Reduce your body fat: which training plan really makes sense?

There are almost infinitely different training programs and ways to split training plans - that is, to divide them into different muscle groups. You quickly get lost in all the offers and it is not always easy to decide, e. In order to find out, you first have to be clear about your goals and realistically assess external circumstances such as time management and willingness to perform. 

The right training plan is primarily determined by the goal 

The first thing you should always ask yourself is what goals you want to achieve with your training. Is it mainly about losing weight or body fat? Do you mainly want to build up a lot of muscle mass? Do you want to become stronger for a specific sport? Is the goal to get rid of physical complaints like back or knee pain or to prevent them with strength training?

Once you have clearly answered this question for yourself, you have to decide how much time you want to spend on training. Is it one or two times a week, three or four times or rather five or six times? You should think realistically and, especially if you are new to strength training, don't go too high. In the end, it doesn't lead to anything to wish you were in the gym four times a week, when in the end you only manage it once or twice because other priorities are calling.
If these two questions are clearly answered, it is also possible to decide which kind of training program is useful. In this blog post and the following article the two goals Fatloss or colloquially losing weight and building muscle are described. If smartly pursued, these go hand in hand with the goal of health and physical performance.

In the end, the exercise frequency determines whether you train one or more training plans in the same training phase, i.e. whether you split your training. The goal determines in which form the split occurs and which training methods are used.

 

What exactly does a splitted training plan mean?

Within one training phase, you have the possibility to train the entire phase with the same training plan, or to run two to even six different plans. So you split the exercises so that you have a lower body and an upper body day, for example. More examples follow further down in the text.

The system or training method should remain the same during a training phase. For example the repetition range, the total time in which the muscles are under tension, but also break times and number of sets should be the same. So within the splitting it is only about doing different exercises on different days, so that the respective muscle group can regenerate longer. If strength training takes place more than twice a week, it makes sense to split.

 

How long should a workout plan be trained?

For a maximum progress in training, you should change your training program every three to four weeks. The body adapts during this time so that it is difficult or impossible to improve afterwards.

Variation is the key to success, a good coach can often quickly recognize what limits you to improve in a basic exercise and thus choose the right exercises for the next training phase. It is therefore better to leave a training plan to a professional with expert knowledge. Furthermore, the nervous system needs new stimuli and the metabolism sometimes needs to recover from a training phase of high volume or intensity.

 

Traget fat loss: What is the best training plan for losing weight?

First of all, it must be emphasized that the basis is always nutrition, especially when it comes to aesthetic goals. An important point here is the breakfast.

From a purely training point of view, two things in particular should be strongly focused when it comes primarily to body fat reduction: volume and global training stimulus:


There are various definitions of the volume within a training unit. In this article, this refers to the entire time during which the target muscles are under active tension. Therefore it is calculated by the total number of exercise sets, repetitions per set and the exercise speed. The volume should be kept relatively high. One way to achieve this is through the number of repetitions. For example, 10-12 or 12-15 repetitions are suitable. Especially beginners should have a controlled tempo; four seconds of letting go of the weight and then moving rather quickly in the other direction (push/pull) is a sensible tempo.


By global training stimulus is meant that the largest possible muscle groups and above all the entire body must work during the unit. This sets a very metabolic stimulus, which causes the body to switch to fat burning. For fatloss training plans, therefore, whole body plans are most suitable. For example, two exercises alternately, one for the upper and one for the lower body, is a way to work out the whole body.

So the first exercise could be a deep knee bend with 12 repetitions alternating with 12 repetitions bench press. In between each one minute break will be enough, because the respective body part can regenerate during the other exercise. Women tend to cope better with shorter breaks and higher volume. This means they can train well in the high repetition range, while men often tire more easily here.

 

How should you split a whole body workout plan?

If someone who primarily wants to lose weight should train more than twice a week, then - as already described above - more than one training plan per training phase should be used. However, since the global stimulus should still be maintained, the body parts must be divided up differently.

There are of course different systems, such as push and pull days, the possibility suggested here would be that one plan focuses more on the front thighs and upper back and chest, while the second full body plan integrates more the back of the legs, bottom, lower back and arms. Of course, certain muscle groups are still recruited in both plans, but often rather for stabilization. Abs, i.e. the abdominal muscles, can theoretically always be trained as well, as they have different functions than, for example, the biceps.

