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The Best Sports For Getting Lean: Here's Our Favourite Sports That Get You Ripped

16th October 2023

16th October 2023

By Shivraj Bassi

Looking for sports that get you ripped? Eyeing up your favourite sports stars and admiring their physique and top-tier sporting ability? 

More often than not, top sports people are lean, toned and muscular, and this body type represents a lot of people's fitness goals.

Whilst it's true that they hit the gym for strength, they didn’t get their physiques by spending all their time there. Oh no. A lot of athletes can thank their participation in some of the best sports for fitness and toning, actually. And that's because sport is a great way to introduce some variety to your workouts, get you out of the gym and help you have fun whilst torching some calories.

So - want to get involved but you're not sure on the best sports for getting lean? Here's a handy list for you... 

Sports for weight loss: Swimming

Professional swimmers have a lean, athletic physique. Swimming is great for burning calories, boosting metabolism, and working your muscles without putting stress on your joints.

An easy swim burns around 500 calories an hour, while a vigorous effort can blaze 700. And because water is 800 times denser than air, each kick, push, and pull is a mini resistance workout for your entire body. Especially your core, hips, arms, shoulders, and glutes. So in addition to torching calories, you build lean muscle, which ignites your metabolism so that you burn more calories once you're back in your clothes.

Sports that make you lean: Rowing

Rowing is one of the best sports for your overall fitness. One of the most physically demanding sports on the planet, Rowing is absolutely one of the best sports for getting lean. Rowing makes for an optimal workout for getting lean, as it works almost every muscle in your body. The sport also requires strict discipline and great stamina, making this a great option for those that want to get ripped.

Best Sport for Getting Fit: Running:

Running is not just a cardiovascular workout; it's a powerful tool for sculpting a lean physique. As you hit the pavement or trail, your body engages in a dynamic full-body exercise that torches calories and burns fat. The repetitive motion of running activates major muscle groups, fostering both aerobic and anaerobic fitness. This dual impact enhances metabolism, encouraging the body to tap into its fat reserves for energy. Moreover, the post-run period, known as the afterburn effect, continues to burn calories, contributing to weight loss and a leaner physique. Incorporating running into your fitness routine not only strengthens your cardiovascular system but also provides a time-efficient and effective means to shed excess pounds and reveal a more toned, leaner you.

Sports for a lean body: Boxing

A two-in-one cardio and strength workout, boxing targets the entire body as well as improving coordination, reactivity and agility, making it one of the best sports for your fitness and getting lean. You can blast up to 400 calories per hour working the heavy bag and 600 calories per hour sparring. The combination of activities, addition of plyometric work and other fast-paced conditioning can easily send that number over 1,000 in a single workout. You’ll also be able to throw a punch if you really, absolutely, unavoidably have to.

Best sports to get ripped: MMA (Mixed Martial Arts)

In terms of the best sports for getting lean, MMA is really up there. If you're not sure what MMA is, it's is a selection of disciplines taken from different Martial Arts. It's one of the best sports for toning as MMA is an intensive workout that helps develop flexibility and strength, and is guaranteed to push you to your limits both physically and mentally.

Two types of Martial Arts worth considering within MMA are Muay Thai - similar to kickboxing as a high intensity stand-up, combat sport based on kicking and punching and Brazilian Ju-Jitsu - a controlled self defence system focusing mainly on grappling and wrestling. Get involved and you’re officially on your way to becoming a bad-ass... just like Meagan, Ashley and Stephanie.

Best sports for getting ripped: Gymnastics 

Fancy upping your muscle strength, defying human form and being able to do a backflip? Aside from being an ultra cool sport, gymnastics is a fantastic sport for upping your overall fitness levels, and is great for both men and women.

Aside from taking up a taster session for each of our sports that get you ripped above, if you're serious about getting leaner, we recommend taking a closer look at The Weight-Loss Collection - particularly The Lean Protein, of course. Our Lean range of products have been crafted to help you slim down, tone-up and fine-tune in a responsible and sustainable way.

 

Photo cred: @meagankong, @ashleyguarrasi and @stephanie.h.park (Instagram).

