It is no secret that cardio workouts are essential for maintaining a healthy heart and lungs. Cardio workouts help burn calories and promote weight loss, boost energy levels, improve mental health and mood, and promote better sleep quality.
When it comes to working out, many people focus on one type of exercise. Some people are all about cardio, while others love to lift weights. And there's nothing wrong with either of those things! But if you want to maximize your results, you should be doing both strength training and cardio workouts.
If your goal is to lose weight or get in shape, you need to burn as many calories as possible. And guess what? Cardio alone isn't going to cut it. Studies have shown that strength training and cardio are more effective for calorie burning than just cardio alone.
With that, strength training combined with cardio will help you build more muscle. Muscle is more metabolically active than fat, meaning that it burns more calories even when you're at rest. So, the more muscle you have, the more calories you'll burn all day long. Strength training is essential for building muscle, so if you want to boost your metabolism, you need to be lifting weights.
If you are ready to mix your routine with a challenging workout routine, this article will give you a workout plan that you should be trying. The workout plan has many benefits and has different sets with varying exercises. Read it further to know more about this workout plan.
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Benefits of Weighted Conditioning Workouts
Weighted workouts are a great way to burn calories and tone your body. They help you build muscle, improve your cardiovascular health, and boost your metabolism. Here are some of the top benefits of weighted conditioning workouts:
Helps Burn More Calories
When you add weight to your workout routine, you burn more calories than if you just did bodyweight exercises alone. Your body has to work harder to lift the weights and move them around.
Allows You to Build Muscle
If you want to tone your body and build muscle, then adding some weight to your workout is a great way to do it. The extra resistance helps your muscles grow stronger.
Improves Your Cardiovascular Health
Weighted workouts are a great way to improve your heart rate and improve your cardiovascular health. The added resistance helps to make your heart work harder, which is excellent for your overall health.
Boosts Your Metabolism
When you add weight to your workout, it causes your body to burn more calories both during and after the workout. This means that you'll be able to boost your metabolism and burn more fat throughout the day.
Offers Versatility
You can use weights for various exercises, which makes them a great addition to any workout routine. You can use them for strength training, cardio, or bodyweight exercises.
If you're looking for a great way to burn calories, tone your body, and improve overall health, weighted workouts are a great option. They offer a variety of benefits that can help you reach your fitness goals.
Weighted Conditioning Workout
The weighted conditioning workout routine contains four sub-workouts. You must aim to do at least one sub-workout a week. These workouts will help you lose weight, get in shape and build muscle. You can combine your routine with your regular cardio training. Ideally, you should be doing strength training 3 days a week, with 2 days of cardio training and rest for two days.The details about the workout routine are written here:
- 20 x 3 Squat Training
- Barbell Complexes
- Turkish Getups for Time
- Vertical Push/Pull
Weighted Conditioning Workout 1: 20 x 3 Squat Training
A squat is an ideal movement that you can include in your weighted conditioning workouts. So many lifters have seen a change in their muscle size and strength by doing multiple reps of squats in their training. The compound move requires lifting weight and maintaining a good form, so there are no chances of injury. You can also do this movement with a low weight to increase muscle burn.
Many people like to work with many reps when they are working out. This is done by doing little rest and low weight. You can also maintain mastery of the workout by doing fewer reps in each set. Using 50-60% of your 1RM (1 Rep Max) and 20 sets of only 3 reps, with a 30-45 second rest in between sets, is an excellent method to get your heart rate up and maintain it throughout the conditioning workout.
Weighted Conditioning Workout 2: Barbell Complexes
A barbell complex differs from any other superset or compound set because you perform a sequence of activities with the same technique. You aren't allowed to set down the equipment between sets; instead, you must finish each lift before doing so.
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You might want to take a rest day after doing a workout that contains rounds of complexes, but needless to say, you'll be burning calories for the remainder of the week. Because you're not allowed to put the weight down, make sure your exercises "flow" together well. For example, moving from a barbell back squat to a bent-over row may not be the most uncomplicated process, but going from a deadlift to a bent-over row would be easy.
Choose a weight that is an easy target for the slightest movement of the group. A complex that includes deadlifts, for example, should not have a load that exceeds your 6RM (the heaviest weight you can lift for 6 consecutive exercises) for that lift because subsequent activities will be hampered by quality. Don't be scared to vary the reps. A complex with suitable rep options for the exercise will produce a more significant training effect suited to your needs.
Make sure that you are resting for at least 3 minutes between these complexes. Here are some excellent ideas to include in barbell and dumbbell workouts:
Weighted Conditioning Workout 3: Turkish Getups for Time
Doing Turkish getups with kettlebells is a complete body workout that makes you breathless and targets all body muscles. Start with a 5-minute set goal. Perform a whole Turkish getup with one arm and then switch arms to continue alternating.
Continue switching arms without stopping until the time has run out. Use a moderate weight rather than one that is too heavy to maintain all efforts. A 10-20lb kettlebell is a good starting point and a good challenge. Increase the kettlebell's weight by five pounds and repeat. Add extra time to the clock. Instead of 5 minutes, aim for 6 or 7 next round.
Keep rest time short between your sets. The combination of a light implement and the size of the movement makes this type of training very complex. Beyond allowing muscles to relax, the rest you take is primarily used to lower your heart rate temporarily and assist you in catching your breath.
Weighted Conditioning Workout 4: Vertical Push/Pull
Consider this a "classic" exercise that never disappoints in intensity. It's crucial to understand and keep in mind that conditioning and fat loss with weights is considerably less measurable than strength or even hypertrophy. The weights in this workout are only a tool to increase your heart rate and create oxygen debt or muscle fatigue. This is important because training with a particular weight or expecting a consistent performance that reflects your strength under-rested circumstances doesn't have to apply as severely.
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The vertical push/pull workout combines the pullover, dip, clean & jerk and pulls up into a challenging workout that doesn't rely on heavy equipment. These exercises are incorporated into a challenging workout that doesn't require much equipment in the vertical push/pull routine. Rest 2-3 minutes between rounds and repeat. Focus on 6-7 rounds of exercise.
Exercise |
Sets |
Reps |
7 |
10 |
|
7 |
Until Failure |
|
7 |
10 |
|
7 |
Until Failure |
Final Words
Cardio workouts are undoubtedly the best approach to losing weight, but a combination of different workouts will make you stronger. These weighted conditioned workouts improve your stamina and challenge your body. Feel free to mix up your routine as per your convenience and see the benefits that these workouts will unfold for you.