More than a two split of a full body plan is not so useful, so in the Fatloss program you should rather stick to four strength training sessions anyway. Someone more advanced, however, could also do functional conditioning training, for example in interval form. Cyclical cardio like running for hours is less recommendable, as this sets hormonal stimuli that have a counterproductive effect, especially for already stressed persons.

For example, the cortisol level, i.e. stress hormone levels, is thus raised too long and constantly, which leads to more fat being stored in the abdomen and hips. In fact, appearances are often deceptive here, because many people think that if they lose a few kilos on the scales because they have been on a crosstrainer or treadmill regularly, they have actually lost body fat. Most of the time, however, a large part of it is musculature, which makes the bottom and legs look flabby and the tummy still remains.

 

Example plan training plan body fat reduction 1-2 times training/ week

 

1. Two exercises are always done in rotation, the respective letters belong together accordingly.


2. There is a break of 60 seconds between each exercise. The aim is to increase the repetitions or the weight in each training unit.


3. There are 3 sets of 10-12 repetitions of each of the exercises are done. If only 10 repetitions are done with the respective weight, the next training will not increase the weight but aim for 12 repetitions.

 

This is only an example program, which in practice should in any case be individually adapted to various factors. Active flexibility, strength, stability, given If weaknesses or pain points should always be considered:

 

A1 deep squats

A2 Lat pulls, shoulder width

B1 45⁰ Back extensions/ Supermans

B2 35⁰ Dumbbell bench press

C1 Rowing to the belly on the cable

C2 Lunges (6-8 repetitions per leg)

D1 Planks, hold for 45 seconds (instead of 12 repetitions)

D2 Sit-ups

 

Häufig gestellte Fragen

How much body fat is normal in adults?
Unfortunately, normal today is already synonymous with too much, since a large part of the population has too much body fat. Optimal and realistic would be less than 20% body fat in women and less than 16% body fat in men. For athletes, it should be 4-6% less. With a lower body fat percentage, the natural hormone production is stimulated, so that the whole metabolism works better, which has a positive effect on performance, well-being and general health.
How much proportionate body fat is still healthy?
Very low body fat (between 5% and 10%) is not a problem for athletes who maintain a sustainable and healthy lifestyle. It is important that the body consists of sufficient muscle instead of fat and that it receives all important micro and macro nutrients. Protein and essential fatty acids as well as B vitamins, vitamin D3, vitamin C, magnesium and vitamin E are important components here. Which exact body fat percentage is the optimal one is always individually dependent on genetic disposition and the muscle percentage. A fit woman with 21% who does sport and therefore has some muscles can be healthier than an extremely thin woman who does not exercise, eats very little but unhealthily, smokes and has only 13% body fat. For an athlete who does martial arts, plays soccer or takes part in cross-fit competitions, it is beneficial to be at 6-7% body fat.
How do I lose body fat?
With a diet that balances the hormones and the microbiome in the intestines and additional training sessions. Ideally, the day begins with a meal of high-quality protein, natural fats and a little vegetable or berry. Without carbohydrates, blood sugar can be kept low, which means that less fat is stored in the body's core. If sugar, food allergens such as milk, gluten and soya are avoided, the intestines are kept healthy and the body can produce the right hormones and enzymes.
How do you measure body fat?
There are different methods, but the body wrinkle measurement with the Caliper, is the most sensible one: Here, skin wrinkles, i.e. the subcutaneous fat tissue in millimetres, are measured with the Caliper pliers and a software calculates the body fat and muscle percentage based on the values, the body height and the body weight. The body fat scale is rather inaccurate because its result depends on what you have eaten or drunk before. In order to obtain more serious values, one would have to measure in the morning in a sober state. The DEXA scan (dual X-ray absorptiometry) is the most accurate method, because it can distinguish precisely between fat, muscle and bone, but it is very expensive and hardly suitable for everyday use or affordable for fitness studios or nutritionists.
How little body fat is needed for a six-pack?
Whether you can see your abdominal muscles well depends on the following factors: 1. anatomy: Depending on your predisposition, abdominal muscles may stand out very dominantly and a man with only 15% body fat may have a light six-pack. If this is not the case, a man is more likely to have less than 10% body fat and a woman less than 14%. 2nd sex: Women tend to have more tender abdominal muscles, a narrow waist and wider hips, which makes the abdomen look defined with little body fat, but an angular six-pack is more realistic for top athletes. 3rd Training: The abdomen must be trained isolated for a very conspicuous six-pack.

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