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Strength Training 101 Webinar
You may have heard that we recently held a Strength Training 101 webinar. Within this webinar, we talked all things strength training, from its benefits to how to get started with weight training. One thing we touched heavily upon were some common strength training myths and why you should stop believing them. If you missed our webinar and would like to catch up, check out the video below. But if you're short of time, read on for a run down of some of the most common strength training misconceptions.  What Is Strength Training? Strength training, also called resistance or weight training, is a type of exercise that aims to make your muscles stronger and improve endurance. It typically involves using weights or resistance to achieve this. The main purpose of strength training is to improve your muscles' ability to produce force. This leads to increased muscle mass, better tone, and improved overall fitness. When you use external resistance like weights or resistance bands, it causes tension in your muscle fibres and microscopic tears. During the recovery phase, your body starts repairing these tears by creating new proteins and muscle fibres, which is what makes your muscles stronger. 4 Common Strength Training Myths: The buzz around strength training doesn’t come without common misconceptions and myths, and I’m sure you have heard many reasons as to why it might hinder your health or just not be of benefit to you.  1. Strength training can make women bulky This myth is  so prevalent within society but seems to be slowly decreasing. Actually, a balanced strength training program with a good diet gives you a lean and toned physique. Numerous studies have shown that genetic and hormonal differences between ourselves and our male counterparts, such as testosterone levels, make gaining large amounts of muscle a greater challenge for women. Studies have also shown that strength training in women tends to lead to an increase in lean body mass, which is associated with improved metabolism and fat loss and contributes to a toned and athletic appearance rather than bulkiness. 2. Cardio is better for fat loss Strength training actually plays a significant role in shedding fat by boosting metabolism and promoting lean muscle mass. A 2019 study by the Institute of Sports Sciences found that muscle is more active than fat -  a pound of muscle can burn anywhere from 10 to 20 calories a day, while a pound of fat burns only 2 to 5 calories a day. A 2020 study published in the Journal of Sports Science also shows that your metabolic rate is increased for up to 72 hours after strength-training exercise. This means that you’re still burning additional calories hours and even days after your workout. Not to mention, combining strength training with cardio creates a more exciting and enjoyable fitness routine than just doing cardio alone. 3. Strength training isn't for older people: It's commonly believed that strength training can injure older people, but research suggests strength training is actually a great activity for older adults. Research shows that after the age of 30, adults can lose 3-5% of muscle mass per decade, so strength training helps to combat this age-related muscle loss. It also helps to maintain bone density, improve joint health, and enhances overall functional fitness. So strength training could actually help prevent age-related injury and promote a higher quality of life as we age.  4. Strength training is time consuming: Lots of people think strength training takes up a lot of time but you can actually achieve effective strength training in short, focused workouts, even 30 to 45 minute workouts can yield significant results. In fact, according to the British Medical Journal, a period of between 30 to 60 minutes of strength training per week is all you need to reap the benefits of strength training. As cliché as it sounds, it's very much quality and consistency over quantity.  In terms of needing a gym, strength training can be a very versatile practice that you can do anywhere, living room, local park, or even the garden. The main key is completing more bodyweight exercises, and adding things like resistance bands. Benefits of Strength Training Now that we've unpacked some truths about strength training, we want to turn our attention to the science behind the holistic benefits that strength training provides. 1.Mental health: Regarding our mental health, current research suggests regular strength training sessions reduce symptoms of both anxiety and depression regardless of age or health status. One way this occurs is through the release of hormones called endorphins which act as a natural mood enhancer and stress reliever, and are part of the reason why when you exercise you feel a little buzz. Our mood can also be improved by the feeling of accomplishment you get when you complete your strength-goals- like upping your squat by a few kg, holding a new yoga pose or just pushing yourself to do a few more reps.On top of this, a systematic review that studied 754 adults showed a significant link between strength training and positive body image, including body satisfaction, appearance, and social anxiety around how you look. 2. Cognitive benefits: A lesser known benefit of strength training is improved cognitive function and neuroprotective effects. Those who engage in strength training may have better brain health and protection against age-related cognitive decline. This is because strength training improves blood flow, reduces inflammation, and increases brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), which is basically what’s linked to memory and learning. Multiple studies have also pointed to other significant cognitive improvements after participating in strength training, like processing speed, memory, and executive function. Executive function is like the CEO of your brain—it's the boss that helps you plan, organise, manage your emotions and get stuff done. It's what makes sure you remember to grab your keys before leaving the house, helps you follow a recipe, and stick to a schedule without procrastinating or binge-watching TV. 3. Physical strength: It may seem like stating the obvious, but it’s an equally important benefit, and that’s your physical strength. As Shiv talked about earlier, as you progressively challenge your muscles with resistance, they get better at generating force by bringing in more muscle fibres after those microscopic tears. This allows you to lift heavier weights and perform more challenging exercises. This doesn't only mean the benefit is you can squat more or deadlift more, but also translates to completing more mundane tasks more easily like bringing the shopping in or climbing the stairs at work.  Strength training improves posture and reduces lower back pain by enhancing the strength and endurance of core muscles. When the muscles supporting the spine and lower back are strengthened through exercises like squats and deadlifts, they provide better support and stability. This, in turn, helps maintain a more upright posture and reduces the strain on the lower back, which alleviates that pain and improves your spine health. 4. Metabolic and chronic diseases: According to the World Health Organization (WHO), strength training has been associated with a 20-30% reduction in the risk of chronic diseases like cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and arthritis.  This is because it’s been shown to improve insulin sensitivity, so your body is able to regulate your blood sugar levels more effectively. It’s been linked to improvements in blood pressure and cholesterol levels. It also improves joint function and overall mobility.  5. Better sleep: Engaging in regular physical activity, including strength training, has been shown in research to improve sleep quality and duration. That research shows that 60% of people who weight train get an average of 7 hours or more of sleep per night. The exertion during workouts, coupled with the positive impact on stress levels, promotes more restful and rejuvenating sleep.   In summary, there are numerous myths surrounding strength training and if you're ever confused about anything you hear about it, you should do some research before disregarding weight training entirely, or simply get in touch on our website for some quick advice. Beyond physical benefits, strength training has many benefits for your overall health, from improving cognitive function to reducing the risk of chronic diseases, strength training enhances overall well-being. Embrace the power of short, focused workouts and discover the joy of achieving strength goals. Strengthen your body, elevate your mood, and foster a healthier, more fulfilling life through the enduring practice of strength training. Read more
Insider Q&A | What Does It Mean to be Strong?