Fitness
A Trainer’s #1 Weekly Workout to Lose Weight & Build Muscle
Embarking on a fitness journey that combines weight loss and muscle building requires a well-crafted workout plan. The simultaneous building of muscle and loss of fat is called body composition, and it’s one of the most efficient fitness models I recommend to my clients. I’ve designed this weekly workout to lose weight and build muscle just for you. This regimen seamlessly integrates strength training and cardiovascular exercises to sculpt muscle mass while burning fat for maximum effectiveness.
Consistency is key in any fitness journey. This weekly routine brings together strength training, cardiovascular exercises, and rest days to optimize fat loss and muscle building. Remember to pair this workout with a balanced diet and sufficient hydration for the best results. Always consult with a fitness professional or healthcare provider before starting a new exercise program.
Keep reading for my best-recommended weekly workout to lose weight and build muscle. And when you’re finished working up a sweat, be sure to check out the 5 Most Effective At-Home Workouts for Weight Loss.
Day 1: Full-Body Strength Training
Full-body strength training contributes to fat loss by engaging multiple muscle groups, increasing calorie expenditure during and after your workout. It promotes muscle growth as compound exercises, like squats and deadlifts, stimulate the release of growth-promoting hormones, fostering muscle hypertrophy. The enhanced muscle mass resulting from full-body strength training further elevates your basal metabolic rate, supporting effective weight management and fat loss over time.
1. Squats
Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. Lower your body as if sitting on a chair, keeping your back straight and your chest up. Straighten back into a standing position. Perform three sets of 12 to 15 reps.
2. Bench Press
Lie on a flat bench with a barbell at chest height. Lower the bar to your chest, and push it back up. Complete three sets of 10 to 12 reps.
3. Bent-Over Rows
Hold a barbell with an overhand grip. Hinge at the hips, and pull the barbell to your chest. Aim for three sets of 12 to 15 reps.
Day 2: Cardiovascular Focus—High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)
High-intensity interval training (HIIT) contributes to fat loss by creating an afterburn effect known as excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC), where the body continues to burn calories post-workout, promoting a sustained calorie deficit. The intense bursts of activity during HIIT trigger the release of growth hormone, facilitating muscle growth and development. Additionally, HIIT stimulates the production of enzymes that enhance fat oxidation, making it an efficient and time-effective method for simultaneously burning fat and promoting muscle hypertrophy.
1. Sprint Intervals
Sprint at maximum effort for 30 seconds. Follow with 30 seconds of rest or light jogging. Repeat for five minutes.
2. Burpees
Start in a standing position, then squat down and place your hands on the ground. Jump your feet back, landing in a plank position. Perform a pushup, then jump your feet back toward your hands. Explosively jump into the air, reaching overhead. Repeat for three sets of 10 to 15 reps.
3. Jump Squats
Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. Lower your body into a squat position, keeping your back straight and your chest up. Explosively jump upward, extending your hips and knees. Perform three sets of 15 to 20 reps.
Day 3: Active Recovery
Recovery days are crucial when working out, as they allow for proper muscle repair and growth, preventing overtraining and reducing the risk of injuries. During recovery, the body replenishes energy stores and repairs micro-tears in muscle tissue caused by intense workouts, contributing to overall strength development. Adequate rest also balances hormone levels, promoting optimal metabolism and ensuring the sustainability of long-term fitness goals by preventing burnout and promoting mental well-being.
Engage in light activities such as walking, yoga, or swimming. Allow your body to recover while maintaining mobility by stretching. Drink plenty of water, get adequate sleep, and eat meals rich in nutrients and protein.
Day 4: Core and Stability Training
Core-strengthening exercises contribute to fat loss by engaging multiple muscle groups, increasing overall calorie expenditure, and promoting a higher metabolic rate. Additionally, a stronger core enhances stability and allows for more effective performance in compound movements, leading to increased muscle growth. As the core muscles develop and become more defined, they contribute to an aesthetically sculpted physique while supporting functional strength and improved posture.
1. Planks
Hold a plank position with a straight line from your head to your heels. Aim for three sets, holding for 30 to 60 seconds.
2. Russian Twists
Sit on the floor, and lean back slightly. Rotate your torso while holding a weight or medicine ball. Perform three sets of 20 twists.
