Losing big amounts of weight is a significant goal, and it takes time to accomplish. If you can stay motivated and dedicated throughout the process, however, full-body workouts that utilize vigorous movements can help you burn the calories you need to get there. For the best results, work your arms, legs, chest, back and midsection.
Features
The American Council on Exercise states that a complete, full-body workout routine for weight loss should include elements of aerobics as well as strength training and flexibility. You can fulfill the aerobics portion of the workout with gym equipment such as a treadmill or elliptical or with a self-designed exercise program that includes jogging, biking, team sports or workout DVDs. For strength training, try calisthenics, core exercises, machine weights or lifting dumbbells and barbells. Finally, stretch to warm-up and cool down before and after each workout.
Calories
If you already exercise regularly, you may need to step up your workouts to bring about lasting weight loss. The most vigorous, demanding exercises burn the most calories and produce the most dramatic results. For example, MayoClinic.com notes that kickboxing, jogging and basketball all burn close to 600 calories or more per hour for a 160-lb. person. If you can't keep up intense exercises for long periods of time, try completing them in spurts. The clinic also states that interval training, in which you alternate periods of moderate activity with bursts of vigorous activity, burns more calories than traditional workouts. Try alternating jogging with sprinting or kicking up the intensity level on a treadmill workout for 30- to 60-second intervals.
Strength Training
Cardio activities are fantastic for burning calories and improving endurance, but they don't always target every major muscle group. To do that, you may need to lift weights and participate in resistance exercises. If you haven't done them before, start out with light weights. To improve strength and build muscle mass, however, you'll need to intensify the workouts by building up to heavier weights. If you can complete 10 to 12 reps of an exercise without feeling challenged or fatigued, use heavier weights until you really feel the burn on your muscles.
Duration
Weight loss requires longer exercise sessions than weight maintenance. To drop pounds, the American Council on Exercise recommends working out for a minimum of 45 minutes at a time on five or six days per week. That includes aerobic workouts as well as two weekly strength training sessions.
Considerations
If you are obese or struggle with managing a health condition, it's important to realize that vigorous exercise may not be appropriate for you. Starting out with moves that are too intense can result in injury, so begin with a workout that corresponds with your fitness level and work up to harder moves. To be as safe as possible, always consult your doctor before beginning a new exercise or weight loss routine.
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