The Baby's Guide to Exercise

Weight loss principles

Calories in v. Calories Out - The only way to lose weight is to burn more calories than you consume. You can calculate your calorie requirement by taking your resting metabolic rate (RMR), plus the amount of activity you do in a day and this will tell you how many calories you need to sustain your weight.

For example, an average 80 kg man would burn around 1,900 calories per day if they did nothing all day. They might walk 6 miles per day, and based on the principle that you burn around 110 calories for every mile walked, this man's calories requirement would be around 2,500 calories per day. If this person plays sport or goes to the gym 3 times per week, they may burn around 500 calories per session, meaning that if they consumed 2,500 calories per day, they would "lose" 1,500 calories per week. As, there are 3,000 calories per pound of bodyweight, this person would lose one pound of weight per fortnight.

You can increase your body's calorific requirement (RMR) by increasing the amount of lean muscle you have. For every extra pound of muscle you hold, you burn an extra 50 calories per day

Arnold Schwartznegger's RMR is probably around 3,500 calories per day, and if he consumed any less than this, he would begin to lose muscle as his body would need to break this down to produce energy.

1g of fat has 9 calories v. 1 gram of protein with 4 calories. The main reason why we should "cut down fat" is that fatty foods are higher in calories. Fat doesn't make you fat - excess calories make you fat. Loosely speaking, it doesn't matter if you eat 8 Mars bars per day or get all of your calories from steamed vegetables - for as long as you take on fewer calories than you burn, you will lose weight. The challenge is ensuring that the "weight" you lose is fat and not muscle.

Total Calorie Burn from 45 minutes of activity (assumed high effort level, 8 out of 10)

Activity Total Calorie Burn after 45 mins Running 750 Weight Training 650

Eliptical Cross Trainer 600 Skipping 550 Cycling 500 Rowing 450 Swimming 450 Walking 330 Standing Up 150 Sleeping 35

More Detailed Fitness Principles

1. Weight training builds and shapes your physique - Prioritise weight training ahead of cardiovascular training. Anyone serious about getting into shape must lift weights as well as doing cardiovascular exercise.. If you are to prioritise your time, you must prioritise weights. I have heard so many people say, "I need to lose weight, I am going to get on the treadmill." - this is not the most efficient approach. When you intensely lift weights you can burn up to 700 calories per session - what's more there are three further benefits which cardio training does not give you.

a. After a weights session, your body will experience "afterburn" for a few hours where you continue to burn calories once you have gone home - this only occurs in a cardio session if it has been extremely intense.

b. Weight training enables you to build muscle which then means you increase your RMR and can burn more calories doing nothing. Remember for every pound of muscle you put on you burn an extra 50 calories per day

c. When you lift weights, you are shaping your physique and adding definition. Cardio training is very important as it strengthens your immune system, lungs and heart and ensures you maintain a good level of fitness and energy. However, cardio training alone will mean that a lot of the weight you lose will come from muscle and water loss as well as fat.

A good balance of weight training and cardio will ensure that you are building lean muscle tissue and your cardio is helping burn unwanted fat as well as keeping your energy and fitness levels up. Ideally you should aim for 3 weights sessions and 2-3 cardio sessions per week. Professional bodybuilders would work out twice per day (weights in the morning, followed by a cardio session in the evening) - however, this is excessive and you can still achieve your goals with 5-6 workouts per week.