Programming weight loss workouts for clients is more straightforward than you might think. However, the fitness industry makes it complicated. Search any website or go to any social media post and you’ll find the latest trends for losing weight and gaining muscle. These trends range from high-intensity training to drinking apple cider vinegar first thing when you wake up. 

However, all of these trends skip the fundamental principle of weight loss. To burn fat you have to try to gain muscle. So with this in mind here are eight tips to help you create workout programs for weight loss.

These tips are specifically aimed at personal trainers and fitness coaches who want to help their clients lose weight. However, these tips still apply if you’re looking to lose fat yourself. It will be tougher to create your own program and hold yourself accountable, so to get the best results it is worth hiring a coach. If you are looking to lose fat, find an OPEX Gym near you and get started with a coach today.

8 Tips for Programming For Weight Loss

1. Make their system as low stress as possible

Elevated cortisol, a stress hormone, is associated with increased belly fat. Stress also produces the hormone betatrophin which inhibits fat metabolism. To effectively burn fat and gain muscle your client’s body needs to be under as little stress as possible. 

While you cannot always control psychological stress, you can positively affect physiological stress. Behaviors like getting enough sleep and drinking enough water will limit the amount of stress the body is under. Breathing exercises and meditation can also help lower the perception of stress. Learn how to minimize your client’s stress in this coaching course.

2. Focus on good quality and slow resistance training

For the exercise program itself, focus on good quality and slow resistance training. Specifically, prioritize motor control and muscle endurance work.

This form of training is the best for fat loss because the client will burn calories during the session and their muscles will continue to burn calories as they repair themselves after the session.

3. Program easy aerobic work

Make sure to include easy aerobic work. A strong aerobic system has a host of benefits including quicker recovery. To make sure the aerobic work is easy, only do exercises that can be performed at a repeatable pace. Do not use high-intensity training or glycolytic work. While these may be effective to burn fat in the short-term, in the long-term they can cause the opposite effect.

4. Educate on good food hygiene

Educate your client on good food hygiene. Specifically, talk to them about sitting down and chewing their food thoroughly at every meal. Food quality also matters, but proper food hygiene is the foundation of nutrition.

For the best results avoid eating in front of any electronic screens. This will help their body digest the food easier and keep their systems low stress. Learn our detailed approach to food hygiene, The OPEX Basic Lifestyle Guidelines, in this free coaching course.

5. Sleep effectively

Make sure your client is sleeping effectively. Most adults need between 7 to 8 hours of sleep. To improve their sleep quality, work with them to create a nightly wind-down routine. Also, educate them on the importance of logging at least 2 hours before midnight. Sleep is very important for fat loss and is a key contributor to keeping their system low stress. You’ll be surprised by the results your client can achieve when they’re consistently sleeping well.

6. Drink water

Make sure your client stays hydrated. A good starting point is half of their body weight in ounces of water per day. This is another OPEX Basic Lifestyle Guideline.

7. Get sunshine 

Encourage your client to get sun exposure every day. 30 minutes will do the trick and the benefits from vitamin D and natural light will help them reach their fitness goals.

8. Have a great purpose and intention

Lastly, make sure your client has a great purpose and intention for their fat loss. Motivation dissipates easily, but a strong purpose can ignite a fire that lasts a lifetime. Sit down with your client during the consultation and talk to them about why they want to achieve this goal. This will give you insight into their purpose.

Also, take some time to educate them about fat loss. Tell them that you want them to train with the goal of gaining muscle. They will see better results if their intention is aligned with the training.

The Best Program for Weight Loss

These eight tips will help you create a fat loss program for any client.

But for the best results, you need to personalize the program specifically to the client. 

To do this you need to assess your client’s abilities, consult them on their goals, and design a personalized progressive exercise program. Sign up for our free coaching course today and learn how to consult, assess, and create an individualized program for any client.