Five exercises to help support weight loss in the gym!

Wed 4 Mar 2020

Whether your goal is to lose weight or to get fitter, these exercises will burn off calories and lead to a healthier and happier you. This could be the chance for you to find something new to love, even if you have never been to the gym before! Don’t overthink your gym time – keep it simple with these five exercises deigned to burn fat. All you need to do is turn up, try these exercises and watch as your body gets leaner and more toned.

Squats

Don’t just wait for leg-day to come around once a week, squats should form a staple of your workout as often as you exercise.  From bodyweight squats to using kettlebells or a barbell - there will be a variation to suit your training needs.

women doing squats with kettleballs

Battle Ropes

Now don’t be fooled, this is no easy feat. Performing battle ropes for timed intervals will give you a great upper and lower body workout whilst really challenging your cardio fitness.  The key is to set yourself a time that challenges your fitness level and try to maintain a consistent pace throughout – 5 sets of 30seconds with 1min rests between would be a good starting point.

woman working with battle ropes

Pad Work

Hitting the pads is a great way to burn through calories and get the heart rate racing.  If you’re training with a friend simply alternate holding the pads for each other, working up to 60second bouts of left-right punches.  For a more varied session make use of our experienced instructors who can work through punching technique and piece together some challenging punch combinations.

Pad Work

Wattbikes

Whether you’re a seasoned cyclist or someone new to exercise, our Wattbikes can provide you with the necessary info to ensure you’re making the most of your time, from working on your pedalling technique to leg speed and power output whilst cycling.  The FREE Wattbike app also makes for a great way to track your workouts and see your improvements.  If all of this is brand new to you, our friendly instructors are on hand to talk you through the bikes and pick out some key info for you to focus on whilst cycling.

woman on Wattbikes

Deadlifts

When talking about getting the most out of your time whilst training, deadlifts are a must.  This staple exercise is as close to a full-body lift as there is. If you’re a beginner you could set a target of lifting your bodyweight, moving up to more than twice bodyweight for experienced gym goers.

woman doing dead lifts

Start your workout now and join Derby Active! Our membership options include gym, swim or classes, available at Derby ArenaSpringwood Leisure Centre and Queen's Leisure Centre. Perfect for giving these five exercises a try, and finding something new to love this month!