The goal is weight loss in the form of body fat reduction. Don’t get hung up on weight loss alone. Make sure that before you start on a fat loss program that you take measurements of your body. Take accurate measurements of your waist, chest, hips, thighs and upper arms. Log them down on a chart and monitor your progress each week. Starting a fat loss workout program will see a reduction in inches and not necessarily a dramatic reduction in weight. Use the body measurements and a photograph for visual results.

The use of gym machines helps beginners to get used to working the main muscle groups in a safe and controlled way. The CV session is aimed at increasing your aerobic endurance levels through steady pace training. This level of intensity burns fat for fuel. Fat burning potential is accelerated by combining weight training sessions with CV sessions.

You are just starting out. It’s important to condition your body to get used to working with weights and also the increase in heart rate associated with CV exercise. You need to take things slowly to start with. Make sure you perform every exercise with good technique and maintain good posture. If you need to rest, then stop and have a break. No one is going to shout at you, but remember, you need to work hard otherwise it’s you that’s being cheated.

1 - Why use gym machines? I’m already using free weights for some exercises.

This workout is aimed at the absolute beginner. Gym machines offer a safe way for beginners to get accustomed to weight training in a controlled environment. Beginners often lack the balance and control of a person who has been exercising for sometime, so can find free weights very challenging. However if you still consider yourself a beginner but are doing some free weight exercises, then great. You can include these into this workout at the appropriate point by replacing the gym machine version with a free weight exercise. Any workout can be tweaked to make it more or less challenging. Just make sure you are within the intensity parameters for your specific goal and include an alternative exercise for the same muscle group.

2 - Why work the legs? Aren’t they getting a workout during the CV session

Absolutely, they are getting a workout during the CV session, but during the CV session, your legs are only supporting your bodyweight. Which is what they do every day, so are you really challenging them enough? During a CV workout, the intention is to work your heart and lungs hard. Working the legs during a weight routine increases the challenge on them, by working these large muscles very hard, much harder than normal. Also active muscle will support fat loss for the rest of the body. By working the legs you are increasing your body's energy demand, hence burning more body fat in the process.

3 - I don’t know what weight I should use. I’ve never done any weight training before.

The weight loss machine workout is designed around training your muscles for endurance. The definition of muscle endurance is the ability of a muscle to perform repeated actions of the same movement. This particular workout is requesting 20 repetitions of each exercise; therefore you need to select a weight that will allow you to be able to perform 20 reps of each exercise with good technique. The last repetition should be really challenging. You should be working very hard to manage the last few reps. 20 reps is the main aim. Start with 15 reps and work up. Once you can manage 20, increase the weight.

1 - The CV workout seems too hard for me. Intensity level 3 mentions jogging for 20 minutes or more! I find it difficult to jog for even 2 minutes.

The WorkoutBOX intensity levels are just a guideline and relate to a person with average CV fitness levels. If you find that intensity too much, then drop down a level. Jogging is just an example. Some people may find that they experience the same fast breathing at a different level of activity, for example walking. This is not bad; it just means that you are at a different level of fitness and should adjust the activity and intensity accordingly. The idea is to pick an activity and pace that will allow you to continue that activity for up to 20 minutes. Use 20 minutes as a goal to work up to and take it steady. Start at 5 minutes and work your way up.

There’s nothing stopping you doing that, but to get the most out of your weight training, it’s best to do the weights session first because your energy levels are higher at the start of the workout. Doing your CV first will deplete your energy levels, which means you will have less energy for your weights workout.

The weights routine should be completed as a circuit format. That means complete 1 set of each exercise, one after the other with a short rest in between. Then complete the whole thing again after a short rest.

The weights routine should be completed 3 times per week with at least 48 hours in between. For maximum affect, the CV routine should be completed on separate days, between the weights routine day or after each weight routine on the same day.

It is suggested to continue with this workout program for a period of 6 to 8 weeks. Combined with an appropriate diet the exerciser should see a significant reduction in body fat by the end of this initial period.