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This article brings you the Hungry4Fitness best workouts to lose weight. We’ve scoured our extensive stock of fitness sessions for workouts that are specifically designed to burn fat.
In addition to the workouts, we have compiled a list of simple yet effective weight-loss tips. These tips, some of which were taken from our very own Weight Loss Programme, can support you in achieving a healthy body weight.
Furthermore, throughout this article, you will discover links to some of the best weight loss resources – such as, for example, the hugely successful Forks Over Knives. These resources will enable you to take advantage of leading weight loss tools and techniques.
But first, what makes these the . . .
Best workouts to lose weight
The following best weight-loss workouts are comprised primarily of aerobic exercises. This is an essential feature of any fitness session that’s designed to burn fat. Why? The simple reason is that cardio is the most effective form of exercise to reduce body weight.
Research tested the effectiveness of cardio and resistance in reducing fat mass. Two groups of participants were put on a 12-week training programme. But not before being weighed and their body fat percentages were taken. One program featured only running – 3 miles four times per week – while the other was comprised solely of resistance exercises.
After 12 weeks the weight and total body fat of both groups were measured. Those that participated in the resistance-only program, Daniel Liberman tells us, ‘barely lost any body fat.’ However, ‘those prescribed twelve miles a week of running lost substantial amounts of fat, especially harmful organs fat,’ (Exercised: The Science of Physical Activity, Rest & Health – p304).
But why do workouts to lose weight?
Being overweight is associated with an increased risk factor for a multitude of medical maladies. Here are a few examples from a range of leading health and nutrition publications.
‘Carrying excess body fat is the number-one risk factor for type 2 diabetes; up to 90% of those who develop the disease are overweight,’ (Greger 2017 – How Not To Die – p106).
‘People who are overweight also are highly likely to face a host of medical problems [which include] elevated cholesterol levels . . . glucose intolerance . . . type 2 diabetes [and] sleep apnea,’ (Campbell 2005 – The China Study – p137).
‘[Being overweight leads] to more and more related health issues like diabetes and knee arthritis and even breast cancer, the rate of which increases by a third for each increase in trouser and skirt size,’ (Spector 2015 – The Diet Myth – p4).
‘Obesity has been associated with both physical health problems (cardiovascular disease, diabetes, joint trauma, cancer, hypertension and mortality) and psychological problems (low self-esteem, poor self-image) . . .’ (Curtis 2000 – Health Psychology – p112).
‘Sixty-eight percent of people die from just three conditions that involve fatty degeneration: cardiovascular disease (48%), cancer (22.4%), and diabetes (1.8%). These deaths are the result of eating habits based on ignorance and misconceptions,’ (Udo Erasmus – Fats That Heal, Fats That Kill – 1993).
So, according to the above list of health and nutritional experts, being overweight can increase our susceptibility to developing the following diseases and conditions:
Type 2 diabetes
Coronary heart disease
Hypertension
Elevated cholesterol
Sleep apnea
Degraded psychological health
Various types of cancer
Best exercises to lose weight
A prevailing misunderstanding is that all forms of exercising are equally as effective at reducing body fat. Go to the gym, start lifting and shifting, and the fat will literally fall off. If only!
But as the above study showed, people that participate in aerobic exercise experience weight loss while those that engage in resistance training lose little to none.
So, if weight loss is your aim, which exercises should you prioritise in your workouts? The answer to that question is quite simple: any cardio exercise – which includes running, rowing, cycling, skipping, swimming, the airdyne bike, and cross-trainer.
Resistance movements can still be incorporated into your workouts of course. However, the loads should be low and the volume high. Also, when combining training modalities, it’s helpful to organise your cardio and resistance exercises into a circuit. This way you’ll enjoy the fat-burning benefits of cardio while reaping the muscle-enhancing effects of resistance.
Best workouts to lose weight
Now that we’ve considered why we should maintain a healthy weight, and what the best type of exercise is to trim that tub, it’s time to sweat off some unwanted pounds. Below you’ll find four of our best workouts to lose weight.
Each workout features a brief explanation of the training process. In addition, underneath the explanation is a session plan and link to the full workout.
