You’ve probably heard of the fat-burning zone
You’ve probably heard of the fat-burning zone if you’ve ever looked up “how to lose fat.” If you haven’t heard, the idea is that doing out at 50% to 60% of your maximal heart rate will help you lose fat. To burn fat while we work out, our bodies need oxygen. James King, a lecturer in exercise physiology at Loughborough University, says, “The nuts and bolts are that more intense exercise burns less fat because we need oxygen to burn fat and as exercise intensity increases the anaerobic contribution increases (energy provision without oxygen).
We’re here to help if you want an exercise that will help you burn fat. The first thing you need to do is figure out if your regular workout is the best way to help you attain your goals. We all have a lot going on, so it seems natural that we’d want the most value for our money when it comes to burning fat. That’s why we asked different trainers in London, “What are the best workouts for burning fat?” You might be surprised by what they say.
Keep scrolling to find some of the finest activities that experts say will help you lose weight.
HIIT
So, when you’re in that HIIT class, you might not be losing a lot of fat. But after is a whole different story. “A HIIT workout can raise EPOC (excess post-exercise oxygen consumption) to a level that lets you burn fat for up to 24 hours afterward, and in some cases even longer,” says Sophie Everard, an HIIT teacher at Another Space. This may depend on making sure you hit the anaerobic threshold, which is about 85% of your maximum heart rate, during your workout.
The Tabata protocol is a common and rapid way to do HIIT training. To test it, undertake eight rounds of exercise for 20 seconds each at full intensity, with just 10 seconds of rest between rounds. Choose a workout that will quickly raise your heart rate, like sprints, kettlebell swings, squat leaps, burpees, and so on.
To fight the tiredness and muscular soreness that typically comes with HIIT, do some Low Intensity Steady State exercise as well. If you want to help your recuperation, try doing stretching, mobility drills, and steady-state cardio (heart rate below 140 beats per minute). You should be able to work harder in your next HIIT workout and burn more fat.
Yoga
You might not think of yoga and other mind-body exercises as ways to lose weight, but they are very important for getting your body in balance, becoming more flexible, and relieving stress. There are many various kinds of yoga, from quick and hard to calm and focused on stretching, so you’re sure to find one that works for you.
You can perform yoga without pushing yourself too hard, just like you can do low- to moderate-intensity aerobics. At the very least, practice your yoga skills once a week, and we promise you’ll be amazed by the results. To get started, wake up feeling good with a morning routine that gives you energy, or add some basic poses to your day.
Low-Intensity Steady State
Low intensity steady state, or LISS, is a type of cardio that Kayla Itsines, a personal trainer, like to undertake. It is any cardio that is done at a low level and in a steady state. You can run, swim, row, or bike, but you should be able to talk at the same time. Simon Stacks, a personal trainer at FitMiBody, says, “You should be working out for at least 30 minutes and at 60% of your maximum heart rate.” He says, “The assumption is that your body stops using glycogen (the energy from today’s food) and switches to an older source (stored energy, like the fat from last week’s pizza).
So why not always use LISS as your way to lose weight? King says, “The downside of [LISS] is that with lower intensities, the absolute energy expenditure will be less (if the duration is matched), which is what actually matters for weight control, not fat oxidation per se.” A short, intense HIIT session is more efficient in terms of time than a lengthier LISS session.
If you want your body to use up old energy stores, you might want to do your LISS while you’re fasting. If you want to try fasted training (working out on an empty stomach), you need to make sure you have a balanced meal of carbs, protein, and healthy fats afterward.
Lifting weights
Some researchers think that a pound of muscle burns approximately three times as many calories as a pound of fat.1You will gain muscle mass the more you lift weights, as long as you follow a progressive overload strategy, which means you will strive toward lifting higher weights over time. This will make you a better fat- and calorie-burning machine.
It’s hardly surprising that Stacks calls strength training the best workout for burning fat because you burn energy both while you work out and while you recuperate. “Not only that, but this change in your body (bigger muscles) has also sped up your metabolism,” he says. Try to do two to four strength workouts a week, with upper body and lower body workouts on different days. It’s a good idea to aim for one to two sets of eight to ten reps for each muscle group, but pay attention to your body and change your plan as needed.
Pilates with a reformer
Sign up for reformer Pilates like Beyoncé and Emma Stone. This type of Pilates is different from regular Pilates since it employs a carriage to change the level of resistance and complexity of each action to meet your workout goals. It helps you get stronger in your core and better at standing up straight.2 And although while it doesn’t burn as many calories as a cardio workout, the muscle you create during reformer Pilates may help you burn more calories when you’re not working out.
You can start with 30 to 60 minute courses at least two to three times a week, depending on how good you are and how hard the Pilates program is. You might be able to work your way up to doing it every day, and who knows? You might even want to take a lesson at SLT.
Boxing
If you’ve ever wanted to be Rocky but don’t like the idea of getting hit in the head, why not try kickboxing instead? This intense full-body workout gives you the grit and adrenaline of boxing without the risk of breaking your nose. Because of all the punching, kicking, crouching, and twisting, it can also make your fat burn a lot faster.
If you’re not sure where to begin, we’ve made a list of the finest online kickboxing lessons for you. Training only three times a week could have some big effects. Now get out there and kick some butt, or bags, as the case may be.
Turning
A spin class will get you moving and make you feel great. Spin is more than just a workout; it’s a way of life. The music is cheerful, the instructors are motivational, and the spandex attire is gorgeous. And if you want to burn 500 calories and fat after your workout in just 60 minutes, here is the place to go. Not only is spin one of the best ways to lose weight, but it may also have other health benefits for your body and mind.
But I have to be honest: getting on that spin bike next to a 6-foot Ms. Lululemon fitness model can be scary, especially with the lights off. But everyone has to start somewhere, so just have fun with it. You could even do a 30-minute spin session at home, where no one will judge you. Whatever works for you.
Swimming
Swimming is a terrific way to work out your whole body. It’s also low-impact, which means it’s easier on your joints, so you can do this exercise no matter how old you are. You can do a swim workout that lasts anywhere from 15 minutes to an hour, depending on your skill level and what you want to achieve.
Try to swim four to five times a week for the best results. Start with swimming for 15 to 20 minutes every other day. Over time, work your way up to swimming for 30 minutes four to five times a week. And on your active recovery day, which is the day you don’t swim, be like a senior snowbird and sign up for a water aerobics class. Want some noodles?
Zumba
You’ve heard this before: the hardest part of working out isn’t actually working out; it’s getting there. But what if working out was fun? Would we thus be more likely to work up a sweat?Zumba is a type of cardio exercise that incorporates dancing to Latin and international music. It raises your heart rate, which may help you build up your cardiac endurance, and it’s also a terrific way to relax and let go.
Most sessions last between 45 and 60 minutes, and many studios now offer virtual Zumba lessons. No matter if you have a natural sense of rhythm or not, you should think about trying Zumba. It might influence how you feel about working out. But if not, at least your dance moves will get better.
Your Plan
It can be hard to lose weight and build muscle, but if you focus on making modest, easy changes, it will be easier to reach your objective.If you want to lose weight, try adding two or three weight-training sessions, two or three HIIT sessions, and one LISS session to your week. Make sure you take a day off as well. It might look like this:
- ◯ HIIT on Monday
- ◯ Tuesday: lifting weights
- ◯ Wednesday: Take a break
- ◯ HIIT on Thursday
- ◯ Weight training on Friday
- ◯ Saturday: a day off
- ◯ LISS on Sunday