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Best Workouts For Weight Loss 2024 – Tips To Workout Effectively

Zaakir Shakoor
by

Reviewed by Dr. Drew Sutton, MD
Best Workouts For Weight Loss
Proper and consistent workouts can burn calories. Photo: Nghi Tran

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People often desire to lose weight but do not know how to work out for it. They often go from workout to workout, but never achieve their goals. Proper and consistent workouts can burn calories and boost the metabolic rate in the long term. The end result is effective weight loss and weight management. 

For this reason, we have designed a short article to discuss:

  • “How Do Workouts Help You To Lose Weight?”
  • “Best Exercises For Weight Loss”
  • “Tips For Doing Weight Loss Workouts”
  • “How To Decide On Exercises For Weight Loss?”

4 Best Types Of Workouts For Weight Loss In 2024

We have highlighted 4 different types of workouts that help you lose weight, which include:

  • Strength Training/ Resistance Training
  • High-intensity interval training (HIIT)
  • Low-Intensity Cardio
  • Cross fit training

Best Exercises For Weight Loss

Strength Training/Resistance Training

When it comes to weight loss, strength training is so underrated. People seem to have developed a notion that resistance training must be used solely for building muscle mass, but that does not seem to be the case. During a resistance training session with a variety of free weights, machines, and bodyweight exercises, you can burn up to 200-300 calories.[1] This energy expenditure can contribute towards losing weight and a better body composition. 

But that is not all, strength training will build muscle mass. A unique property of holding skeletal muscle is its thermic effect.[2] This means that muscle can help burn more calories and maintain a healthy body weight in the longer term. For each pound of muscle, we can burn ~6 more calories than “normal”. 

The ACSM recommends engaging in resistance training on non-consecutive days. They recommend 1-6 sets and 8-12 reps per muscle group. The suggested intensity is between 70-85 %, depending on training level. Resting in between sets should be no longer than 1-2 minutes.

High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)

best workouts for weight loss
Sprinting is one of the great HIIT workouts. Photo: baranq/Shutterstock

HIIT is basically short outbursts of exercise.[3] This can be sprinting, sprint cycling, punch bag, rowing, ski training, cross training, etc. Typically, I like to go for all-out 30-second sprints, and then allow my heart rate to drop enough to engage in another burst. Approximately 6 sprints should be enough to induce all of the HIIT workouts’ benefits. 

HIIT for 15 minutes/6 sprints is equivalent to 30 minutes of steady-state cardio in terms of burning calories. This can certainly help you lose weight. Furthermore, proper HIIT can deplete glycogen stores which switches on a certain physiological mechanism called APMK, which can then burn fat (fatty acids) at rest for up to 72 hours after exercise. 

HIIT can activate fast twitch muscle fibers, which can have a muscle-building effect on novice exercise participants similar to what is seen in weight training. If you recall our previous point, holding more muscle can result in greater energy expenditure to reduce body fat

Low-Intensity Cardio

When it comes to fatty acid oxidation, low-intensity cardio comes out on top. However, this does not mean you will burn more body fat, as that depends entirely on total net caloric intake. Nevertheless, you are still getting a calorie burn that can help to lose weight.
So low-intensity cardio is just steady-state.[4] Aerobic exercise at ~ 60-70% maximum heart rate. My favorite low-intensity cardio is brisk walking. Brisk walking can burn over 700 calories per hour, depending on your body weight.

Crossfit Training 

best workouts for weight loss
During Crossfit, you would amalgamate lots of different exercises. Photo: BLACKDAY/Shutterstock

Crossfitting is considered an intense exercise.[5] So during Crossfit, you would amalgamate lots of different exercises. You could go from Olympic weight lifting to squats, push-ups, rope pulls, etc. You can burn a ton of calories and work so many different muscle groups during CrossFit. Although beneficial, it can be highly taxing on the body.[6] This type of exercise is probably not for newcomers.

How Do Workouts Help You To Lose Weight?

