The real secret to weight loss? Desire, motivation and a scientifically designed workout.
To lose weight and to keep it off, it’s vital that you are motivated and want to improve your lifestyle. Some people lose weight by crash dieting. But, as soon as the diet is over, they go back to their old eating habits and the weight goes straight back on. Losing 10kg – and keeping it off – needs a change of attitude and some good old-fashioned advice: “Exercise and eat well.” You could be 10kg lighter in as little as 12 weeks with this “Lose 10kg” workout and eating plan scientifically-designed by experts at the Sports Science Institute of South Africa.
How it works: You’ll need to do 2 weight-training sessions and 2–3 cardio sessions a week. Complete the weight-training sessions on non-consecutive days, with the cardiovascular sessions between them.
You’ll need: A stability ball, dumbbells (see Choosing weights), mat, and steps.
Cardiovascular sessions: Aim for 2–3 cardio sessions of 30–60 minutes at a RPE of 4–8. Cardio sessions can include the following: spinning class, step or aerobics class, hiking or running, swimming, cycling, or a cardio workout in the gym.
| Try this cardio workout in the gym | |||
| GOAL | TIME (min) | RPE | MACHINE |
| Warm up | 5 | 2-4 | Bicycle |
| Gradually increase intensity | 5 | 4-6 | Bicycle |
| 2 min as hard as you can | 2 | 8 | Stepper or treadmill |
| 2 min recovery | 2 | 4 | Stepper or treadmill |
| 2 min as hard as you can | 2 | 8 | Stepper or treadmill |
| 2 min recovery | 2 | 4 | Stepper or treadmill |
| 2 min as hard as you can | 2 | 8 | Stepper or treadmill |
| 2 min recovery | 2 | 4 | Stepper or treadmill |
| Aim for 1000m | 5 | 4-8 | Rower |
| Sustain moderate pace | 10 | 4-6 | Treadmill or elliptical |
| Cool down | 5 | 2-4 | Bicycle |
| Total | 42 mins | ||
Weight training sessions: Perform each exercise in each of the Supersets 1, 2 and 3. Start with 2 sets and progress to 3 sets after about 4–6 weeks of training.
Choosing weights: Your first 8–10 repetitions should be comfortable, but the last 5 should become challenging. You will know the weights are too heavy if you are unable to perform all 15 repetitions with the correct technique.
Warm up: 20 mins cardio: 1st 10 mins easy at RPE of 2-3; 2nd 10 mins hard at RPE of 4-6
| EXERCISE | SETS | REPS | EQUIPMENT |
| Superset 1 | |||
| Chest press on ball | 2-3 | 15 | Ball + dumbbells |
| Squat + shoulder press | 2-3 | 15 | Dumbbells |
| Crunches | 2-3 | 20 | Mat |
| Step-ups (RPE 7-8) | 2-3 | 1 min | Steps |
| Superset 2 | |||
| Lunge + bicep curl (8 each leg) | 2-3 | 16 | Dumbbells |
| Lat pull-down | 2-3 | 16 | Machine |
| Bicycle crunches (15 each side) | 2-3 | 30 | Mat |
| Step-ups (RPE 7-8) | 2-3 | 1 min | Steps |
| Superset 3 | |||
| Side-lying leg raises (30 each leg) | 2-3 | 60 | Mat |
| Tricep extension on ball | 2-3 | 1 min | Ball + dumbbells |
Rate of perceived exertion scale (RPE):
Exercise difficulty rating:
1. Really easy
2. Easy
3. Moderate
4. Moderately hard
5. Hard
6. Very hard
7. Severe
8. Moderately severe
9. Very severe
10. Totally exhasuted
Tricep extensions on ball |
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Lie with your upper back and head on the stability ball, feet shoulder-width apart and knees bent at 90 degrees. There should be a straight line from knees to shoulders. Do not let your bum sag. Holding the weights, bend your elbows, lowering the weights behind your head. Keep the upper arm straight and elbows pointing to the ceiling. |
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Extend the arms by straightening the forearms until the weights are above the head. There should be no movement in the upper arm, only the bending and straightening of the forearm. |
Squat + shoulder press |
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Standing with feet shoulder-width apart and holding the dumbbells at shoulder height. Perform a squat by bending the knees and pushing the hips out behind you as if you are about to sit on something. Bend as far as you can but do not let the bum drop below the knees.As you start returning to a standing position, extend your arms above your head. |
Crunches |
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Lie face-up with knees bent and feet on the floor, hands behind your head. Keep elbows open, chin on your chest and back pushed into the mat. |
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Lift the shoulders off the mat in a slow controlled movement and hold for 2–3 seconds and repeat. |
Lunge + bicep curl |
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Start with one foot in front of the other holding the dumbbells in your hands.Drop the back knee to just above the ground and at the same time perform a bicep curl. Make sure the knee of the front leg does not go beyond the front foot. |
Lat pull-down |
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Hands should be wider than shoulder width apart and upper body leaning slightly back. Pull the bar in front of the body towards the chest and squeeze the shoulder blades together. |
Bicycle crunches |
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Lie face-up with hands behind your head. Lift the legs, head and shoulders as you bring your right knee in and rotate your left shoulder towards it. Straighten the right leg as you bring your left knee in and rotate the opposite shoulder towards it. |
Plank |
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Position your elbows directly under shoulders and push yourself onto your toes. Your body should be in a straight line and shoulders and hips should be in line.Hold this position without letting the back arch or bum drop. If you find this too difficult you can perform a modified version on your elbows and knees. |
Side-lying leg raise |
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Lie on your side, with your arm extended out in front of you and legs straight with the body in a straight line. |
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Raise the top leg upwards and slightly behind the body, keeping the leg straight. |
Chest press on ball |
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Lie with your upper back and head on the stability ball, feet shoulder-width apart and knees bent at 90 degrees. There should be a straight line from knees to shoulders. Do not let your bum sag. Hold the dumbbells in your hands, elbows bent at 90 degrees and in line with the shoulders. |
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Extend your arms pushing the dumbbells towards the ceiling keeping them over the chest. |
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Lose 10kg eating plan No weight-loss programme will succeed in the long run without a smart eating plan. |
Great workout!!!! Deffintely gonna try this one =D
I am a little confused about the weights session. In 1 session should you do all the exercises on the list or 1 superset two to three times?
thanks!! this looks great! nice and simple! (so many workouts these days have such elaborate moves which just puts me off)
going to try this this week