Aerobic exercise is the best way to burn calories and lose excess body fat, but not all aerobic exercise is created equally when it comes to weight loss. In fact, variety is the biggest key to weight loss success. Combining high-intensity aerobic exercise with steady long-duration aerobic exercise and weight training will give you the best results at weight loss.
High-Intensity Interval Training
High-intensity Interval Training, or HIIT, combines high-intensity intervals with low-intensity intervals. After warming up five to 10 minutes, complete 30- to 120-second high-intensity all-out sprints, followed by one to three minutes of a low-intensity recovery interval. Repeat the intervals six to 12 times. HIIT can be performed using any type of exercise that can be performed at a high intensity, such as sprinting on land or a treadmill, biking, swimming, or jumping rope. One of the major benefits of HIIT is that using the appropriate work-to-recovery intervals can train the body to become efficient at producing and using energy from the anaerobic energy system, according the American Council on Exercise. As a result your body will become more effective at losing weight.
Moderate-Intensity Aerobic Exercise
Because HIIT is extremely demanding on the body, it cannot be performed every day. Supplementing moderate-intensity aerobic exercise is an effective option to help continue to burn fat and encourage weight loss. Moderate-intensity exercise could be brisk walking, jogging, cycling, swimming or low-impact aerobics. The American College of Sports Medicine recommends a minimum of 30 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise five days a week. However, to lose weight 60 to 90 minutes may be required.
Strength Training
Strength training can increase your success at burning fat, even though strength training itself does not burn as many calories as aerobic exercise does. The purpose of strength training is to build lean muscle tissue. Muscle tissue requires more energy to maintain than fat tissue does. By increasing muscle tissue, your body will burn more calories while at rest, thus increasing your metabolism and helping to burn body fat.
Weight Loss Plan
Start by performing aerobic exercise at least five days a week, making two or three of those days high-intensity interval training. Strength training should also be performed at least two days a week to promote weight loss. A five-day weight loss workout plan could look like this: Monday, Wednesday and Friday perform 45 to 60 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise; Tuesday and Thursday 30 minutes of strength training and 20 to 30 minutes of HIIT.
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