Fast Weight Loss Workouts That Work

Every weight-loss workout works, assuming you do it regularly and avoid eating too much in response to the added calorie load. However, some weight-loss workouts are more efficient than others--meaning you can get the weight loss you want more quickly if you make the right choices.

Sprint Workouts

Sprints are short runs at top speed, with a period of rest in between. Each individual sprint burns only a few calories--not nearly as much as a long session of less rigorous cardio. However, a session of 10 sprints will burn a fair amount during the workout. However, the key to sprinting for weight loss is what happens after you're done. The demands of sprinting actually cause microscopic injuries to your muscles and deplete your body of performance-enhancing hormones. Your body will spend hours after your workout making repairs and refilling your supply--a process that keeps your overall metabolism elevated throughout.

Interval Training

Interval training is a fast and effective workout for weight loss, fat burning and cardiovascular endurance. Interval training consists of alternating between periods of sprint-level exertion and periods of moderate exertion. It combines the high-calorie burn of a distance workout with the long period of elevated metabolism you get from sprinting. Running is the best known exercise for interval training, but you can apply the concept equally well to cycling, swimming, even group fitness classes.

Plyometrics

Plyometrics are body weight exercises: resistance training techniques that use the weight of your body to provide the load. A plyometric workout consists of jumping, skipping or otherwise throwing your body into the air in a manner calculated to build muscle and burn fat. Like sprinting, a session of plyometrics has a moderate calorie burn during the workout and elevates your metabolism for hours afterward.

Circuit Training

In a circuit training workout, you rotate through several stations, each of which is a different exercise. You spend only one or two minutes at each station, working through all the body areas you target by the time you've finished the circuit. Like interval training, a circuit workout provides for periods of vigorous effort with short rest periods in between. Also like interval training, it gives both an immediate calorie burn and a longer-term metabolic burst.