3. Bicycle Crunches
Lie flat on your back with your hands placed behind your head and elbows pointing outward. Lift your legs off the ground, and bend your knees at a 90-degree angle. Bring your right elbow toward your left knee while simultaneously straightening your right leg. Continue alternating sides in a pedaling motion. Aim for three sets of 15 to 20 reps.
Day 5: Cardiovascular Endurance—Long-Duration Cardio
Long-duration cardio contributes to fat loss by promoting a sustained calorie burn, creating a calorie deficit essential for weight reduction. Additionally, it enhances cardiovascular endurance, enabling the body to efficiently utilize stored fat for energy during extended aerobic activities. While not directly promoting muscle growth like resistance training, consistent long-duration cardio supports overall health, aiding in a well-rounded fitness routine that complements muscle-building efforts.
Engage in moderate-intensity cardio for 45 to 60 minutes (jogging, brisk walking, cycling, or swimming).
Day 6: Compound Movements for Full-Body Engagement
Compound movements engage multiple muscle groups simultaneously, leading to a higher calorie expenditure during workouts. This increased energy demand supports fat loss by creating a calorie deficit. Additionally, compound movements stimulate the release of growth-promoting hormones, such as testosterone and growth hormone, fostering muscle growth and enhancing the overall metabolic rate for sustained fat loss.
1. Deadlifts
Lift a barbell from the ground using a hip hinge movement. Keep your lower back straight, and engage your core throughout the motion. Lower the barbell back to the ground. Complete three sets of 10 to 12 reps.
2. Overhead Press
Grip a barbell or dumbbell in each hand and hold at shoulder height. Lift the barbell or dumbbells straight overhead, fully extending the arms. Aim for three sets of 12 to 15 reps.
3. Kettlebell Swings
Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding a kettlebell with both hands in front of you. Hinge at the hips, keeping a slight bend in the knees, and swing the kettlebell back between your legs. Explosively thrust your hips forward, swinging the kettlebell to chest height. Allow the kettlebell to swing back down, and repeat for three sets of 15 to 20 reps.
Day 7: Rest and Recovery
This weekly workout to lose weight and build muscle wraps up with another rest and recovery day. Feel free to engage in light activities like yoga, walking, or swimming. Give your body the time it needs (and deserves!) to recover while preserving mobility through light stretching.
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It’s important to have goals in mind as you set out on your fitness journey, whether you’re trying to lose weight, gain muscle or train for a race.skynesher/Supplied
January is notoriously the busiest time of year at the gym. A survey from Ipsos reported that a third of Canadians made exercise-based resolutions for the new year, with many folks working out for the first time or returning to fitness after some time away. If you’re new to exercise, the gym can feel like an intimidating place. But it doesn’t need to be. Below we’ve put together a few suggestions to help you get started.
Have a plan going in
For success at the gym, it’s crucial to have a plan. Before you start, it’s important to identify your goals. Are you looking to get stronger? Training for a race or competition? Do you want to improve body composition? While almost any consistent exercise is going to improve your overall health, specific results require specific training.
Following a workout program can help you stay committed – here’s how to write your own
Those completely new to working out may want to invest in a few sessions with a personal trainer. A reputable trainer will be able to put together a plan based on your preferences and skill level, while walking you through the proper form for each exercise. If cost is an issue, many gyms offer a free intro training session as a sign-up perk. There are also hundreds of different workout programs you can find online and video tutorials outlining proper form.
If you’re intimidated to exercise on your own, a fitness class allows you to follow along with an instructor while getting some quick pointers on how to properly perform the workout. Many gyms offer discounted or free classes to first-time visitors.
Trying to do too much, too fast will burn you out, leave you injured or both
When you’re motivated by a new year’s resolution, it’s tempting to pencil in long gym sessions multiple times a week. But that kind of regime is rarely sustainable. If you’d like to make exercising a habit beyond January – and you’ll need to for any kind of lasting results – it’s best to think about what you can do in the long term.
“You can either do an hour of weightlifting a few days a week, and actually do it, or you have these imaginary 10-hour training sessions you’ll never actually have time for,” said Dan John, strength coach and author. “I try to focus on [programs that are] doable, repeatable and reasonable.”
