Best Workouts for Weight Loss

Interval training is a workout that alternates aerobic (moderate) or anaerobic (all-out) cardio intervals with recovery intervals. Work intervals can last anywhere from 10 seconds to several minutes, depending on your fitness level and goals.

• Why: The benefits include increased afterburn, enhanced ability to break down and use fat, increased level of fitness, shorter workouts, low boredom factor.
• Who: Beginner, intermediate or advanced exercisers.
• When: One to three times a week, depending on fitness level.
• Why Not: Higher intensity exercise may increase the risk of soreness, injury, burnout, or misery. They often include higher impact activities to get the heart rate up, which may not be appropriate for people with arthritis or other conditions, although there are low impact alternatives.
• Intensity Level: Moderate-High

Sample Interval Training Workout

1. Make sure you thoroughly warm up.
2. Walk or run at a moderate-to-high intensity for 3 minutes, followed by 1 minute of walking.
3. Repeat for 20 to 30 minutes.

Interval Workout Progression

• Beginners should focus on building fitness with more aerobic intervals.
• Intermediate exercisers can progress to work intervals at higher intensities.
• More advanced exercisers can try harder workouts, including those with sprints and hills and those for speed and endurance.

High-intensity interval training (HIIT) is a more intense version of interval training that involves alternating high-intensity work sets with rest intervals. With this training, you're working at a Level 8 or 9 on a  perceived exertion chart for 10 seconds to 2 minutes, with rest intervals that can be shorter, the same or longer than the work sets.

• Why: Benefits include increased metabolism and afterburn, increased fitness, shorter, time-efficient workouts, and your body becomes more efficient at burning fat.
• Who: Intermediate or advanced exercisers who don't mind working hard.
• When: One to three times a week, depending on your fitness level.
• Why not: High-intensity exercise can increase risk of injury and soreness. Working this hard can be very uncomfortable.
• Intensity Level: High

Sample HIIT Workout

1. Make sure you thoroughly warm up.
2. Sprint for 30 seconds
3. Walk for 1 minute.
4. Repeat for 10 to 20 minutes.

There are many variations you can do, including a 30-60-90 mixed interval workout and 10-20-30 HIIT Training.

Tabata training is a killer form of HIIT that involves alternating very high intensity exercise for 20 seconds, followed by 10 seconds of rest, repeated 8 times for a total 4 minutes. Intensity builds gradually, eventually taking you to a Level 9 or 10 on a perceived exertion chart by the end of the Tabata.

• Why: Benefits include increased metabolism and afterburn, very short workouts, increased fitness and conditioning, and lots of variety.
• Who: Advanced, experienced exercisers who don't mind pain.
• When: One to three times a week, depending on your fitness level.
• Why not: This high intensity exercise is uncomfortable and increases risk of soreness, injury, and hating exercise.
• Intensity Level: Very High.

Sample Tabata Workout

1. Make sure you thoroughly warm up.
2. Do a high intensity exercise like burpees or froggy jumps, working as hard as you can for 20 seconds.
3. March in place for 10 seconds and repeat 8 times.
4. You can stick with one 4-minute Tabata, but for best results, you'll want to repeat the Tabata one or more times for up to 20 to 30 minutes.

There are variations including Tabata cardio workouts and Tabata strength workouts.

Metabolic conditioning (MetCon) is a very intense sequence of exercises, typically a mix of whole body cardio and strength, each done for a certain period of time with no rests or very short rests in between. Your perceived exertion on a scale of 1 to 10 should be around 9 or 10 (maximum) during the work sets.

• Why: MetCon targets all of the energy systems of the body, increases afterburn, produces a high level of fitness, and provides plenty of variety.
• Who: Advanced, experienced exercisers who might be slightly crazy.
• When: One to five times a week, depending on your fitness level or what program you're following, such as P90X, Insanity, or Crossfit.
• Why not: This is a very high intensity method of training with a high quit rate because of injuries, soreness, burnout, puking, etc. It is not for beginners.

Sample MetCon Workout

Choose 10 high intensity whole body exercises, such as compound exercises, and do each for 30 seconds, with 10 seconds of rest in between.

High intensity circuit training is a more intense form of circuit training that includes a mix of both cardio and resistance training exercises. The idea is to choose whole body moves and try alternating between upper and lower body moves, so one muscle group rests while another works. You do each exercise for a certain duration and then go immediately to the next exercise.

• Why: The resistance training exercises involve the large muscles of the body which contributes to more fat burning. This workout can also increase metabolism and afterburn and may have a greater impact on subcutaneous fat loss, but experts aren't sure why. It could be due to a growth hormone released during and after high-intensity resistance training exercise. Lots of variety, short workout and more time efficient.
• Who: Intermediate and advanced exercisers ready to get out of their comfort zone.
• When: One to three times a week, depending on your fitness level.
• Why not: This high level of intensity can be very uncomfortable and cause lots of soreness and, possibly, injury if the body isn't ready for it. You should have some exercise time under your belt and a good understanding of proper exercise form and technique before trying HICT.

Sample HICT Workout

• Do each exercise for 30 seconds, with 10 seconds rest in between.
• Suggested exercises include jumping jacks, wall sit, pushup, ball crunches, step ups, squats, dips, planks, high knee jogs, lunges, pushups to side plank, side plank.

The high intensity workouts highlighted are certainly the flavor of the month in the world of fitness and weight loss. It's easy to see why when you look at the results of all that hard work. However, that hard work comes at a price. For some, it's injury or soreness. For others, it's burnout or even overtraining. And some people just can't work that hard.

High impact, high intensity exercise isn't the only way to lose weight, so you may want to avoid high intensity training for the following reasons:

• You're a beginner or have been on a long break from exercise
• You're in chronic pain or are dealing with an injury
• You've never gotten out of your comfort zone with exercise
• You hate sweating
• You have any kind of heart condition that requires medication. It may affect your heart rate, something your doctor would want to discuss with you in terms of the intensity of your exercise

A workout is only as good as its exerciser. No workout is going to work if you don't actually do it, so it's best to stick with a form of exercise that feels good to you. That may mean starting with a beginner program and working your way up to more intense exercise over time.

Sources:

Burgomaster KA, Howarth KR, Phillips SM, et al. Similar metabolic adaptations during exercise after low volume sprint interval and traditional endurance training in humans. The Journal of Physiology. 2008;586(Pt 1):151-160. doi:10.1113/jphysiol.2007.142109.

Klika B, Jordan C. High-Intensity Circuit Training Using Body Weight: Maximum Results With Minimal Investment. May/June 2013. ACSM's Health & Fitness Journal, 17(3), 8-13.

Tjønna A, Lee S, Rognmo Ø. Aerobic Interval Training Versus Continuous Moderate Exercise as a Treatment for the Metabolic Syndrome. Circulation. 2008;118:346-354.

Trapp EG, Chisholm DJ, Freund J, et al. The effects of high-intensity intermittent exercise training on fat loss and fasting insulin levels of young women. Int J Obes (Lond). 2008 Apr;32(4):684-91.

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