Effective Exercises for Fast Weight Loss

There is no magic pill and nothing better than diet and exercise has been invented for losing weight. Furthermore, one doesn't work without the other. But even simple weight loss exercises will help you increase activity, burn calories and get a toned body.

So, you have decided to lose excess weight. Which path will you have to take?

1. Understand your diet so you don't eat more than your body needs.
2. Review your daily routine, rest and get enough sleep, as fats are burned during sleep.
3. Learn some theory about how the body works, how muscles grow and fat burning.
4. Buy sportswear and sneakers to avoid injuries during your workout.
5. Try different exercises and choose the type of activity you like.
6. Train 3-4 times a week while maintaining a calorie deficit.
7. Enjoy your new lifestyle and your body.

By following this plan, you can lose weight and stay fit through exercise and nutrition. Now let's take a closer look.

Proper nutrition for weight loss

When losing weight, nutrition is the most important thing. Whatever workout you choose, you can't go without understanding your diet. We will not overload you with information about calories and diets, but we will give basic rules that will help you lose excess weight. The fitness coach says that 80-90% of weight loss success is nutrition. Your goal is to spend more than you consume. Sport can help speed up the fat burning process, increase the number of calories burned, but the basis of everything is nutrition.

The trainer advises:

1. Never feel hungry. The hungrier a person is, the more they will eat. When you hardly feel hungry, that's the time to eat, because in half an hour or an hour you will eat a lot more.
2. Maintain the previous diet, but take one spoonful of the usual portion every day. This is a very small amount, but if you look over the course of a week, that's seven spoons less per meal. The stomach quickly gets used to it, starts to decrease in size and you become satisfied with less food.
3. Don't overeat. There's no need to wait for the "phew, I'm satisfied" feeling. The feeling of satiety occurs 15 to 20 minutes after eating. Only after this period is it possible to objectively assess whether a person is satiated or not. It's best to leave the table full, but not greedy, when it's hard to breathe.

When losing weight, adequate nutrition should be predominantly protein and fat. Eat more meat, cottage cheese, eggs, fish. Don't forget about vegetables and cereals, whole grain bread. Healthy fats can be obtained from red fish, nuts and avocados. This type of diet won't leave you hungry and will help you get all the nutrients you need.

The diet must be balanced and varied so that there is no desire to break down. But if you really want to remember the taste of cake and chips, then you can gradually eat the "forbidden" food. It is believed that if you eat 90% correctly, you can buy 10% high-calorie foods.

Should you diet or count calories? Everyone chooses a nutritional system that suits them. On a diet, you eliminate certain foods and thus reduce the calorie content of your diet.

Advice. Try creating a menu for the week with recipes you like. There is nothing magical about PP recipes, and they often have even more calories than regular ones, and desserts made with almond flour take a long time. Take simple whole foods and protein foods as a basis. Don't like oatmeal? Have breakfast with scrambled eggs and vegetables. You need a flexible approach to your diet, because a healthy lifestyle accompanies you throughout your life.

And don't forget to maintain an alcohol drinking regime, especially while playing active sports. Always have a bottle of water on hand. If it's difficult to drink plain water, add lemon juice or mint leaves.

What to choose: training at home or in the gym?

Each person chooses where to train: at home or in the gym. Both options have their pros and cons.

You need to go to the gym, pay a subscription and follow the schedule if you signed up for group training at a sports club. But it is equipped with all the necessary gym equipment and equipment for effective weight loss.

Home workouts have become very popular recently. No need to go anywhere, follow a plan and a schedule. But it takes a lot of desire and some physical training to do the exercises correctly.

Exercises to lose weight at home and at the gym are not very different. They must be effective, high intensity and varied. You can increase your abs at home and in the gym with equal success. You can work with a trainer via video call.

