When you’re trying to lose weight, it can be hard to find a workout plan that works. Some can be too intense to stick to, and others quickly get boring. Plus, you need a regimen that fits your lifestyle. With this in mind, before you get frustrated and give up on working out entirely, here’s what you need to know, plus a 4-week workout plan for weight loss.
There are no hard rules when it comes to creating a workout plan. All you need is the right mix of cardio and strength training for optimal fat burn and muscle building. Other than that, the best workout plan is one that’s easy to stick to. The difficulty of exercises and weights you use all depends on your fitness level, health, and fitness goals. That said, here’s how to create the perfect four week workout plan for weight loss:
Set Goals
Set your goals and strength training exercises. When you set up your exercise regimen, it’s important to know exactly what you expect from it. What are your health goals, what kind of weight-loss result do you want? Also consider how much time you can devote to working out every week. Aim for at least five workout days per week, but not more. Remember, rest is just as important as exercise (1).
Read More: Realistic Weight Loss Goals: A Reality Check You Need
Choose Your Workouts
Structure your 4-week workout plan for weight loss in a sequence that’s logical. Group similar exercises together based on how many sets they require. Also consider whether the exercises for each day in the workout plan complement each other (for example, squats with sit-ups!)
Finally, decide on whether or not you want to do warm-up sets first followed by more intense ones like the ones we described above. There are hundreds of exercises possible at home if you know where to look.
Consider Cardio
Pick a cardio program based on the frequency of exercise that works with your schedule. If you already run or work out regularly, then this part should be easy because all you need is some variety. Try combining high intensity sports like HIIT with low impact activities like brisk walking for a diverse workout that will burn fat. As an alternative, try a HIIT training program to boost your metabolism and get rid of extra weight fast (2)!
Use Weight Progressively
Pick weights based on the benefits your body needs. The goal is to create exercises that work at different angles, which will give you a complete physique and plenty of muscle definition. Dumbbell curls and triceps extensions are great examples of these kinds of exercises that can be done at home with little equipment (no more than three sets).
Push-ups and crunches are also good starter exercises, but they’re not as versatile unless you move beyond the floor. When you start lifting, stick to lighter weights until you develop muscles because if your form isn’t right when you lift heavier weights, you can get injured.
Manage Your Time Well
First things first – decide how many days per week will be part of your 4 day a week workout plan for weight loss, and what days those will be. For instance, Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday might work for you.
Figure out how much time (in minutes) you can commit to working out in a given week. In between the various exercises that comprise your program, is there enough time? If not, maybe reschedule some things in your weekly schedule so that it fits in with everything else you need to accomplish!
Keep track of the times you do feel like doing this regularly. Perhaps doing it every day except Sunday is too hard, but every other day is manageable. In this case, maybe you schedule Mondays and Wednesdays as working out days and then plan for another workout on Friday and Saturday.
Set a deadline for when your weight loss program kicks into high gear – the date where you commit to taking a look at yourself in a mirror and deciding whether there are any changes that need to be made to hit your weight loss goals.
Follow the 4-week workout plan for weight loss until all of these steps become second nature; something you can do effortlessly everyday without thinking twice about it. Then, you’ll be on your way to living a healthier lifestyle!
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Proper Form And Safety
When following a 4-week workout plan for weight loss for men or women, it’s important to use proper form because this will reduce your risk of injury when lifting weights. The last thing you want is to hurt yourself trying to lose weight! Here are some tips that will help keep you safe:
- Stand tall as if someone was going to snap a picture of you from 12 o’clock (straight ahead). This means no sagging, slouching, or leaning forward. Most people are unaware of how their posture could be hurting them, but it can cause back pain and improper muscle development in the long term if you’re not careful (4).
- Never try to lift weights that are way above your head unless there’s a spotter around to make sure that nothing goes wrong. It may seem like it’s for your own safety but lifting heavy weights above your head is one of the worst ways you can injure yourself when working out at home because you don’t have anyone around to help support them if something should go wrong.
- Don’t leave weights on the floor once your workout is over! They won’t move by themselves so take the time to arrange them properly. This is also a good way to prevent them from rolling around, should you want to use them later on in your work out.
- There’s a right and wrong way of doing everything, including exercise so make sure that every single rep of every single exercise is worth it! And when working out at home, don’t forget to pay attention to safety because if something goes wrong it may be hours before anyone finds you! Avoid injury by taking care of yourself while exercising, but also follow these tips.
- Take breaks every few minutes when you’re lifting weights while standing or sitting down (6). When using dumbbells make sure that they’re not swaying as you finish each movement so that your muscles don’t get a sudden shock from the weights moving.
This is great for beginners because it’s so simple to follow, and can be adjusted to fit into just about any schedule.
What Is The Best At Home Workout Plan?
