Losing weight fast boils down to one simple concept — burn more calories than you take in. The quickest way to accomplish this goal is through increasing the intensity of your workout to help burn more calories. In addition to exercising regularly, you should also eat a healthful, well-balanced diet consisting of nutritionally dense foods such as vegetables, fruit, whole grains and low-fat dairy.
Resistance Training
When it comes to weight loss, resistance training is not always the first thing that comes to mind. However, muscle is an efficient fat burner. People with high concentrations of lean muscle mass are able to burn more calories than those with less muscle and more fat, according to the Mayo Clinic's website. Lifting weights three to four times per week is ideal. Make each workout last between 30 and 60 minutes for optimal results, and rest for at least a day in between each workout. By using primarily compound exercises in the gym, you can target multiple muscle groups at once, which in turn saves you time and increases efficiency of your workout. Compound exercises include bench press, squats, leg presses, dead lifts and rows. By limiting your rest times in between each set, you can keep your heart rate high and increase the cardio benefit of the workout. Focus primarily on free weights and cable machines at the gym, and perform three to four sets of eight to 12 repetitions for each exercise for optimal weight loss results, according to fitness author and personal trainer Patrick Rigsby.
Interval Training
Also referred to as high-intensity interval training, or HIIT, this type of training regimen has been shown to burn fat and increase muscle mass in a time-efficient manner. A 2006 study at the University of Guelph in Ontario, Canada, concluded that HIIT increased participants' ability to oxidize fatty acids in the body. Another study conducted in 2005 at the Department of Kinesiology at McMaster University in Ontario, Canada, concluded that HIIT increased muscle oxidation potential and doubled the participant’s endurance capacity within two weeks.
The weight loss and muscle building benefits of HIIT come from the intense nature of this workout. Interval training works by combining a “rest” interval with a “work” interval. For instance, you jog for 30 seconds followed immediately by a 30-second sprint; you then repeat this cycle five to 10 times. The advantage of interval training is that it only takes 15 to 20 minutes per day to get maximum weight loss results. Consult your doctor before starting this type of regimen.
Bicycling
The average 155-pound person can burn more than 700 calories per hour when cycling at a vigorous pace, according to NutriStrategy.com, which offers a program to track diet and exercise. The same person can burn more than 500 calories by reducing the pace to a moderate level, according to NutriStrategy.com. Stationary biking is an equally effective workout, especially when done at a vigorous pace, such as in the indoor cycling classes available at fitness centers.
Member Comments