What you need to start training: equipment and clothing

If you practice at home, a mat will come in handy. You may need small 2 and 5 kg dumbbells and fitness bands if your training program includes them. In fact, you can exercise without any equipment and do cardio and strength exercises to burn fat with your own weight without special equipment. The gym has everything you need.

In any case, you will need sportswear:

• sneakers with good cushioning and ventilation;
• tightly stretched leggings or sweatpants;
• several synthetic fabric t-shirts (cotton takes a long time to dry because of sweat);
• sports top for women.

This is a basic set that you cannot do without either in the gym or at home. You will also need a container of water and, if possible, a fitness bracelet or watch with a heart rate function.

Advice.Take a small towel with you to the gym. You will need to put it on your gym equipment when exercising.

Types and types of training and exercises: what to choose?

Various types of workouts and exercises are effective for losing weight. This is explained by the individual characteristics of the body. The most effective type of training is considered aerobic (cardio). But anaerobic (strength) exercises are also necessary so that the skin does not sag after weight loss.

Let's find out what basic types of weight loss training are found in the gym and in home training. You will understand why different types of activities are necessary to successfully get in shape. And finally, decide which is better - cardio or strength exercises?

Strength exercises

Strength training aims at hypertrophy, that is, muscle growth. In fact, strength training speeds up your metabolism, but gradually. Normally, those who lose weight opt for other types of training, and there is a reason for that.

What are the benefits of strength training for weight loss?

1. After strength training, the body uses calories to recover.
2. When working "to failure", microtraumas occur in the muscles and the body spends energy to restore them.
3. Muscle requires much more energy to "maintain" than fat.
4. There are elements of strength exercises in interval training, for the successful implementation of which you must first master the correct basic execution.

It's a myth that strength training is only suitable for men. Women can also successfully lose weight and build a figure with the help of squats, lunges and weight training with dumbbells and barbells. You need to do strength training 2-3 times a week, alternating with cardio for effective weight loss.

Cardiovascular exercises

Cardiovascular exercise is a great option for weight loss. They quickly lead to fat burning and at the same time pump up the heart muscle and respiratory system. You can do aerobic exercise at home and at the gym. It's not always a high-intensity workout, but it will take some effort to burn fat. And beginners need to enter training gradually.

Best Cardio Exercises:

• side step with raised arms;
• boxing;
• squat;
• kicks to the side;
• raising the knees in a lunge;
• jump rope.

Cardiovascular exercise is beneficial for both men and women. You need to exercise to lose weight 3-4 times a week for 40-50 minutes. You can finish strength training by briskly walking on a treadmill or using an elliptical trainer.

aerobic training

Aerobic exercise helps you lose weight and improves the functioning of your heart and blood vessels. When performing them, the body consumes a large amount of oxygen. These exercises make a person more resilient. Aerobics is considered the best way to burn calories.

Aerobic exercise, or cardio, as it is popularly called, is the best workout for losing weight. This includes running, stationary cycling at an intense pace, ellipse and brisk walking on a treadmill. The important thing is that the fat burning process starts within 30 minutes. The workout should last 40–60 minutes, but it's best to start with 10–15 minutes, adding 2–3 minutes every day.

Aerobic exercise includes running, dancing, group sports and skating. In short, any load that makes your heart beat faster. However, to properly burn fat through aerobics, you need to adhere to a certain heart rate zone.

Aerobic exercise can be done every day. If you alternate them with other types of exercise, twice a week is enough.

Anaerobic training

During anaerobic training, the body receives energy without oxygen. Muscles use the glycogen (product of glucose breakdown) accumulated in the blood. These are strength training at the gym, which aim to develop and strengthen muscles, and short-distance running. They do not use fat for energy.

Anaerobic exercise burns fewer calories than aerobic exercise. How then can they be useful to you? The fact is that muscles spend energy for some time after anaerobic exercise - 12–36 hours. Additionally, due to muscle growth, you will burn fewer calories at rest. Still, trainers agree that aerobic exercise is more effective for losing weight.

