If you ask 100 fitness trainers what the quickest, best weight-loss workout is, you'll get 100 different answers. Results of different exercises and personal preferences make for a variety of training methods, all of which work to one degree or another. However, you can compare all of the varied exercise training plans by asking the same four questions.
Cardio or Resistance?
Cardiovascular and resistance are the two basic categories of exercise. Resistance exercise builds muscles by adding load to their range of motion. Cardiovascular exercise elevates your heart rate. When it comes to losing weight, cardiovascular exercise is the best choice for fast results. It don't necessarily burn more calories per second than resistance exercises, but can be sustained for periods long enough to result in significant calorie burn. Compare, for example, an hour of riding a bicycle to 60 consecutive minutes of doing bench presses. An hour of light cycling for a 155-pound person burns 422 calories, according to health resource website NutriStrategy, while the same person burns half that --- 211 calories --- in an hour of light weightlifting.
How Many Calories?
One way of measuring how fast an exercise helps you lose weight is to note how many calories it burns per hour. The more calories you burn, the faster you lose weight. Cross-country skiing burns the most calories per hour, NutriStrategy calculates, at 633 for a 155-lb. person moving vigorously. Other high-burning exercises include speed skating, swimming, jumping rope and handball. Running and cycling can also burn a lot of calories, provided you're moving at a vigorous pace.
Is it Sustainable?
Sustainability is an important factor in weight loss. According to Oregon-based fitness coach Ben Cohn, many people have to abandon what could have been a successful weight-loss program because they grew fatigued or became injured shortly after starting out. If you take on an exercise program that pushes you too hard, it won't matter how much weight you lose --- you'll just put it back on once you have to give it up. In the book "You: On a Diet," co-author Dr. Mehmet Oz recommends low-impact exercise for most people wanting to lose weight. This results in a slightly slower rate of loss, but you'll be able to keep it up long enough to experience results. Walking, tai chi and in-line skating are three examples of good, low-impact exercises that still burn a lot of calories.
How to Measure Results?
Measuring your results is vital if you're to lose weight quickly, says celebrity personal trainer Bill Phillips. Whatever exercise you choose, track specific metrics in a journal or notebook. According to Phillips, the act of writing down your workouts and results can in and of itself help keep you motivated to train. Your results should include how many times you did your workout, particularly as compared to how many times you were supposed to do it. It should also track your workout results: how far you ran, how much you lifted --- whatever metric makes sense for your fast weight-loss workout plan. You should also track your weight loss: weighing in once per week will help you keep your plan on track.
Warning
Consult your doctor before beginning any weight-loss plan. He, and most health professionals, will likely recommend you lose weight no faster than 1 to 2 pounds per week.
References
- "Body For Life"; Bill Phillips; 2006
- "You: On a Diet"; Dr. Michael Roizen and Dr. Mehmet Oz; 2008
- Ben Cohn; fitness coach; Hillsboro, Oregon
- NutriStrategy: Calories Burned By Exercise
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