Here are steps to easy and effective weight loss for men of all ages. I’m a certified personal trainer and have worked with many men ranging from 20-something to 60-something. It’s generally harder for an aged man to lose weight than a 20-something, simply because the 50-year-old man, who’s never exercised before, will be at much higher risk of injury from strenuous exercise, than is the young man who’s never exercised. But this does not mean that easy and effective weight loss for older men is beyond reach.
If a man can no longer run due to knee problems, he can still lose weight effectively through other exercise. Even a man who’s not very strong anymore can still push hard at the gym and trigger weight loss. It’s about putting your body through exercise routines that it is not accustomed to. And, for easy and effective weight loss for men, it’s also about doing weight lifting and cardio exercise the RIGHT way.
Let’s start with the treadmill. You would not believe how many men, of all ages, hang onto this equipment while walking. No wonder their big gut never shrinks. The rule with treadmills is to walk on them as you would if walking outdoors somewhere. This means upright posture and an arm swing. The arm swing need not be exaggerated, but that arm swing, over time, will contribute to calories burned. Effective weight loss from treadmill work will only come when you swing the arms, rather than hold to the treadmill. In fact, the calorie burn rate (i.e., weight loss) between swinging arms and holding to the treadmill is a whopping 20 percent!
For more info on correct treadmill use, read 10 Reasons Never to Hold onto Treadmill. And when doing any kind of cardio exercise, men should employ an exercise technique called High Intensity Interval Training.
Men who wish to lose weight should commit to exercising six days a week, but resistance training and cardio exercise should be done on separate days. This means it’s not necessary to sit on the bike for 30 minutes before you pick up the dumbbells. Men with some conditioning, especially young men, can lift hard and heavy. This will create effective weight loss for men of all ages. Heavy strength training exercises will burn fat like crazy. Don’t worry about bulking up because this won’t happen unless you are deliberately training for it. Limit strength training exercises to one hour unless you really enjoy it; then you can exercise longer.
Lifting heavy means choosing a weight or machine resistance that you can barely, barely do 8-12 repetitions. This is the fat-eating range.
Get 7-8 hours of sleep a night. If this makes you laugh, then get serious and see what activities you can give up to make this sleep quota. For instance, see if you can quit work after eight hours. Workaholics often struggle with extra weight and have difficulty losing that weight. Cut back on TV or buy a treadmill and place it in the TV room while you watch your must-see program.
If a man has kids, he should spend more time doing physical activities with them. A chubby man where I live spends every single night outside for 60-90 minutes, literally standing still or sitting on the cul-de-sac curb, while his three very young daughters pedal bikes in the cul-de-sac. Imagine the difference in weight loss for this man’s blubber belly if he spent some of that time racing his daughters, or walking or trotting at their side.
For effective and easy weight loss for men, EAT BREAKFAST, and I don’t mean bratwursts, bacon and English muffins soaked in butter. Effective weight loss for men can be easy with a nutritious breakfast. Eat something every three hours, to stoke metabolism, that will help with weight loss, such as fruit, salads, soup, yogurt, grilled chicken or a protein bar. Finally, for losing weight, a man should drink 6-8 glasses of water a day, if for no other reason than to feel less hungry.
