Often the fight against excess weight begins with high-intensity cardio exercises and heavy workouts. It is believed that the more you run and jump, the faster the results will come. But few people know that this not only does not work – it’s also very dangerous. You can get injured and earn other health problems, and also lose motivation for a long time. What is the harm of cardio-loads at overweight and with what to start training those who really want to lose weight, understand in this article.
Overweight: how to identify and what to do?
To begin with, you need to understand what is overweight. Whether you have it, you can understand by the body mass index (BMI). It’s not the most accurate measure, but it gives you a general idea. Use the formula:
BMI = weight (kg) / height² (m).
The normal weight falls within the range of 18.5 to 24.99 kg/m². Overweight is 25 to 29.99 kilograms/m² and the next one is obesity.
People who are overweight and obese are advised to abstain from vigorous cardio exercises and replace them with gentler forms of physical activity.
What are the dangers of high cardio exercises when overweight?
There are a number of reasons why being overweight is a contraindication to vigorous cardio:
- Being overweight exacerbates joint problems, which obese people usually have without any sport. The heavier the weight, the greater the pressure on them. This leads to faster wear and tear and the development of osteoarthritis, in which cartilage is affected. According to scientists from the Department of Radiology at Boston University (USA), a one-unit increase in body mass index increases the risk of cartilage damage by 11 percent. In addition to knees, the spine, ankles, and pelvis are particularly affected. If you aggravate the situation, you cannot do anything without keral or other analgesics.
- Increases the risk of injury, because the muscles, bones, and connective tissues of obese people, for example, when running, are loaded much more heavily. As a result, you can get a stress fracture – it occurs as a result of large and repetitive shock loads.
- Slows recovery. Often overweight people have chronic tissue inflammation, so the micro-traumas that accompany any workout take much longer to heal.
- With excess weight it is more difficult for the heart to cope with the loads: often obese people have shortness of breath, arrhythmia, high blood pressure. Intensive exercise in this condition can lead to dizziness and even loss of consciousness.
A person who is overweight came to the gym – what to do to lose weight?
To avoid injury and get the desired results you need:
- Start with low-intensity loads – with a heart rate of no more than 130-140 beats per minute (for example, walking).
- Arrange functional and strength training. The fact is that for weight loss, the key factor is the amount of exercise, which can be measured in kilograms. It is the strength and functional workouts that allow you to perform more volume – the more weight moved in space in one workout session, the more calories spent. At the same time, it is necessary to do exercises of low coordination complexity in the complex (lunges with a barbell should be preferred to a leg press, and dumbbell bent-over pulling – to a horizontal pull).
- load all large muscle groups in one training.
- Do a good warm-up.
- Take care of rest between workouts.
But it is better to wait with running. Walking with an increased angle on a treadmill or Nordic walking would be an excellent substitute for running. Walking differs from running in that there is no phase where both feet are in the air. The person running lands with the whole weight of the body on one leg. It’s like a mini-jump. There’s an unpleasant impact load, which is dangerous when you’re overweight.”
It’s also important to start changing your eating habits when you start training. After all, proper nutrition is the foundation of health and weight loss. Meals should be regular and balanced. The diet should include meat, dairy products, and fish medium-fat, vegetables, cereals. Bypass the fast food and processed foods, and limit sweets and cereals.
Still need to go to the cardiologist to see what state of your cardiovascular system, and to a rheumatologist who will check the joints. It is from the conclusions of specialists will depend on whether you have contraindications to certain exercises.
So, to quickly realize the dream of a beautiful and toned body will not come out – it requires patience. Over time, a balanced diet and regular proper training under the supervision of a specialist will certainly give results. The main thing is to believe in yourself!
