Training people with obesity: types of training

It is common to see in newspaper articles, magazines, blogs and posts in social networks specific exercises that should be performed by people with overweight or obesity to lose weight. Among them you can find endless activities, such as cardiovascular work, sit-ups, squats and a long etcetera. However, the prescription for physical exercise must come from a professional and in an individualized manner. That is, each person has particular abilities, experience, physical state and situations, so the exercise should not be the same for everyone. The professional must take into account all these characteristics and analyze the response to the exercises and, thus, adapt their training.

The workout routine is not a mathematical formula in which everything is squared: it must take into account circumstances that may occur in the patient’s life. From Area Zero we bet on the increase of coaches specialized in people with obesity, a disease that carries a lot of health conditions. Therefore, we offer online training courses so that these professionals can deepen their knowledge.

All in all, we are preparing to make a summary of the types of workouts that should be directed to an obese person, as well as other essential tasks of the trainer to achieve the adherence of the patient to the commitment to train with a constant frequency.

How and who should prescribe physical exercise for people with obesity

A person’s planning has to be multidisciplinary and particular, as it has to address both the sporting, nutritional and psychological aspects. In this connection, each aspect must be dealt with by a professional from each of the branches mentioned, that is, someone who has the appropriate and necessary training.

Unfortunately, this is not usually the case. These branches, especially sports and nutrition, suffer from an important occupational intrusion, especially enhanced by the use of social networks and the Internet. Many Instagram, Facebook and YouTube influencers earn money through diets and workouts they prescribe themselves. If an untrained individual schedules a diet and training schedule to a person with little or no knowledge of his or her state of health and physical conditions, this can be counterproductive and negatively affect.

Types of weight loss training:

First of all, it is necessary to leave behind the conception that to cure diseases related to sarcopenia or sedentary lifestyle, the patient must be prescribed to go swimming or to go walking.

Professionals should take into account different factors of the patient’s environment: friends, family, gender, culture, economic stability, attitudes, etc. Then, the following questions should be raised:

What is the short-term objective?
Which training model is ideal for that purpose?
When should certain types of exercise be prescribed?
What is the purpose of each exercise?

First, before prescribing exercise, an analysis of the patient’s state of health and physical condition must be performed and, subsequently, physical exercise prescribed in an appropriate and individualized manner.

Next, we will discuss the main types of weight loss training.

HIIT

High-intensity interval training is called HIIT, meaning High Intensity Training. These are repeated periods of high intensity exercises carried out at the maximum possible power with more relaxed or resting periods.

Activities and times of activity or rest vary according to the objectives and abilities of the person who performs it. Therefore, the figure of the coach will be in charge of determining these values. In these trainings the time is used to the maximum.

HIIT brings enormous benefits to cardiorespiratory capacity and endurance, as well as being a great ally for a weight loss plan.

Now, despite being a very effective and fast type of training, not everyone is prepared for it. Therefore, it is the task of the professional of the physical activity to regulate the intensity and the days for this modality.

Laden training

Strength training is essential for any training program, whether to improve performance in a given sport or to lead a healthier life. However, it is even more important in the plans for fat loss and maintaining muscle mass.

This type of activity aims to increase muscle mass and, in turn, improve the Metabolic Rate of Rest (TMR), that is, the energy expenditure charged to maintain vital functions at rest. This is because muscle mass consumes energy even when resting.

It is common to hear that to lose weight you have to do only aerobic activity (running, walking, swimming, etc.). However, obesity causes multiple physiological and structural conditions that reduce strength. Sarcopenia, dinapenia and obesity go hand in hand. When the fat is excessive it is able to "occupy" the place of the muscle, reducing its percentage of presence in the human body. Thus, strength training is intended to slow the loss of muscle mass in the person with obesity and to improve their functional strength. This will help improve your metabolic environment and your daily life.

Strength training can be done in many ways, whether with elastics, with traditional weights or with your own body weight. The professional has enough knowledge to not only guide the exercises that best suit the patient, but to bring creativity and dynamism in the workouts so that the patient does not get bored and adhere more enthusiastically to the routine.

Aerobic and endurance exercise

The well-known 'cardio work'' is also called MICT for its Moderate Intensity Continuous Training, that is, continuous training of moderate intensity. This is one of the most widely accepted ways for people to lose weight.

Among the main benefits of aerobical exercise are the following:

Strengthening of the heart.
Maintenance or reduction of body weight.
Improvement of body composition.
Improvement of mood.
Strengthening of the immune system and protection against viral diseases.
Decreased risk of developing conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity, osteoporosis and certain types of cancer.
Control of chronic diseases such as diabetes.
Higher quality of life.

Unscheduled daily movement or physical activity

Just as it’s important to train between 30 and 60 minutes a day, so is staying active and on the move for the rest of the day. Lying or sitting most of the time is negative for your health. Therefore, it is advisable that, whenever we can, we do daily activities that involve movements, such as walking, cleaning or going up or down stairs.

The human being is a species made to move, so staying active will bring us numerous benefits: improves our body composition, curbs weight gain, increases energy expenditure, improves our self-esteem and mental health, encourages our creativity and a long etcetera.

Therefore, as trainers we must take into account the concept of NEAT (Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis), that is, any physical activity performed outside the exercise schedule.

In short, there are countless exercises that improve the health of a person with obesity. Therefore, it is important that the professional knows how to schedule the patient’s workouts so that the objectives are met effectively. At Area Zero we want to give you the opportunity to expand your knowledge of training for people with obesity through online training. Our extensive experience and expertise will help you become a 10.

Do not hesitate to contact us for more information.

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