Interval training

To lose weight quickly, you need intense but not exhausting exercise that you can do regularly. HIIT (or HIIT in English) – interval training – is suitable for your goals. They are suitable for beginners and experienced athletes. You just need to adjust the pace depending on the level of preparation.

A good example of HIIT is Tabata. Exercises should be done quickly (but efficiently) for 20 to 60 seconds. After that, you rest for 10 to 40 seconds. The longer the rest interval, the less intense the training will be. A HIIT workout might look something like this:

• running in place;
• squats;
• plié squats;
• push ups;
• pulling your knees up to your stomach into a plank.

As a rule, a circle consists of 5-6 exercises. Most of the time, it's about training with your own weight. Beginners can do three laps, advanced ones - five laps. The exercises can be repeated, but there is an option when each interval is aimed at working certain muscle groups.

Thanks to this scheme, in half an hour you will be wiping away sweat and panting with happiness that you managed to burn an extra 300-500 calories.

Warming up before exercising to lose weight: is it necessary or not?

Here, trainers agree: warming up before exercising to lose weight is mandatory. A physical warm-up takes 5 to 10 minutes, but it helps you prepare for your workout, avoid injuries, and warm up all your muscles and joints.

Before training, even before stretching, you need to warm up. Do the simplest warm-up exercises:

1. Slowly rotate your head 3-4 times clockwise and counterclockwise.
2. Make circular movements with your arms at an average pace of 5 to 10 times back and forth.
3. Extend your arms away from your chest 5 to 10 times.
4. Rotate your pelvis 5 times in both directions.
5. Do 5 to 10 bends towards your toes with your legs straight.
6. Make 5 to 10 turns in both directions.
7. Rotate your hips.
8. Stretch your hands and ankles.

After the warm-up exercises, you can walk on the treadmill at a fast pace for 10 to 15 minutes to warm up. And then proceed to the main complex.

Exercises to lose belly fat: sit-ups, leg raises, vacuum

It is impossible to lose weight in any area, because fat leaves the body more or less evenly. But you can tighten your skin and strengthen your abdominal muscles with exercises to lose weight on your belly and sides. These are basic strength exercises that will help you burn a little more calories.

Exercises to lose belly fat are no different for men and women: the technique is the same for everyone. The main thing is to train correctly and regularly, and then, provided you have a calorie deficit and sufficient basic activity, you will get the desired relief. When this happens - in a week, a month or six months, depends on your constitution and nutrition.

Ab crunch: straight, reverse, side

Lying Compression Technique:

1. Lie on your back on the mat with your knees bent.
2. Press your chin against your chest and bring your palms together at the back of your head.
3. As you exhale, lift your body slightly, lifting your shoulder blades off the mat.
4. Contract your abdominal muscles.
5. As you inhale, slowly lower yourself onto the mat without straightening up completely.

There's no need to climb too high, lift your chin off your chest and pull yourself forward with your arms. The press must be constantly on edge.

Reverse push-ups on the flooris an exercise in which you need to lift your legs while contracting your lower abdomen:

1. Lie on your back on the mat.
2. Bend your knees so your shins are parallel to the floor and bring your heels together.
3. As you exhale, lift your hips and lift your butt off the floor, placing weight on your shoulder blades and pulling your knees toward your chest.
4. As you inhale, return to the starting position without fully stretching your legs. Always keep your abdomen tense.

Straight and reverse crunches can be done on a bench, holding the bench behind your head with your hands.

Side bendsThe lateral abdominal muscles are strengthened in the abdomen. It is convenient to do side bends on a hyperextension machine:

1. Adjust the height so that the top of the exercise pad is level with your pelvic bone.
2. Starting position - legs supported on the base of the simulator, body stretched, arms at chest height.
3. As you exhale, tilt your body downwards and, as you inhale, return to the starting position.

Side bends should be done with the oblique abdominal muscles and not by inertia.

