When you’re working hard to get fit and drop some weight, you want a routine that offers maximum results. And you don’t need to become a gym rat, in fact, studies show that shorter spurts of exercise are more effective for fat loss. We previously wrote an article on the sports that burn the most calories– but what are other, fun workouts other than sports effective in burning body fat? Here are the Top 10 training workouts for weight loss:
- Walking: This is one that is the easiest to do, all you need to do is open your front door and go! We’ve previously written about all the health benefits of walking– and it’s still a great way to lose weight. Walking helps prevent type 2 diabetes- studies at Harvard have revealed that walking approximately 150 minutes per week can reduce the risk of diabetes. A recent study also showed that people who exercise by walking at their own pace burn fat most efficiently- so don’t overthink it and start today!
- HIIT: a.k.a High-Intensity Interval Training (we wrote about the top 10 health benefits of it here). As its name suggests, the workout involves various intervals – usually of high intensity – ensuring you get a maximum benefit from your workout. According to a meta-analysis of 786 studies published in The British Journal of Sports Medicine, HIIT training provided 28.5% greater reductions in total absolute fat mass than moderate-intensity continuous training. The journal of Sports Medicine published data that showed that HIIT “significantly reduced total, abdominal, and visceral fat mass, with no differences between the sexes. It is, however, important to note that you need to exceed 90% peak heart rate to get these results (so it’s intense!)
- Weight lifting: Gone are the days when pushing weights were reserved for bodybuilders in the gym- studies have shown that in addition to being great for muscular development, the skeletal system, the cardiovascular system, and more. A study released in PLOS Medicine found that lifting weights for just 1-2 hours per week can reduce obesity risk considerably. Recent research published in The FACEB Journal has collected riveting evidence that shows weight training is paramount for anyone looking to burn more fat. The preliminary findings suggest that when we lift weights, our muscles release a specific type of genetic material into the bloodstream that then gets offloaded to our fat cells and speeds up the fat-burning process.
- Swimming: Swimming is a phenomenal workout that combines cardio with strength training in one low-impact workout. Water adds an element of resistance, forcing you to use almost every muscle group to move efficiently- and because your face is in the water, it forces you to use oxygen wisely. Not just that, but most swimming pools are kept in the 70-degree range- which makes your body burn even more fat! A 2010 study published in the journal Metabolism – Clinical and Experimental, revealed that after a year on the program, the swimmers had lost more weight and more off their waistlines than those on the walking program.
- Spinning/ Indoor Cycling: This low-impact workout is wildly on-trend, while also being convenient and versatile. There are many different styles of spinning you can enjoy, all indoors, regardless of the temperature and weather outside. Whether it’s dancing on a bike at a high-energy SoulCycle class or enjoying a ride on your stationary bike at home, spinning became THE workout of 2020. A study published in the April 2018 issue of the Journal of Education and Training Studies found that cycling indoors for 30-60 minutes, 3 times a week, helped women lose significant amounts of weight. Over the course of 6 weeks, those that were considered obese were able to move to the overweight category, and those considered overweight moved to the normal category (by WHO standards).
- Rowing: Once you learn the proper technique, rowing can offer a tremendous amount of physical health benefits, including increased power and strength. A 2015 study including 24 people with low vision found that rowing 5 days a week for 6 weeks led to a significant decrease in fat mass and total body fat percent. If you’re looking to take up rowing at home, we created a list of the 10 best row machines on Amazon.
- Kickboxing: If you’re looking for a fun fitness class that keeps your whole body engaged, allows you to punch things without getting in trouble, and that’s also highly effective with weight loss, kickboxing may be the workout for you! Kickboxing delivers a total body workout by combining moves from martial arts, boxing, and aerobic training. Research has shown that elite and amateur kickboxers have more muscle mass and lower percentages of body fat.
- Jumping Rope: long considered nothing more than a simple game played at recess, the jump rope is making a comeback, and it comes with some serious fat-burning power. A study published in The Research Quarterly concluded that 10-minutes a day of jumping rope was as efficient as 30-minutes a day of jogging when looking to improve cardiovascular efficiency. According to other research, jumping rope at a moderate pace roughly equivocates to running an 8-minute-mile. On top of that, it burns more calories per minute and engages more muscles than swimming or rowing, while still being considered a low-impact workout.
- Stair walking or running: Once you’ve gotten comfortable walking regularly, running stairs is a great and easy way to lose weight. Running (or walking) stairs is a highly effective high-intensity workout that builds speed, power, agility, and cardiovascular fitness. In a study reported in The Korean Journal of Sports Medicine, asked sedentary overweight people to do stair-climbing intervals in their offices or apartments for 5 minutes without rest twice a day. After three weeks, measurements showed that the exercisers lost an average of 7.3 pounds of body weight and 5.5 pounds of body fat. So, as we always say… when you can, take the stairs!
- Pilates: Described as an art of controlled movements, pilates offers a number of both physical and mental benefits when practiced regularly as an exercise routine. A 2017 study on 37 overweight women aged between 30 and 50 years showed that practicing Pilates for two months not only was effective for weight loss, it also reduced their BMI and toned their waist, abdomen, and hip areas.
