Are you looking for the best exercises to help with weight loss? Any exercise that raises your heart rate and breathing rate is a good place to start. But which exercises help with weight loss the most?
In this article, we’ll categorize the best weight loss exercises into three categories: cardio, strength training, and compound exercises. We’ll also provide you with some of the most effective and best exercises to lose weight, according to recent research. Keep reading to learn more about how to achieve your weight loss goals with exercise.
Which Exercises Help With Weight Loss?
While exercise is considered essential to weight loss, you really need to know which exercises help with weight loss the most. While it’s true that any form of physical activity is better than none, certain workout routines may prove more effective than others.
In order to slim down, weight loss experts say that you should perform exercises that work your body’s largest muscle groups. And you need to do those with enough intensity to raise your heart rate significantly.
For the sake of this article, we’re going to put the best weight loss exercises into 3 categories:
- Cardio
- Strength training
- Compound exercises
Best Exercises to Help Lose Weight
Listed below are some of the most effective and best exercises to lose weight, but they only work if you do them.
1. Cardio
Regular cardiovascular exercise causes your heart rate to increase. As your heart rate goes up, you’ll burn more calories. This makes cardio great for weight loss because it has the potential to increase your heart rate.
According to the Mayo Clinic, you need up to 300 minutes of moderate physical activity per week to lose weight or keep it off. A good example is to exercise every day, five times a week, for an average of 60 minutes.
If you’re too busy to devote an entire session to cardio, break up your daily routine into three shorter sessions. You might exercise for 20 minutes before work, for 20 minutes on your lunch break, which could be walking, and then more vigorous exercise for 20 minutes after dinner.
Cardio intervals vs. steady-state training
Including both interval and steady state cardio exercise in a weight loss program can be beneficial for several reasons. Steady state cardio, such as jogging or cycling at a moderate intensity for an extended period, can help burn calories and improve cardiovascular health.
On the other hand, interval training, which involves alternating high-intensity bursts with periods of rest, can increase the body’s metabolic rate and burn more calories in a shorter amount of time.
By incorporating both types of cardio exercises, you can maximize your calorie burn and improve your overall fitness levels. Additionally, varying the types of cardio can prevent boredom and help you stay motivated.
Cardio intervals
Cardio intervals are a type of exercise in which you do short bursts of high intensity followed by longer periods of rest, like jogging and then sprinting.
For instance, shorter (one to two minute) bursts of intensity are followed by longer (two to four minute) periods of recovery, though the exact ratio will vary from workout to workout.
Steady-state cardio
Cardiovascular exercise like running or cycling that is done at a steady, fast pace is called steady-state cardio.
Because of the increase in heart rate, you will burn more calories for more efficient weight loss. Steady state cardio can improve your endurance and stamina, though your heart rate will likely remain lower than it would be during interval training.
For the best results, try switching from interval to steady-state workouts every other day.
It’s important to note here that weight loss with cardio doesn’t have to be a high-impact exercise that’s hard on your hips, knees, and ankles. Biking, jogging, walking outside and on a treadmill, and dancing are all low-impact cardio exercises.
High-impact vs. low-impact cardio
If you’re concerned about your joints holding up to your new workout routine or you’ve had injuries in the past that prevent you from doing high-impact exercises, low-impact cardio is a great option for you.
Because they work so many muscles at once without putting undue stress on the joints, compound, low-impact movements are among the most effective forms of physical activity for weight loss.
Exercises in this category include squats, inchworms, modified burpees, and marchers. These high-intensity, low-impact movements will elevate your heart rate and make it possible for you to exercise more frequently.
2. Strength training
While cardio is essential for weight loss, muscle-building workouts will help you see even better results. You should incorporate strength training and cardiovascular exercise into your weekly routine.
Strength training is a very effective way to lose weight, whether you use your own bodyweight or weights.
