Workouts that Really Help You Lose Weight
Tired of doing a million crunches, and not seeing the six-pack? Or maybe you’ve been hitting the gym every day for the last few months, but still haven’t seen those love handles melting away. You think that you are doing all that you can to lose weight, but little do you know that doing certain workouts, especially every day, is not an effective way to drop pounds. What you need to look for are workouts that target multiple muscles in the body, as well as vary the type of workouts that you do each day. Here are some workouts that will guarantee that weight loss; let’s get started!
Speed Intervals
Cardio workouts (e.g. running, walking) are good for working your heart, but going at an even interval for long periods of time not only gets boring, but also does not burn fat faster. Spice it up by adding short bursts of intense cardio to keep the heart elevated, as well as your energy going.
Example: For a 30-minute run, break it up into six, 5-minute intervals of jogging, with one minute of sprints followed by four minutes recovery. Repeat as necessary.
Lifting weights
You don’t have to become the Hulk in order to weight-lift; in fact, lifting weights is an excellent way to burn more fat, even hours after the workout. The exercise forces you to work multiple muscles in your body, from the triceps and back to the hamstrings and calves.
Example: For deadlifts, start with light weights for 10 reps, before increasing the weight for three reps. Make sure to keep your form as you perform the exercise, and have a spotter nearby to help you out.
Swimming
Swimming is the ultimate sport that works the heart, as well as many muscles in your body, from your arms and shoulders to your core and torso. It is great for melting off those love handles, thus giving you that lean, “swimmer’s body.”
Example: If you’re a beginner, start slowly with a few laps of freestyle, before working your way up to multiple sets that combine freestyle, breaststroke, backstroke, and butterfly. Aim for at least one to two times a week of swimming, with days in between to recover.
Plyometrics
Popularly used to train sprinters, plyometrics are a type of workout that stretch and contract the muscles at a quick and repetitive pace, leading to the strengthening of muscles. Workouts include box jumps, lateral jumps, and power skipping.
Example: Place workout boxes about eighteen inches and higher in order of increasing height. Start by jumping onto the lowest box, landing on two feet before jumping off and working your way up to the tallest box. Repeat for another set, two maximum. Try to do plyometrics once a week, in order to let your muscles recover.
Circuit training (core)
While there are many different types of circuit training, or sets of different workouts that go in a cycle. As a core workout it’s not only good for cardio, but also for strength training, especially for the abdomens, shoulders, and arms. By doing so, you will end up getting that toned form.
Example: Start with ten reps of jumping jacks before getting on your hands and onto ten reps of mountain climbers. Stand back up, and do ten burpees before sprinting 100 meters. Next do twenty sit-ups, followed by ten Russian twists (with medicine balls, for more advanced workouts) before sprinting another 100 meters. Repeat the first workout, followed by the second, for a full loop around the track.
