All the experts agree that getting in shape doesn’t have to be hard work—it’s just a matter of finding the right approach to exercise that works with your body and your schedule. In this guide on how to lose weight fast, you’ll find the top 10 exercises that are guaranteed to help you see results in record time, along with tips on how you can tailor them to your own fitness level and preferences. Plus, learn about the best times to do these workouts based on your specific schedule and goals!
1) Exercise burns calories
When you exercise, your body uses calories as fuel. The more intensely you exercise, or the longer you exercise, usually means a higher rate of calorie burn. For example, walking at a moderate pace for one hour burns around 500 calories, while running at a moderate pace for an hour burns about 900 calories. That’s why high-intensity workouts are typically best when it comes to weight loss—they can help you burn more calories in less time than lower-intensity workouts.
2) Lifting weights helps you lose weight
If you’re not exercising at all, starting a weightlifting program is an excellent place to start—especially if you want to lose weight. Building muscle has a special effect on your body: It increases your metabolic rate and helps convert extra calories into muscle instead of fat. If you have lost enough weight that you’re ready for more rigorous exercise, don’t go straight for a marathon or even a sprint. Start with some of these strength-training moves that get big results fast.
3) Zumba burns fat fast
If you want to burn fat, there’s no better workout than Zumba. The Latin-inspired dance routine has been scientifically proven to torch calories—as much as 600 per hour! That makes it a top exercise for weight loss. To get started with your own dance party, check out these fun, easy-to-follow Zumba routines.
4) Stair Climbing/Running burns fat
Sprinting at a steep incline—like a stair climber or treadmill at its highest setting—can be an effective way to torch calories quickly. In fact, some studies show that sprinting on an incline burns more calories than jogging on a flat surface.
5) Biking burns body fat faster than running does
According to a study published in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, cyclists who pedaled long and hard for 30 minutes lost more body fat than runners who did 30 minutes of running. This is because it takes more energy (read: calories) to bike than it does to run. Plus, cyclists tend to cover more ground and burn more calories overall due in part to less impact on their joints.
6) Interval Training Builds Muscle Faster Than Continuous Exercise Does
If you’re looking for a workout that will give you fast, effective results and make it easy to burn fat fast, then interval training is your best option. Interval training—the practice of exercising in short bursts of energy followed by periods of low-intensity activity—has been proven more effective than continuous exercise at boosting metabolism and burning fat. So, if your goal is to lose weight as quickly as possible, consider doing more intervals throughout your workouts.
7) Yoga Boosts Metabolism for 24 Hours After Class
One study in The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research found that a single yoga class boosted women’s metabolic rates for 24 hours after exercising, compared with when they didn’t do anything. That extra calorie burn lasted only about 12 hours—probably because all of us have fat days (when we lose energy and feel sluggish) between workouts.
8) Steady State Cardio Makes You Happier
Short intense workouts may be better for fat loss, but if you want to feel happier, longer and easier workouts are better. A study from McMaster University revealed that people who did moderate-intensity exercise for a longer duration of time had higher levels of feel good hormones than those who performed high-intensity workouts. Steady state cardio will make you feel great throughout your workout, as well as increase your endurance and stamina so you can rock it at whatever intensity you want afterwards.
9) Strength Training
Strength training can help with weight loss in a couple of ways. First, when you build muscle, your body burns more calories because muscle is more metabolically active than fat. Second, strength training increases your metabolism because it forces your muscles to work harder during exercise.
10) Cycling
Increasing your aerobic capacity, endurance and leg strength, cycling is a great workout for losing weight and building lean muscle. Cyclists are able to burn more calories in less time than almost any other exercise. A study from Lawrence Berkley National Laboratory found that cyclists burn on average of 54 calories per mile—that’s almost double what jogging burns! The key here is not speed but distance—the longer you cycle, the more calories you’ll burn.