This four-week workout plan is perfect in terms of creating an exercise program: It has enough variety to keep things interesting, but not so much as to overwhelm you or make it hard to stick to. The same three workouts are performed each week, which makes this workout easy for beginners since you won’t need extra equipment or a lot of space. Plus, there’s plenty of variety within each workout so that you’ll never get bored and give up when trying to lose weight!
Warm Up
This is a routine that takes about 10 minutes. It’s essential for preventing injury and getting your body ready for the workout.
Perform a 15-minute cardio routine at home to burn calories and boost your metabolism—you’ll be surprised at how many calories you can burn simply by jumping rope, doing jumping jacks, walking, or running (3). (just remember to consume adequate water during each of these activities).
Read More: 2-Day Full Body Workout: Hit All Of Your Major Muscle Groups In One Sweat Sesh
The Beginner 4 Day A Week Fat Burning Workout
This is one of the easiest routines for beginners because it only requires 30 seconds on with 15 seconds rest! It’s perfect for burning fat and although it might seem too simple, research shows that alternating intense work with short periods of recovery can be just as effective as high intensity workouts without the risk of injury (5).
Upper Body Workout Routine
This consists of three different exercises, each performed for 30 seconds with a 15-second rest period in between:
Pushups: Before starting make sure to test yourself by seeing how many pushups you can do without stopping—you should be able to at least do 10 before too much fatigue sets in. Then, perform as many consecutive pushups as possible and repeat that same amount for these reps until you have finished the entire set. Keep your back straight and face forward throughout the exercise.
Incline Bench Press: This exercise is done on a flat bench and you will use dumbbells to allow for greater variety when working out at home! The incline bench press should be performed with an equal amount of weight in each hand so that you’re able to focus on chest development instead of struggling with uneven weights whenever one side becomes too heavy. Each rep is performed by lowering the weight slowly until it touches your breastbone—make sure there’s no arching or rounding of your spine during this process, as this can increase risk factors for spinal disc herniations and other injuries.
Side Delt Dumbbell Flyes: The dumbbells are brought together in an arc shape, above your chest and the exercise is done by extending your arms outwards as if you were doing a reverse pushup. Make sure to start off with light weights and don’t bounce up from the floor during this movement—if you can find a bench that’s comfortable enough, it may be worth it to lie on your side when completing these moves!
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Lower Body Workout Routine
Perform each of these exercises for 30 seconds with 15-second rest periods in between. Then repeat this entire routine until your timer sounds.
Squats: To get the most out of squats make sure that you are doing them correctly. Stand with your feet in a slightly wider than shoulder width apart position and lower yourself gradually (about 8-10 inches) while making sure to keep your eyes forward throughout the exercise. Make sure you are going down until your knees break past the 90-degree mark! Squats will start working out all of your leg muscles as well as give benefits to hamstrings, back, calves, glutes, and even core stabilization.
Overhead Press: This is done by standing up straight and keeping both arms locked out overhead at all times—unlock them during each rep which can enable greater chest development if performed properly!
Bent Rows: Look for an object that’s about knee level such as a chair and place one knee on it for bent rows. This exercise is performed with an overhand grip so that you can create as much tension as possible in the muscles of your upper back—it’s essential to be able to perform this exercise correctly, otherwise you risk injuring your lower back if not done properly!
Deadlifts: Stand on a flat bench or platform like a table and make sure that both feet are off the floor with knees locked out straight (use straps for added support). Use dumbbells if needed but try to use heavier weights which will require greater balance skills when lifting. Watch yourself in a mirror for form—make sure that your hips stay level throughout each rep instead of inclining toward the ceiling!
The Bottom Line
If you’re looking for a workout routine that will fit into your busy schedule as well as add some extra muscle to your frame, this is the perfect workout plan for you! It combines high intensity workouts and cardio in order to help shed excess fat.
4-week workout plan for weight loss also includes exercises that target each body part which helps reduce risk factors for injuries while also increasing consistency when exercising. You can also easily adjust this workout plan based on your own preferences. Every individual has different skill sets so make sure that you keep adjusting these exercises depending on what works best for you!
DISCLAIMER:
This article is intended for general informational purposes only and does not address individual circumstances. It is not a substitute for professional advice or help and should not be relied on to make decisions of any kind. Any action you take upon the information presented in this article is strictly at your own risk and responsibility!
SOURCES:
- 8 Reasons to Take a Rest Day (2018, acefitness.org)
- High-Intensity Intermittent Exercise and Fat Loss (2011, nih.gov)
- How to Build an Exercise Plan (n.d., helpguide.org)
- Postural awareness and its relation to pain: validation of an innovative instrument measuring awareness of body posture in patients with chronic pain (2018, nih.gov)
- The Effects of High Intensity Interval Training vs Steady State Training on Aerobic and Anaerobic Capacity (2015, nih.gov)
- Weight training: Do’s and don’ts of proper technique (2020, mayoclinic.org)
