A workout routine can help women lose weight when it combines intense cardio with muscle-building weight training on a regular basis. You can work out at the gym, at home or outdoors, but for effective weight loss, you should plan to perform strength-training exercises at least two days per week and cardiovascular exercise on three to four days each week.
Features
A workout routine for women who want to lose weight should include a combination of cardio exercise and strength training. Cardiovascular exercise burns calories and strength training increases muscle size to burn calories throughout the day. Moreover, the synergy of cardio and weight training may actually lower, not raise, the amount of calories consumed throughout the day, according to a study published in the June 2008 issue of the "Journal of Sports Science & Medicine."
Types
Any workout routine will aid in weight loss whether it's at a circuit training gym, using exercise videos at home, taking a class at the gym or community center or simply using a pair of running shoes and your own body weight to exercise. Whatever the type of exercise, it should combine cardio and strength training.
Intensity
A study published in the March 2010 issue of "Journal of the American Medical Association" indicates that healthy-weight women needed only 60 minutes of daily walking to maintain their weight. However, overweight women needed higher-intensity exercise, such as running, swimming, rowing or stair climbing to maintain their current weight. Both groups needed the higher-intensity exercise to lose weight.
Misconceptions
A common piece of misinformation given to women is that to avoid having bulky muscles, you should not lift heavy weights. However, women lack the testosterone necessary for extreme hypertrophy as seen in body builders. Furthermore, it is the moderate increase in muscle size--typically as it replaces body fat--that burns calories. The only way to build muscle size is to work a muscle to fatigue within 12 repetitions using a heavy weight. Endless repetitions using light weights may improve muscle endurance but will not increase muscle size.
Benefits
A workout routine that provides intense cardiovascular exercise not only yields greater weight loss overall, but also has been shown to reduce belly fat specifically, according to a study published in the October 2005 issue of the "Journal of Applied Physiology." Study participants who performed the equivalent of running 20 miles per week lost 17 pounds of belly fat over an eight-month period.
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