break leaving me ridiculously sweaty and breathless in no time at all. One of my favorite parts of my functional training sessions were that they were always different, challenging, yet easy to follow. As suggested by Markshane, I always arrived 20-30 minutes before our workouts to do cardio on my own, usually walking/running on the treadmill or the elliptical.When I was 32 years old, I gave birth to my son. When it was all said and done, I had gained 40 pounds during my pregnancy and when I weighed in with Markshane 6 weeks after my cesarian, I was 15 pounds away from my pre-pregnancy weight. First things first, he told me functional training was out. We were shifting my sessions over to strength training since we had some work to do (15 lbs of work). He explained that before pregnancy we were always maintaining. Strength training was going to help me lose weight (and body fat) and help me retain the muscle. However my diet had to be tightened up for the "formula" to work, I had to be strategic about reducing the amount of calories I was consuming to lose the baby weight which was tricky since I was breastfeeding (for more on my post-baby diet, read this). Markshane also asked me to stop coming early and doing cardio before our workouts. He explained that our weight lifting sessions would require ALL of my energy, plus he knew that I was running while pushing my son in a jogging stroller several times a week. The coolest part about strength training is that it has a much greater level of excess post-exercise oxygen consumption than aerobic exercise alone. So when I would finish a workout, my body would need to do a lot of work to replenish itself in order to bring itself back to a normal state. That takes a lot of energy, and it boosted my metabolism for up to 38 hours after my workouts. Cha-ching!If you're like me, I'm sure you've heard that strength training/weight lifting has a reputation of making women "bulk up" right? Ladies, I am living proof that it's NOT true! Within the first 6 weeks of sticking with the "formula", cardio on my own 2-3 days a week, lowering my calories and strength training with Markshane 1-day a week, I was only a few pounds away from my pre-pregnancy weight. I do want to emphasize that the weight was very stubborn at first, there were so many frustrating days for me. But I stuck with it and the weight began to drop and drop.....and drop. I was also rebuilding my muscles, especially important in my core since I had just had surgery. My flexibility had improved too which was making hot yoga easier and my body felt stronger so my running improved as well. Stronger muscles meant better performance in all activities. When it was all said and done, I weighted 8 lbs less than my pre-pregnancy weight! Win, after win, after win!Overall, strength training has brought me to new levels physically and mentally. The stronger my body gets the more it effects other parts of me. I feel more confident and more empowered because I'm challenging myself to do something I didn't think was possible. When I started properly caring for my body by strengthening and nourishing it, I started more easily appreciating and loving it too. Transforming my body transformed my mind as well and I'm so grateful for that. ♥Videos from my training sessions with Markshane Malone below.
Leggings by Goldsheep
My strength training journey with Markshane has been a very positive experience for me and I am vey proud of what I have been able to accomplish. I've included some videos of my favorite workouts with him below. Personally, weightlifting is all about taking my time, correct form and modifications (I have a neck injury so I have to be very careful with the amount of weight that I use especially with shoulder exercises). I explain each workout in further detail below. As always, thank you so much for reading and I hope you enjoy!
XOXO,
Shawna
San Diegan's, for more about Markshane Malone and Shapeup Studio, click here.This is not a sponsored post. All opinions and experiences are my own.
Kneeling One-Arm Row
Choose a flat bench and place the dumbbells on each side of it. Put your leg on top of the end of the bench. Bend your torso forward from the waist until your upper body is parallel to the floor, and place your right hand on the other end of the bench for support. Starting position is when the palm of the hand is facing your torso. Pull the weight straight up to the side of your chest, keeping your upper arm close to your side and keeping the torso stationary. Switch sides and repeat again with the other arm.Tip: It helps if you concentrate on squeezing the back muscles once you reach the top position. Also, make sure that the force is performed with the back muscles and not the arms. Finally, the upper torso should remain stationary and only the arms should move.https://youtu.be/oqeBKuyXdCk
Alternating Chest Press
Angle your bench back. Have a dumbbell in each hand resting on top of your thighs. The palms of your hands will be facing each other in the resting position. Raise and hold them in front of you at shoulder width. Make sure you rotate your wrists forward so that the palms of your hands are facing away from you. The dumbbells should be just to the sides of your chest, with your upper arm and forearm creating a 90 degree angle. This will be your starting position. Use your chest to push the dumbbell up. Lock your arm at the top of the lift and squeeze your chest, hold for a second and then begin coming down slowly. Repeat on the other side and continue alternating sides.Tip: Ideally, lowering the weight should take about twice as long as raising it.https://youtu.be/P3c70jNS91Q
Lateral Raise
Stand with a straight torso and the dumbbells by your side at arms length with the palms of the hand facing you. This will be your starting position. Lift the dumbbells to your side with a slight bend on the elbow and the hands slightly tilted forward (no swinging). Continue to go up until you arms are parallel to the floor, pause for a second at the top. Lower the dumbbells back down slowly to the starting position.Tip: This exercise can also be performed sitting down.Modification: With my neck injury, these can be challenging for me but I LOVE to do shoulder exercises. I try to create a small bounce in my feet to help take the pressure off my neck when I'm feeling it pinch. I have also modified by doing left, right, then bothhttps://youtu.be/cQqVyFtqXv8
Barbell Lunge
Inside a squat rack, first set the bar on a rack just below shoulder level. Once the correct height is chosen, step under the bar and place the back of your shoulders (slightly below the neck) across it. Hold on to the bar using both arms at each side and lift it off the rack by first pushing with your legs and at the same time straightening your torso. Step away from the rack and step forward with your right leg and squat down through your hips, while keeping the torso upright and maintaining balance. Using mainly the heel of your foot, push up and go back to the starting position. Repeat on the other side.Tip: Do not allow your knee to go forward beyond your toes as you come down, as this will put undue stress on the knee joint.https://youtu.be/_i1V5FvcHYw
Squatting Row
Stand with your feet shoulder width apart. With your hands grab the cable bar palms facing down-forward, (also shoulder width apart) and extend your arms all the way out. Begin the movement by flexing your knees and hips, and sitting back with your hips. Continue down to full depth and as you squat, keep your head and chest up and push your knees out. At the bottom of your squat, pull the bar back towards your torso while keeping the arms close to it until you brush your abdominals. At that point you should be squeezing your back muscles hard. Hold that contraction for a second and slowly go back to the original position.https://youtu.be/f2WjrJd71Nc
Chest Fly with Bicep Curl
Using a resistance band with handles, anchor the tubed band around a sturdy pole or workout machine. Sit away from the machine holding onto both handles with your arms extended out and palms facing toward each other. Make sure to give yourself a good amount of resistance in your starting position (3-4 feet) and lean your torso back, chest up. Lower your arms out at both sides in a wide arc until you feel a stretch on your chest. Keep in mind that throughout the chest movement, the arms should remain stationary; the movement should only occur at the shoulder joint. Return your arms back to the starting position as you squeeze your chest muscles. Next, keep your arms extended outward still parallel to your shoulders, curl the bands while contracting your biceps towards your face. Hold the contracted position for a brief pause as you squeeze your biceps. Slowly begin to lower the bands back to the starting position and repeat.https://youtu.be/UD0PIDO3HlU
