When you make the decision to start exercising to lose that extra fat on your body, it may be difficult to decide on a strategy or workout that will be most effective for you. Luckily, you have choices. The most tried and true way to lose fat is through a combination of a healthy diet and exercise, so if you haven’t adopted exercise into your daily routine, you should know what your options are for the best fat-burning exercises. If you have previously been inactive or sedentary or you have a medical condition, you should speak with your doctor before beginning a new workout program.
Weight Training
For starters, weight training is a great way to turn fat to muscle. What’s more, your body burns approximately 50 calories per day to maintain 1 lb. of muscle, so adding muscle can in itself reduce fat and help you burn more calories. Also, weight training speeds up your metabolism of fat. According to the website BodyBuilding.com, the best way to achieve this is to use light to medium weights and do many repetitions. Free-weights and resistance training will have the same effect. Weight training is a great way to burn fat for both men and women.
Indoor Cycling/Bicycling
Indoor cycling is a high-intensity stationary bike workout. According to Healthy Weight Forum, a person weighing 150 lbs. can burn up to 750 calories per 1-hour indoor biking class. FitStep recommends not eating or drinking anything with calories for several hours before your workout. That way, your body will burn up to 300 percent more fat during your workout, because your body will burn your fat stores much quicker than if you had consumed calories before your workout.
Interval Workouts
Interval training is a powerful tool for inexperienced to experienced exercisers. The idea behind interval training is alternating high-intensity workouts with lighter activity and cutting your workout time. For example, if you walk, you may incorporate jogging into your walking routine. Just by increasing your workout for short periods of time, you will burn more calories and increase your endurance, which will help you increase your workout even more as you progress. You will also potentially burn as many calories in a 30-minute workout as you would have doing your normal 60-minute workout. The website Interval Training claims that you can lose 2 lbs. of fat per week with interval training. Also, interval workouts increase the amount of oxygen your body uses after your workout. Oxygen is required for fat oxidation, which is why interval workouts burn more fat than a normal cardio workout – more oxygen equals more fat burn.
Circuit Training
The idea behind circuit training is choosing a number of exercises – around 10 – and completing them all in a rapid succession, or circuit, and then repeating the circuit two to three times. The goal is to keep your body moving so that you get a light-intensity aerobic workout while you are also working and building your muscles. The exercises you choose should be anaerobic exercises, and while some of your choices should include weights for maximum benefit, you do not always have to include weights. A workout should be between 20 and 45 minutes of continuous movement. Use light weights and do more reps – around 15 reps for each exercise.
References
- Answer Fitness: Interval Training -- Get Leaner With Less Cardio?
- MayoClinic.com: Interval Training: Can It Boost Your Calorie-burning Power?
- Interval Training: Interval Training for Fat Loss
- BodyBuilding.com: Why Weight Training Helps You Burn Fat and Lose Weight
- ShapeFit: Strength Training -- Workouts for Size and Strength
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