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Similarly, trying to immediately push beyond your physical limitations is a great way to get injured. For weightlifting, it’s important to consider proper warm-ups, active mobility exercises and learning the right techniques before trying to lift anything too heavy. For cardio, Canada Running Series offers a Couch to 5K plan that eases newcomers into jogging by starting small and gradually increasing the length/difficulty of each run.
Follow basic gym etiquette
The gym is a shared public space. Everyone there is trying to get in a good workout. That’s harder to do when people are having phone conversations, listening to videos without using headphones and refusing to wipe down their equipment after use.
In March, fitness trainer Paul Landini wrote an article explaining some unofficial rules to follow when going to the gym, including being mindful of other people’s space and making sure you’re not monopolizing equipment during busy hours.
Try to find what you like about the gym
Changes in body composition, strength and overall health take time. They also need upkeep over the long term. Building a consistent fitness habit is something that will help with all those goals. One of the best ways to do that is finding something at the gym you genuinely enjoy doing. That can be working out with a friend to add a social aspect to exercise and accountability to show up. It can entail learning a new fitness-adjacent skill such as boxing or training for a competition like Hyrox. It can be rooted in the sense of accomplishment that comes with getting stronger. Whatever the reason, finding the joy in exercise is going to be key if you want to move beyond short-term motivation.
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (Dakota News Now) – Finding time to work out as a mom with young kids can be a challenge in itself, especially when you’re new to an area and don’t know where to start. However, a new fitness option strolled into Sioux Falls today. iStroll offers moms the chance to work out and meet other moms all while their kids can play or even join alongside them.
iStroll is a national organization that has more than 35 locations in the country but this is the first time one opened in South Dakota. It’s a full body workout that incorporates dumbbells, body weight, and jogging strollers when the weather’s nice.
“I found iStroll in Oklahoma and fell in love,” said Kelsi Supek who started the affiliate in Sioux Falls. “We made friends. It became our entire social network. The kids loved it and then we moved to Arizona during COVID. And all the moms were stuck at home. They were inside with our kids and lonely, honestly. And we were like, why can’t we start an iStroll and be out at the parks with the kids every day? And it took off.”
When Supek moved to Sioux Falls, she was encouraged by her family to start an affiliate and own it herself.
“Gym daycares did not work out for my children,” said Supek. “I would get 10 minutes into a class and then I’d have that person trying to knock outside the yoga studio going, Can I have Kelsey and her kids screaming in daycare? And it just didn’t work for us. So at iStroll they could be with me or I could be breastfeeding the baby as I was teaching in class.”
Classes are planned to continue each Wednesday and Friday at We Rock the Spectrum and First Presbyterian Church. For a full schedule for January and February, you can look at their Facebook. The first class is also free and memberships are for the whole family.
“Letting the kids see you work out is, it’s similar to homeschooling where like, you know, how are they going to love working out if they don’t see you working out,” said Kelly Jardeleza, a stay-at-home mom of three kids. “Whereas at other gyms they put them in a room and they don’t get to watch you. And how are you going to inspire them if they’re not watching you do it?”
Copyright 2026 Dakota News Now. All rights reserved.
There’s no bad time to take a more active interest in your health, but the new year, for lots of us, feels like a fresh start. Maybe you’re planning to sign up for a 10k or finally have a go at bouldering, eat a bit better or learn to swing a kettlebell. Maybe you want to keep up with your grandkids — or just be a little bit more physically prepared for whatever life throws at you.
To help things along, Guardian Live invites you to a special event with public health expert Devi Sridhar, journalist and author Mariella Frostrup, and health and fitness columnist Joel Snape. They’ll be joining the Guardian’s Today in Focus presenter Annie Kelly to discuss simple, actionable ways to stay fit and healthy as you move through the second half of life: whether that means staying strong and mobile or stressing less and sleeping better.
To make the whole event as helpful as possible, we’d love to hear from you about what you find most challenging — or confusing — when it comes to health and exercise. What should you actually be eating, and how are you going to find the time to make it? What sort of exercise is best, and how often should you be doing it? Is Pilates worth the effort — and should we really all be drinking mugfuls of piping hot creatine?
Whether your question is about exercise, eating, or general wellness, post it below and we’ll put a selection to our panel on the night.
Share your experience
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