Why? Weight training is great for your metabolism because it helps you burn calories even as you build muscle. Because muscle uses more energy than fat does, increasing your muscle mass increases your resting metabolic rate and overall calorie expenditure.
Building muscles can facilitate weight loss, but it cannot replace healthy eating habits.
Remember that it’s up to you to decide whether lighter or heavier weights are better for muscle growth. Just remember that when working with lighter weights, more reps and sets are called for, while when using heavier weights, fewer of each are needed.
In order to build strength, many people turn to equipment like dumbbells or weight machines. But that’s not the only way to build strength and muscle.
- Working out with only your own bodyweight as resistance can be a very efficient and time-saving method.
- Another great and inexpensive option for strength training is the use of resistance bands. Resistance bands are completely portable, take up no room, and you can use them pretty much anywhere.
The more muscles you have, the more calories your body burns at rest, making strength training essential for weight loss. Gaining muscle aids in weight loss because a faster metabolism burns more calories.
3. Compound movements
“Compound exercise” is any physical activity that uses more than one muscle group at the same time. This type of exercise is excellent for building strength so that you can do cardio and weight training more effectively to lose weight.
When you squat, you use your abs, quads, hamstrings, glutes, calf muscles, and hip flexors all at once. Alternatively, isolation exercises focus on strengthening a single muscle group
Workout routines that combine multiple movements into one are time-efficient, and they burn more calories. They help you get more done in less time by stimulating multiple muscle groups at once. Since you are using more of your muscles, you will be able to burn more calories.
There is a time and a place for both compound and isolation exercises. However, compound exercises help beginners build strength more quickly..
You must do weight training, cardio, and compound exercises in your routine if you want to change the way your body looks, gain muscle mass, and tone the muscles that support your body.
These exercises, along with bodyweight exercises, will not only help with weight loss but also make you look like a million dollars when it’s gone.
Where Does Fat Go When You Lose Weight?
When it comes to adding exercise to weight loss goals, knowing where fat goes when losing weight is crucial.
The fat you’re removing from your body doesn’t simply dissappear.
It winds up as carbon dioxide and water. You exhale the carbon dioxide while sweating and urinating the water from your body.
Why is knowing where the fat goes when you lose weight important?
Because you now know that when your exercise hard enough, your heart and breathing rate go up and that causes:
- More carbon dioxide to be exhaled
- More sweating
- More fluids moving through your body to the state of urine
So, even though any exercise can aid your weight loss, boost your mood, and offer a host of other advantages, you are looking for something that raises your heart rate.
This means your exercise will help you lose weight faster and more efficiently.
Summary
These are the key points to help you decide for yourself which exercises promote weight loss.
- Exercise of any kind can aid in weight loss, boost your mood, and offer a host of other advantages.
- Different types of exercise contribute to weight loss at different rates. Listed above are some of the most effective cardio and strength-training exercises for weight loss.
- You should incorporate strength training and cardiovascular exercise into your weekly routine. There are two most common forms of cardio — steady-state and interval-based.
- Steady-state exercise includes walking at a brisk pace, running at a slower pace, and cycling, and when losing weight, steady state cardio is the best.
- High-impact cardio doesn’t have to be a high-impact exercise that’s hard on your hips, knees, and ankles.
- Compound low-impact movements are among the most effective forms of exercise for weight loss. Squats, inchworms, modified burpees, and marchers are some of the best examples.
- Weight training is great for your metabolism because it helps you burn calories even as you build muscle. The more muscles you have, the more calories your body burns at rest, making strength training essential for weight loss.
- Gaining muscle aids in weight loss because a faster metabolism burns more calories. Compound exercise routines that combine multiple movements into one are time-efficient, and burn more calories as a result.
It’s crucial to know which exercises aid in weight loss if you’re serious about making a change. While it’s true that certain regular exercise is better than none at all, some exercise programs may be more beneficial than others.
Since different forms of exercise have varying impacts on weight loss, you may need to make adjustments to your regimen as you learn which exercises help with weight loss in your own case.