Exercising burns calories and speeds up metabolism, which helps people lose weight. However, the form of training you do can make a huge difference in your progress.
A slimmer has shared how the training method of progressive overload "transformed" his weight loss journey.
According to Healthline: "Progressive overload is when you gradually increase the weight, frequency, or number of repetitions in your strength training routine. This challenges your body and allows your musculoskeletal system to get stronger."
James Marsden spoke on his YouTube channel (@JamesMarsden) about how he started training in a progressive overload and what he focused on to slim down.
The slimmer explained what he did to lose 3st 5lb
YouTube/James Marsden
James said: "Before I discovered these lessons, I was trapped in a body I hated, convincing myself it was my genetics. I would drag myself to the gym, do a few sets and quit. I repeated this pattern and saw zero results. One day, I went to the gym with a friend, and after my usual pathetic effort, I was about to put the weights down when he told me to do one more rep.
"I did five more reps, and it hit me like a tonne of bricks. All the time, I was not even close to what my body could actually do."
The slimmer explained the first lesson he learnt was "pushing past mental barriers" and encouraged people to start training in a progressive overload.
He added: "Progressive overload is not just waffle; it is the only way your body changes. You have to push past the mental barriers."
An article published in the National Library of Medicine noted the benefits of progressive overload. It said: "Manipulating the volume of resistance exercise over several weeks of training has been suggested to influence metabolic and hormonal responses... which may, in turn, reflect the respective alteration capacity of muscular hypertrophy and strength."
Alongside training, tracking your progress is a "simple but powerful" method for people wanting to lose weight.
James explained: "What gets measured, gets managed. If you're not tracking, you are just guessing.
"Your memory will lie to you about what you ate, and your perception will lie about how hard you worked. The numbers do not lie. Track your foods, lifts and measurements."
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS:
The slimmer encouraged people to train in a progressive overload
YouTube/James Marsden
However, it is not only what you do physically but also what you do mentally that is just as important. One way to keep yourself mentally motivated is through before-and-after pictures.
The content creator said: "Have you ever hit the point where your motivation just dies? Four months in, I was there.
"The scale had not moved in weeks, and I felt exhausted. The negative voice in my head got really loud. Then I remembered that I had taken before-pictures when I started. I was shocked."
Despite the scale not moving, the slimmer could see how much his body had changed, keeping him keen to work out.
He said: "My shoulders were more defined, my waist was smaller. It was not dramatic, but it was real evidence against the lying voice in my head. So make sure you take pictures from day one."