Recently I was at a family function and asked what I thought was the best exercise to lose weight.
It’s an interesting question because I never believed one particular exercise by itself will help you lose weight. As it turns out, it’s not often that exercise is what does that.
What always struck me as far more important is how you eat.
For example, if you are making the attempt to walk four thousand or eight thousand or thirty thousand steps a day ( I know that’s a lot of steps), it won’t make a difference if you’re not eating well.
If you go out and jog for 30 minutes each day and then come home and eat a large pizza with everything, you may be a little disappointed with your results.
You’re probably not going to drop much weight. Probably none at all.
But even that example is just the beginning of all the different factors that come into play when you’re thinking about weight loss.
The best exercise to lose weight won’t help you if you’re not thinking about a few other things.
The Best Exercise To Lose Weight Isn’t One Size Fits All
For starters, every body is different. No one person will react exactly the same way to exercise as any other person. Did you catch the “every body” thing? No? Never mind.
If you’re serious about losing weight and finding it a real struggle, start by talking with your doctor. He/she will surely be able to get you started on the right path and take into consideration anything unique to your situation.
As for the basics, in order to lose weight your body has to be burning off more calories than it is taking in.
This is what the pros call operating on a caloric deficit.
This is why a healthy diet becomes so important. It also plays a valuable role in building strong muscle.
To not eat right for your particular weight loss situation only serves to sabotage your efforts. No exercise will help you.
In a previous post I discussed how I’ve been able to lose belly fat. It was more of an overview but if you’re here, go check it out it will probably be helpful.
For the sake of this post I’ll focus on the particular exercises that I think are helpful to lose some weight. But again, exercise is more about keeping you strong and healthy and less about losing weight.
This is what I believe has worked for me but I’ll also suggest a couple that I’ve seen work really well for people I know.
See if there’s something here that you’ll enjoy doing and works well for you. Remember everybody is different so try a variety of different things until you find what works best.
Running
Running is one of those activities I never got into. Sometimes I’ll jump on a treadmill for ten minutes as part of a warm up but not so much anymore.
I usually only enjoyed running if it was part of another sport like rugby or baseball.
But just running for the sake of running? That was never for me. I find it way too boring. I also don’t like the sound of my own breathing getting heavier. Even listening to music, I would become aware that I’m just running and nothing else is happening.
However, have you ever seen somebody who runs on a regular basis who is overweight? Not likely.
I used to have a friend back in my school days who ran marathons all the time, ate like a horse and was lean as a rail.
There is no doubt that a regular running regimen that involves multiple KMs during each outing, will help in losing some weight.
You’re heart rate goes up, it’s a great sweat and you’re burning lots of calories.
So if you don’t get bored easily and your Doctor says you’re OK to run, give it a shot. Try doing it outside with some music you can listen to. Do as much as you can to forget you’re running.
Cycling
This is another one of those activities I don’t do much of anymore. I did for a while, a number of years ago, but I changed up my regimen and it became more of a leisure activity for me.
That being said, if you get into cycling, do lots of it and really enjoy it, it is a great exercise for losing some weight.
When I did do it, I really enjoyed it. It is especially great if you live in an area where you can get outside and enjoy your surroundings while your cycling.
Living where I do, a large amount of the year is cold with crappy weather. Although, some die hard cyclists do not let that stop them. I’ve seen them out here in the snow. That is dedication.
Oh, and did I mention it’s low impact? That means it’s easy on your joints. Another selling point for cycling.
If you get into cycling, you’ll probably really enjoy it. It gets your heart going as well and you burn calories like a machine.
I have a relative who has been cycling for years. He is in his seventies but is in better shape than most thirty year-olds I’ve known.
This one definitely ranks up there as one of the best exercises to lose some weight but I wouldn’t say much about the wardrobe.
Weight Training (Definitely a Best Exercise to Lose Some Weight)
This is without question my favorite choice for best exercises to help you lose some weight.
I call it weight training but it includes any kind of resistance training. This type of workout for me showed the greatest change in my body and weight.
