The ultramodern approach behind the EGYM Weight Loss training program combines the advantages of strength and endurance training into a holistic training program using efficient workout equipment to help achieve sustainable weight loss.

Everyone knows that healthy eating is essential for weight loss. But it usually isn’t enough. Those who want to lose weight know that long-term weight loss involves lifestyle changes because your weight is based on a balanced combination of 

• Nutrition
• Training
• Individual metabolism (basal metabolic rate).

Proper nutrition is an important element, but above all, you need to be doing the right type of training. In this article, you will find more information on our strength training program, specifically designed to help you lose weight.

A training program focusing on fat reduction has to cover two basic elements:

1. It has to burn as much fat as possible: plenty of movement and a high heart rate during training increase the number of calories burned.
2. It has to result in a long-term increase in (fat) metabolism: increasing muscle mass increases your individual metabolism (basal metabolic rate). In addition, your fat metabolism improves as your endurance increases.

Classic training programs usually try to achieve these goals using separate strength and endurance training sessions. But we at EGYM take a modern training approach that combines endurance and strength training in a single method: circuit training.

This approach allows for simultaneous strength and endurance training, which is why this type of training is particularly suited to weight loss. Those of you who want to learn more can follow the links below to studies regarding the effectiveness of circuit training for this purpose: Alcaraz et al. 2011; Camargo et al. 2007; Kaikkonen et al. 2000; Gettman et al. 1982.

At EGYM, we divide our training programs into different phases to provide the optimal training stimulus at exactly the right time based on your goals and the progress you have made (periodization). Each phase begins by measuring your strength, in order to continuously adjust the training weight to your individual needs.
 

The Four Phases of the Weight Loss Training Program

Phase 1: Endurance (regular)

Laying the foundation

In the first phase, we improve muscle endurance and your cardiovascular system to provide a solid foundation on which to base the rest of the training program. Regular training, featuring a large number of repetitions, is perfect for this because it raises your heart rate higher than, for example, the negative training method. (Mayer et al. 1999).

Phase 2: Muscle Development/High HR (Adaptive)

Muscle building for increased energy and elevated basal metabolic rate

Adaptive Training is much more intense than the previous methods – here, we build muscle mass. After all: your daily basal metabolic rate increases by approximately 25 kilocalories per kilogram of muscle mass. However, to make that happen, you have to train until the muscles are completely exhausted. This is easy to do during adaptive training, as the training weight is automatically adjusted to match your remaining muscle strength. Sounds exhausting, but the high-intensity training is worth it afterward: your fat metabolism will remain considerably more active for up to 48 hours after training, a result known as the afterburn effect.

Phase 3: High-Speed Strength (Explonic)

Explosive training augments muscle building by stimulating a slightly different type of muscle fiber. In this case, training Fast Twitch Type IIB muscle fibers, the body must react quickly and with maximum force against moderate loads. Increasing Type IIB muscle fibers can lead to significant decreases in fat mass. Because of the metabolic demands required to train in this way, the body’s fat-burning engine will be revved up not only in the short term but continue the afterburn effect beyond that day's session. 

Phase 4: Fat Burn (Adaptive)

Burn more calories

In the fourth and final phase, we will build on the success of the previous phases. We return to adaptive training in order to burn as many calories as possible. But the increased muscle mass coupled with higher training weight means we are burning even more calories than before. And the large number of repetitions defines and shapes the muscles one last time to round off the program.