Weight loss workout #1: Cardio HIIT
Cardio training can be quite dull. Few would dispute that. But there are some simple strategies that can be applied to spice up a cardio workout. One such method is to apply HIIT (high-intensity interval training).
Splicing a long slow run into short sharp intervals makes it much less monotonous. You can add extra flavour by seasoning your aerobic workout with resistance exercises.
That’s what we’ve done with this Cardio HIIT session.
The workout is structured into an ascending pyramid. Your aim is to climb up the then down the intervals. To keep you on your toes and to prevent you from finding a rhythm, each successive interval increases in duration.
Starting at a mere 30 seconds, the penultimate interval is a 4-minutes. Ouch! But don’t sweat over it too much, the rest periods appropriately reflect the interval duration.
Get the full workout: Cardio HIIT
Weight loss workout #2: Low Impact CV
Not everyone can or should participate in full-impact aerobic training. People with injuries (or rehabilitating an old injury), the elderly, or those carrying excess body weight, put themselves at greater risk when engaging in conventional cardio exercise.
The author of Physical Fitness & Exercise Performance reminds us that ‘a number of studies have demonstrated that’ exercisers who tick any of the above boxes ‘are more likely to suffer from injury,’ (Watson – 1997).
But that shouldn’t be used as an excuse to skip cardio day. All it means is that you have to a) workout at a lower intensity, b) complete a 10-minute progressive warm-up, and c) select low-impact cardio exercises.
Well, you may or may not be pleased to know, below is a cardio workout that satisfies all three conditions.
The workout is structured into a circular circuit. Your objective is to complete one lap of the circuit before taking a rest. However, it is perfectly fine to rest between stations if you need to.
Selecting a timeframe of 20, 30, 45 or 60 minutes, complete as many laps as your fitness will permit.
Get the full workout: Low Impact Cardio
Weight loss workout #3: Skipping and kettlebell swing into squat jump
Workout 3 is the antithesis of its predecessor. Comprised of two calorie-hungry impact exercises, the objective is pure volume. That is, to amass as many reps as you physically can in the scheduled time.
After selecting the training duration (20, 30, 45, or 60-horrible-minutes), you will be ceaselessly oscillating between sets of skipping and kettlebell swinging into squat jumps. That, in a nutshell, is Workout 3.
However, to appeal to a wider audience, the severity of the sets and weight of the resistance exercise have been organised into three difficulty levels. Those levels are:
Low: 25 skips to 12 kettlebell swing squat jumps (12/16kg)
Medium: 50 skips to 25 kettlebell swing squat jumps (16/24kg)
High: 100 skips to 50 kettlebell swing squat jumps (24/32kg)
So, just to recap, once have thoroughly warmed up, set a countdown timer of either 20, 30, 45, or 60 minutes. As soon as you are sufficiently psyched up, start skipping. The second you’ve completed the specified reps, start swinging and squat jumping that kettlebell.
Now keep repeating this process until the timer sounds.
Get the full workout: Skipping and Kettlebell Sweat Sesh
Weight loss workout #4: A Medley of Aerobic Exercise
You’re getting your money’s worth with Workout 4. Though only one cardio session has been outlined below, if you click the concluding link, you’ll find three more.
The following workout was designed for two reasons. First, to make cardio training a little less monotonous (for those that loathe CV). Second, to maximise every minute of the workout.
To achieve the first reason the workout features two aerobic exercises – running and rowing. Scheduled for 15 minutes each, you are to complete two rounds of each exercise for a training time total of 60 minutes.
The fact that there is no rest period ensures reason two – maximise every minute of the workout – is also satisfied. But there’s also a backup that further supports this objective.
You’ll notice in the session plan below that challenges have been factored into the final minutes of each round. For example, during the last 5 minutes of running, you are invited to complete a series of high-intensity intervals.
But just a quick caveat before we finish. The challenges are optional, and the workout won’t lose any of its effectiveness if you chose to omit them.
Get the full workout: Four Aerobic Sessions
10 fat-loss tips
To accompany these best workouts to lose weight, we've also compiled some top tips to fight fat, get in shape, and improve health. Click the link – 10 tips to stay fit and healthy – and get started today.
Enjoyed these best workouts to lose weight?
Get your hands on 70 more with the Hungry4Fitness Book of Circuits & Workouts Volume 2.
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