There are a vast array of exercises you can do when it comes to resistance training. There’s all kinds of equipment. You can use weights, resistance bands or anything you can push, lift or throw around to challenge your muscles.
This of course includes your own body weight.
The exercises you do can focus on one muscle, one joint or multiple joints and multiple muscle groups.
I’ve discovered with my own experience and research that working multiple joints, and muscles works the best.
Weight training has done the most for me with losing some weight and getting into overall better shape.
As it turns out, resistance training helps build lean muscle mass. Lean muscle burns more calories and reduces fat both while active and while resting. Sounds like a best exercise to lose some weight.
The result is you get leaner and lose the unwanted fat.
If you are into weight training you’ll know what I’m talking about.
If you’ve never really been much for weight training, and didn’t think it would help with weight loss, get on a weight training regimen and I think you will be surprised.
You’ll feel like you’re having a great workout.
I also believe that what took me to the next level in physical development, was combining weight training with other kinds of exercise.
Such as…
High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)
I’ve mentioned HIIT before and I think it is invaluable if you’re on the hunt for the best exercise to lose some weight.
If you want a breakdown of how I implement HIIT, checkout my post here. It has really worked well for me.
This is probably one of the best things I discovered for efficient use of my workout time. Ideally, by implementing HIIT, you are getting all the benefits of a full workout in a shorter period of time.
Who wouldn’t love that?
This way you up the intensity of your workout for short bursts and combine it with rest periods and what you’ll be left with are great results.
For example: Use a HIIT principle with some body weight exercises. Try a series of burpees, followed by push ups and then jumping rope. Do each for 30 seconds then rest for a minute. Then do it again. Or mix in three other body weight exercises you enjoy.
Keep the rotation going for 15 to 20 minutes and you’ve just created a great resistance training/HIIT workout that will get you one step closer to your goal.
Give it a shot and you’ll see what I mean right away.
Jumping Rope
If we’re talking about great exercises for losing some weight, I’d be crazy not to include jumping rope.
I’ve talked about it before. In fact I’ve dedicated an entire post to jumping rope. So I’m not going to get too crazy about it here. Definitely check out the post, you’ll feel yourself getting healthier just reading about it.
But it doesn’t take long to realize how often jumping rope is used in the real world by athletes concerned about getting in shape.
My favorite example is always boxers. Besides the fact that they make a living trying to not get hit in the head, they are pretty smart about fitness.
Every time I read about one of them making weight for a fight, it almost always involves jumping rope.
They take it to a whole other level.
For me, it’s a great part of my workout. I use it as part of my warm up and sometimes I include it with a given exercise.
For example, after I do a set of shoulder presses, I’ll go and do a a round of jump rope for 30 seconds or so. Then I’ll take a break and repeat. I’ll do that for 3 or 4 sets.
You want to talk about a great way to combine exercises for strength training and fat burning? This is it. I definitely believe that by combining jump rope with other moves has played a significant role in reaching my goals and building my fitness.
But before you even start combining jumping rope with anything, do it on its own for a few sets. Start in short bursts then gradually go for longer. I bet you’ll consider it a killer workout. Great for your whole body.
In Conclusion
These are some of the best exercises I can think of for losing some weight. They are without a doubt my “go-tos” and worked really well for me.
There are a number of others I could probably think of that deserve an honorable mention like swimming, walking (if you’re just starting out), martial arts and tabata workouts. All good stuff.
But remember, exercise by itself isn’t enough for losing weight. Your diet and lifestyle play a much more significant role in weight management. For most people, exercise has very little to do with issues surrounding weight.
The exercises I’ve noted are great for men, for women and even for beginners. You can do them at home, outside or in a gym. They might even help you with some weight loss if done consistently and in combination with a healthy diet.
Remember, do your best to eat right so you don’t sabotage all the great workouts you’re developing. If you’re hitting the junk food it will be like you’re not exercising at all.
Put these things together and I bet you’ll start seeing great results with your fitness goals and start figuring out which exercises are the best for you.
