No one goes to the gym for mediocre results. With every rep, every minute on the treadmill, every drop of sweat, every sore muscle, you’re hoping to get 100% out of your workouts.

While it may seem counterintuitive, getting the results you want at our gym in Thornton isn’t necessarily based on the amount of time you spend here (although we always love to see your smiling face!) It’s also about how you spend your time at the gym and even outside the gym. Whether you’re here to become stronger, lose weight, look more toned, or compete in a bodybuilding contest, read on to learn a few tips about how to receive the biggest return on your investment at our gym near you.

Losing Weight at the Gym

Probably the number one reason why people join a gym is to lose weight or maintain their current weight. In addition, many gym members hope to lose weight from certain areas of their body, for example, to get rid of a little belly fat and have defined six-pack abs.

First, it’s important to understand how weight loss works. Despite what many commercials tell you, it’s not possible to lose weight from one area of your body, therefore, you can’t go to the gym and hope to target just your belly fat.

How does weight loss work?

Unless there’s a rare underlying health issue, losing body fat is based on the calories you consume versus the calories you burn. If you eat more calories than you need and you don’t burn them, your body will store those extra calories as fat. The fat remains there until your body needs to tap into those reserves, which can happen if you reduce your calorie intake and/or burn extra calories through physical activity.

Where does the body fat go?

There’s no one-size-fits-all answer to this question — where your fat is stored is based on genetics and your hormones. Everyone stores and burns fat differently, in different places and at different rates.

How do I get rid of body fat?

First, let’s discuss what won’t work. If you want to reduce fat in a certain part of your body, exercises targeting that area won’t necessarily cause it to shrink. Spot reduction, unfortunately, is a myth.

So how do you reduce fat in your belly, arms, legs, or anywhere else in your body? It all boils down to sticking to a healthy, calorie-controlled diet and getting regular exercise. When you burn more calories than you consume, you will lose body fat from all over your body, at a rate and location that’s unique to you.

Most experts recommend that you should get 30-60 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise every day. Research has found that a combination of cardio and strength training was the most effective at helping people lose weight, especially high-intensity cardio. Cardio burns a lot of calories and can even suppress your appetite a bit so that you eat less. Strength training does not burn as many calories as cardio, but it does help you maintain and build muscle mass. Muscle tissue is more metabolically active than fat (muscle burns more calories at rest than fat does), which means the more muscle you have, the more calories your body will burn in a day no matter what you’re doing.

As a matter of fact, one Harvard School of Public Health study of 10,500 adults showed that those who spent 20 minutes a day strength training gained less abdominal fat over the course of 12 years compared to participants who spent that same amount of time on cardiovascular exercise.

As far as your diet goes, if you want to lose fat, count the calories you consume and the calories you burn through exercise. By burning more calories than you consume, your body will use its fat reserves to make up the difference. (Make sure to consult your doctor about how many calories you should eat per day.)

It’s also important to consume healthy foods that will aid in your workout recovery, instead of empty calories. Eat more complex carbohydrates (vegetables, fruits, whole grains) and lean protein, and avoid highly refined carbs like sugary foods and drinks, white bread, and white pasta.

Also watch the types of fat you consume by replacing butter, cheese, cream, and fatty cuts of meat with healthy unsaturated fats that you’ll find in avocados, olive oil, almonds, walnuts, pumpkin and sesame seeds, flax seeds, and fish (particularly salmon, cod, lake trout, and canned light tuna). If you’re looking for low-fat protein options, consider egg whites, white fish, crab, chicken, and turkey breast.

What are the best gym classes for weight loss?

Now that we understand how to lose body fat, you might be wondering which gym classes at AFAC are best for weight loss. All of our gym classes are great for bringing you closer to your weight loss goal, but particularly the classes that combine both cardio and strength training, such as:

What are some other ways to boost the results I get at the gym?

No matter what your fitness goals are, research shows that there are some strategies you can incorporate into your gym session that will improve your results.

Try cryotherapy — AFAC gym has a state-of-the-art cryotherapy chamber that provides you with the most effective post-workout cold therapy available. By scheduling a quick cryotherapy session after your workout, you’ll reduce inflammation and soreness in your body and speed up your recovery time, which means you’ll be able to get back to training faster and improve your results.
Do a dynamic warmup — Those stretches you’re doing before your workout might not be helping you as much as you think. Studies have shown that dynamic moves — ones that mimic the workout you’re about to participate in — increase your range of motion and make you more stable without compromising the elasticity in your muscles and tendons. So, if you’re about to run on the treadmill, do some lunges, squats, and knee raises for 5-10 minutes instead of the typical bend and hold stretch routine.
HIIT it — High-intensity interval training (HIIT) — which is periods of all-out effort followed by short, low-intensity breaks — has more fat-loss and cardiovascular benefits than any other workout. To burn as many calories as possible, perform as many reps as you can for 20 seconds, rest for 10 seconds, and repeat for a total of four minutes. Rest for one minute, and then repeat for a total of four rounds.
Use free weights — When you’re new to the gym, it’s great to start with weight machines so that you learn the correct form. But once you’ve got the hang of it, it’s time to move to free weights like dumbbells, kettlebells, and barbells. Free weight workouts require a wider range of muscles, which leads to better hormonal responses and results at the gym.
Get a good night’s sleep — Poor sleep hinders your exercise performance, the number of calories you burn, and your body’s ability to recover after a workout. Aim for 7-9 hours of sleep every night to avoid fitness plateaus and the other symptoms of overtraining.
Drink that water — During a workout at the gym, you can sweat out 6-10% of your body weight in fluids, and losing just 2% can reduce your exercise performance as well as your body’s ability to recover after your gym workout. Weigh yourself before and after each workout to make sure you’re drinking enough water to replace any fluids that you lose. You should aim for losing no more than 2%.
Listen to music — Studies show that people who listen to soothing music after their workout recovered faster than those who didn’t. So, not only do your favorite tunes motivate you during your workout, but a few relaxing tracks after your workout can fire up your recovery, too.
Mix things up — Compared to other gyms near you, AFAC gym offers the widest range of equipment and classes as part of our goal to be the best gym in Thornton, CO. In addition to keeping our gym members from becoming bored with their workouts, the exercise variation at AFAC leads to greater gains than doing the exact same moves time after time. Try to change your workouts every month to keep your body guessing and get better results at the gym.

Our Members Rave About the Results They See at AFAC Gym

No matter where you are in your fitness journey — from the very beginning to inches away from your goals — AFAC gym is here to support you with our incredible array of workout equipment, fun and exciting group classes, and experienced personal trainers. We want you to see the results you’re working so hard for and we’ll be here for you every step of the way.

For more information about how to see terrific results at the gym, please speak with your friends here at AFAC gym. You can also contact our gym owner, Susan, at 720-849-0245 or susan@adventurefitness.club for assistance.

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