If you are like me, it is extremely hard to lose that stubborn extra fat on your stomach. So today we will be discussing the best workouts that you can do to lose that weight.
Before I get into the workouts I just want to make it clear that just doing these won’t help you lose all the weight. You still need to eat a healthy diet and exercise frequently even after you lose that weight or else you will just put it back on. I will write another article later that tells you the best diet or food plan you can go on to lose a lot of weight fast!
Here is a list of my Top 10 workouts that I think are the best for losing weight:
- Swimming
- Biking
- Interval Training
- Running
- Weight Training
- Boot Camp
- Boxing
- CrossFit
- Tabata
- Yoga
Page Contents
1. Swimming
If you hate running like I sometimes do. Then swimming is just as good or even better if you are consistent. Just going to your local fitness center that has a pool and swim a few laps and then you will see what I mean.
Swimming involves so much cardio and will make you feel so sore afterward.
Try doing this: Tread water for as long as possible by standing upright in the deep end and using your arms and legs to stay afloat. Then rest for two minutes. Now swim 10 sets of 100 meters (length of a lap pool), resting for one minute in between sets. By the time you are done and get out of the pool, your muscles will be so sore but you will feel really good about it.
2. Biking
Going for a nice bike ride is very cardio inducing and can be just as good as running.
If you have a bicycle and want to try this out just bring some headphones and go to your local trail or just on the road and bike and it feels so calm and relaxing for those days you do not want to run. If you don’t want to listen to music or a podcast then just enjoy the nature around you and you will feel so relaxed.
3. Interval Training
Interval training is anytime you spike your heart rate then lower it and repeat that process.
So you can either do this by doing what is called 30/60’s, which is when you sprint for 30 seconds then walk for 60 seconds. This will spike your heart rate when sprinting then lower it when walking. If you don’t think you can sprint for 30 seconds straight then you can try 15/30’s or if you want to make it longer then try 60/120’s.
Another way you can do this is sprinting upstairs or a hill and then slowly walking back down the stairs or hill as your recovery time. I know when I played football they made us do this a lot and also when I was in basic training for the Army we did this every other morning.
If you want more interval training exercises you can read more here.
4. Running
You don’t need to go out and buy a bunch of expensive and top of the line clothing. All you need is a pair of running shoes and you are good to go. The hardest thing you have to do is motivate yourself to consistently go running.
I personally try to go running 3-4 times a week. Now does that always happen? No, but I push myself to go for a run when I have time to. And if I am at the gym I will sometimes shorten my workout to about 30-45 minutes in order to go for a 10-30 minute run if I am busy that day.
Of course in the winter you will be less motivated to run because it is so cold outside. So to get over that hurdle I go to my gym somedays just to run on the treadmill or walk on the stair stepper to get some cardio in during the winter.
For those days you don’t feel like running then I would suggest doing 30/60’s and I would usually do that in between my running days. So if I run every Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday (longer runs), then I would do 30/60’s Monday, Wednesday, Friday.
But it all depends on your work or school schedule. If you are busy all day then try and go to the gym at night and run on the treadmill.
5. Weight Training
Weight training is one of the best workouts to utilize to lose weight if you stay consistent and perform it properly.
According to this study, lifting weights has been shown to increase your resting metabolic rate, which means your body burns more calories when you are resting and not working out.
Building muscle helps burn body fat, so therefore the more muscle you build the more fat you will burn off. Like I said before, you still need to have a healthy diet to keep the body fat off.
Beware of the scale, you might be looking at the scale once a day or once a week and if you are working out and dieting, you might notice that the scale either doesn’t change or moves up. This is okay because you might be burning off the fat but you are building muscle in place of it.
Muscle weighs more than fat and I would get your body fat measured instead of looking at the scale because that will make you feel unmotivated to keep working out.
6. Boot Camp
No, I am not talking about the military boot camp (which I went to) this is nothing like it but has similar concepts. These are classes hosted at your gym or by personal trainers that keep your metabolism elevated the whole workout. Combining interval and resistance training.
“You’ll perform exercises, some more cardio-focused and others strength-focused, full-out for short bursts of time, coupled with short periods of rest,” says Adam Rosante, certified personal trainer and author of The 30-Second Body.
7. Boxing
No, you don’t have to train to become a personal boxer. However, signing up for boxing or kickboxing lessons at your local boxing gym can help you lose a lot of body fat.
It is jammed packed with a bunch of cardio that will make you sweat just like interval training. Some people might think it will just improve your arm strength, they are wrong. Boxing is more about your core strength, so if you practice boxing then you will burn a lot of that body fat on your stomach.
8. CrossFit
CrossFit has become a big boom in the fitness industry and that is because it works…as long as you don’t over-work yourself.
The routine for CrossFit is just a big cardio session using kettlebell’s sometimes and it’s all just short and intense workouts that will make you sweat.
Just make sure you have a smart coach who knows what he is doing and can watch you making sure you don’t get to the point of injuring yourself because then you will be sitting at home not being able to workout and might gain all your body fat back.
9. Tabata
Tabata is a high-intensity interval training that consists of eight sets of fast-paced exercises each performed for 20 seconds interspersed with a brief rest of 10 seconds.
It is designed for people who don’t have the time to go to a 30-60 minute workout session at the gym.
Simply pick four exercises (for example jump rope, squats, mountain climbers, and squat jumps) then do each for 20 seconds as hard and fast as you can, then recovering for 10 seconds only. Repeat for eight rounds on that one move before resting for one minute and moving on to the next exercise.
This is an easy way to stay at home and get in a good 20 minute HIIT workout when you have a very busy day or just don’t want to be around people at the gym because of the coronavirus.
10. Yoga
Now just doing yoga will not help you lose weight. But keeping yourself flexible and healthy for when you do those intense workouts. Which if you are not flexible then might hurt you later on.
Yoga requires balance and stability, which promotes functional strength, and it helps our mental health by clearing your mind before and during your yoga session.
Try to squeeze in at least 1 or 2 yoga sessions each week to keep your body and mind flexible.
Conclusion
There are many different kinds of workouts that you can do to lose weight and these are just in my opinion the best in order. If you want to do something different then you can but all you have to do is find something you enjoy doing either it be working out, joining a sports team, or just running with some friends, and just be consistent. Also, keep a healthy diet and if you just keep on motivating yourself or have others cheering you on during your journey to a healthier lifestyle then you will succeed.
