Of the many exercises that can help you to lose weight fast, not all are cardiovascular exercises. Cardio exercises are great for increasing your heart rate and burning calories. However, resistance training exercises help you lose weight by building muscle and burning fat at the same time. Some exercises cause the body to produce more of certain natural fat-burning hormones.
Squats
Squats do not just train the legs. This compound movement works the entire body. More importantly, squats challenge the central nervous system, stimulating the release of growth hormone, which is a potent fat burner.
With a barbell on your back, squat down as if sitting, without allowing your knees to go forward past your toes. Squat to parallel or as low as is comfortable, and then return to an upright position, without locking out your knees at the top.
Deadlifts
Deadlifts are another exercise that work your entire body. Like squats, they also trigger a big release of anabolic and fat-burning hormones, due to the stress they put on the central nervous system. In addition, this is a more natural movement and a great functional strength builder.
With your knees bent in front of the weights, grip a barbell or dumbbells and lift them off of the ground using your legs to power the movement. No need to lock out at the top, simply return to the starting position by bending your knees and making the motion of sitting down. Deadlifts are a lot like a reverse squat.
Compound Movements
Compound movements are the multijoint exercises for each of the other muscle groups. For example, pull-ups for back, bench presses for chest, upright rows for shoulders, barbell curls for biceps and weighted dips for triceps. Compound exercises also stimulate the release of fat-burning hormones. Moreover, they build lean muscle, which is metabolically active and burns more calories at rest. These movements should make up the core of your weight-loss resistance training program.
Walking
Walking helps accelerate your weight loss with cardiovascular exercise. Higher intensity cardio burns more carbohydrate fuel and muscle tissue, which can counteract your fat loss goals, according to "Combat the Fat" by Jeff Anderson. He recommends doing lower intensity long-duration cardio to really target fat loss. For example, you could walk on the treadmill at a steep incline for 30 minutes.
High-Intensity Interval Training
High-intensity interval training (HIIT) means doing 20 to 30 minutes of medium-intensity cardiovascular exercise, punctuated with brief periods of high-intensity work. For example, try jogging for a half an hour, doing all-out sprints for 30 seconds every few minutes. This exercise triggers growth hormone release, and because the high-intensity training is brief, it will not cause too much muscle loss. Follow this workout with proper post-workout nutrition, including carbohydrates and protein, to avoid losing muscle, which can slow down your weight-loss efforts.
References
- "Combat the Fat"; Jeff Anderson; 2008
- "Xtreme Lean"; Jonathan Lawson and Steve Holman; 2006
- "The Abs Diet"; David Zinczenko; 2004
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