Number of repetitions and approaches. For beginner men and women, three sets of sit-ups of 20 repetitions are sufficient. You can do the exercise at the beginning or end of your strength training, in the morning, afternoon or evening.

Frequency. At least once a week. The result of abdominal crunches depends on the structure. You can alternate between forward, backward, and side bends.

Exercises to lose weight on the sides: plank, bends, swings

It is impossible to remove the sides with weight loss exercises alone. To burn stored fat, you need to maintain a calorie deficit and move more. Planks, leg movements and push-ups are exercises that consume a lot of energy and will help you lose excess weight, giving your body beautiful curves.

A set of exercises for losing weight on the sides at home should include exercises for the oblique abdominal muscles. When combined, these training elements will help you quickly remove fat deposits around the waist.

Side plank: strengthens all muscles

One of the basic exercises that allows you to shape your waist, while working the muscles of your abdomen, back, legs and arms. This can be done without special equipment. The side plank has a simple technique:

1. Get into a regular plank position, supporting yourself on your forearms and toes.
2. Turn around and shift your weight to one side of your body.
3. Tighten your stomach and straighten your body, supporting yourself with your forearm and ankle.
4. Return to the starting position - a normal plank.

For those advanced in the side plank, you can add sit-ups to work the arm muscles and sit-ups to stimulate the abdomen.

Number of repetitions and approaches. Just maintain a static exercise for 30 seconds, gradually increasing the time. The exercise is performed in one approach.

Frequency. You can complete each workout with a side plank.

Side Curves: Remove the Sides

Bending over will not help burn fat in the problem area, but it will strengthen the corset muscles that support the spine. Technique for performing side bends:

1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. Tighten your shoulder blades and keep your tummy toned.
2. Slowly lean to the side, stretching your arm along your body. You need to get as low as you can. Then return to the starting position.
3. Repeat the movement in the other direction.
4. You can do the exercise without anything at first and then add 2 kg dumbbells, gradually increasing the weight.

Number of repetitions and approaches. Three sets of ten technical reps on each side are a great addition to your training.

Frequency. Side bends to the sides can be done once a week.

Standing hip abduction

The hip abduction movement engages your side muscles, which will help you contract your body more quickly. This exercise has a simple technique, the main thing is to perform it carefully and not swing your legs as quickly as possible.

1. Stand upright, place your hands on your waist.
2. Extend your leg to the side, trying to maintain an even body position.
3. Slowly return your leg to the starting position.

You can also do hip abduction on a machine or use a band to increase the load.

Number of repetitions and approaches. Three sets of 15 to 20 repetitions on each leg.

Frequency. Alternate this exercise with others, performing hip abduction once a week.

Leg raised while lying on side

Lying hip abduction is the same as standing hip abduction, only performed on a mat.

1. Lie on your side and stretch your legs.
2. As you exhale, lift your leg.
3. As you inhale, slowly lower your leg to the starting position.

You can do leg abductions lying down with an elastic band or weights.

Number of repetitions and approaches. Three sets of 15 to 20 repetitions on each leg.

Frequency. It can be done once a week, alternating with other exercises to lose weight on the sides.

Effective exercises to lose weight in your legs

Legs and buttocks are a problem area for many women. Fat accumulates here quickly and easily, but it takes a long time and is difficult to lose. But if you do hip exercises, you will lose weight faster and be able to maintain the results for a long time.

Squats - a basic exercise to lose weight in your legs

When you squat, you put pressure on all the muscles in your legs and buttocks. If you do this exercise correctly, in addition to losing weight, you will get toned hips and buttocks. We'll look at simple weightless squats: the exercise will help you develop technique and add weight.

1. Stand with your feet apart, as if you were going to squat. Feet approximately hip-width apart.
2. Straighten up, draw in your stomach, straighten your legs.
3. Lower your pelvis while opening your knees to the sides.
4. Tighten your buttocks and stand up straight.

There are many options to make the squat technique more difficult:

• Barbell squats in the gym under the supervision of a trainer.
• Squats with dumbbells in hands.
• Jump squats.
• Exercises with elastic bands on the hips.

Interesting fact: squats are useful for both men and women, but for some reason this exercise is considered purely feminine. It is not recommended to do this only for people with knee problems.

Number of repetitions and approaches. Three sets of 25 repetitions with bodyweight.

Frequency. You can squat with your own weight at least every day, but it's best to do it at least every other day so your muscles have time to rest. Within 30 days you will see visible results from your hard work.

Exercises to lose weight in your arms

Exercises are very effective for losing weight in your arms and shoulders. They don't burn fat in this specific area, but they tighten the skin and strengthen the biceps and triceps. As a result, your hands become slimmer and more beautiful.

Exercises to lose weight in your arms can be done at home, without dumbbells. Push-ups are available anywhere and anytime - you can even do them in the office, leaning against your desk.

Push-ups - classic exercises

Proper push-ups are a useful part of your regular weight loss workouts. The exercise works the triceps, abdominal and pectoral muscles. The classic version of push-ups - with wide arms:

1. Lie in a lying position with your arms wider than shoulder-width apart.
2. Contract your abdominal muscles and buttocks to keep your body position as level as possible.
3. As you inhale, lower your body while spreading your elbows to the sides. Lower yourself to the floor, but don't touch it.
4. As you exhale, return to the starting position.

Number of repetitions and approaches. You probably won't be able to do many push-ups at first. Aim for 15-20 reps per set for men and 10-15 for women.

Frequency. You need to do pushups regularly to improve your technique. Do this at least once a week if you do three workouts in that time.

Knee push-ups

Those who still find it difficult to do regular push-ups should try doing push-ups on their knees. It is easier for girls to do this specific type of exercise. Technique:

1. Kneel and place your hands on the floor at shoulder height. The exercise is performed with a wide stance.
2. Contract your abdominals, back muscles, and buttocks to maintain a straight line from your knees to the back of your neck.
3. Bend your elbows and touch the floor with your chest, then return to the starting position.

Number of repetitions and approaches. Three sets of 10–15 reps.

Frequency. You can do kneeling push-ups at the end of each workout.

Reverse push-ups

The benefit of reverse bench presses is to work your triceps. You can do reverse crunches on a bench at the gym or a chair at home. Classic technique:

1. Stand with your back to a bench or chair. Place your palms on the support so that your arms are positioned symmetrically to your spine.
2. As you inhale, bend your arms at the shoulders and elbows at the same time, lowering your pelvis.
3. As you exhale, stretch your arms and return to the starting position.

Number of repetitions and approaches. Three sets of 15 repetitions will be enough for beginners.

Frequency. You can include reverse crunches in every workout.

What to Look for When Creating a Weight Loss Training Program

• Never forget to warm up. A gentle warm-up minimizes the chance of injury and helps you prepare for your workout.
• Don't rest too much between sets. Your workouts should be intense, but not exhausting. Half a minute of rest between sets will be enough.
• Drink water while resting. It is especially important to replenish your water balance when doing cardiovascular exercise.
• If you want to lose weight in one area, you shouldn't exercise only in that area. You will try to remove the belly by pumping your abs and sides, and you will quickly overtrain, get tired and give up completely. The set of exercises should be built harmoniously, including strength, cardio and work on problem areas.
• Choose exercises that you enjoy doing. If you want to lose weight at home without a trainer, here's some advice: exercise for fun. Don't work too hard, overloading your muscles and nervous system.
• We recommend that beginners contact a coach. A professional will help you master the technique of performing exercises, create a training program and menu.
• Important tip for losing weight: combine physical activity with a calorie deficit. You won't be able to lose weight through exercise alone; you need to reconsider your menu.