In the short term, workouts can help you burn calories, which increases the chance of weight loss

Let me explain! So an example subject may require a certain amount of calories in our body to sustain our current weight, let’s say 2500 calories. If this subject eats 2800 calories, this creates a 300-calorie surplus. Such a surplus will cause ~1lb of weight gain in approximately 11-12 days (1lb = 3500 calories). Now if you take on a new lifestyle and exercise routine to start burning 700 calories per day, that sets you at 2100 net calorie intake. This is a 400-calorie deficit (400 less than maintenance) and would drive weight loss within 8-9 days. 

In the longer term, workouts can help us improve body composition, which may boost daily energy expenditure through the metabolic rate. We will discuss this in greater detail in the following section. 

Tips For Doing Weight Loss Workouts To Lose Your Body Weight

Consistency 

If you are serious about exercises for weight loss, you need to be consistent with your workouts. This can help you to keep burning calories and eventually lose some excess weight. Remember, the net weekly caloric deficit is what we are looking at. For example, let’s say you are only working out for a week and taking two weeks off. You may reach a caloric deficit for the week only to pile the calories back on during the weeks off. 

Include Exercises That You Enjoy

When you include exercises that you enjoy, boredom should not be an issue. A lot of times, people who exercise get bored and exercise with far less effort, therefore are not able to take advantage of the calorie burn. Often, people actually stop exercising altogether. 

What keeps me doing my cardio is HIIT. It is quick, effective, and enjoyable. Without it I believe that I would not engage in cardiovascular exercise, therefore I would not be as healthy or be able to manage my weight as well.

Get A Workout Buddy  

Workout buddies can keep each other motivated to keep working out. Keeping a workout buddy holds an element of liability and competitiveness. Ensure that both of you have similar goals and workout levels, that way you can continue to work out together and set targets.

Get A Personal Trainer

Personal trainers guide and ensure that you are doing the exercises safely and effectively. That way you can take advantage of your time whilst working out to burn as many calories as possible.

How To Decide On Exercises For Weight Loss

Workout Preference 

It all depends on personal preference. What type of intense exercise do you prefer? Do you like long-distance running or sprinting? If you do not engage in exercises that you enjoy chances are that you will not apply much effort or you may quit altogether. 

You could even linearly periodize your workouts. For example, 2 weeks of low-intensity cardio followed by 1 week of HIIT. You could even use a daily undulating periodization style, where you may incorporate 3 low-intensity workouts and 1 HIIT workout per week. 

Workout Level 

The training level is an influential factor in what type of workout you can use safely and effectively. For example, for beginners, low-intensity exercise may be the better option as it is not too taxing on the body as compared to HIIT and CrossFit. 

Personally, when I started working out I was only doing brisk walking or light jogging, as well as low-intensity resistance training. This allowed me to get my major muscle groups and cardiovascular health system for more intense workouts down the line. 

Conclusion

Working out can help you burn more calories in the short term and increase lean body mass in the longer term. This can support weight loss and faster metabolism for easier weight management. 

There are many types of workouts, we have highlighted 4. They all burn calories and build muscle tissue to some extent. 

If you want the best success during your weight loss workout program, ensure that you are; Consistent, Include exercises that you enjoy, get a workout buddy (optional), and get a certified personal trainer (optional).  

The workouts you decide to do will depend on; workout preference and workout level. 

All in all, any workout that works the core muscles of the body and burns more calories can be one factor that contributes to losing weight. 

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a caloric deficit and how is it achieved?

You are in deficit calories when you are taking in less than your body weight maintenance calories.

How do workouts help with the caloric deficit?

So they burn calories and boost metabolism. This could help towards getting into a caloric deficit along with other variables like food intake.

Why is muscle good for losing weight?

Muscle is the most metabolically active tissue meaning that it burns more calories to have.

Best type of HIIT training?

Any type of cardio where you maximally exert yourself. I like sprints and Wingate cycling.

Does Swimming count as a workout?

Certainly! It can be low-moder cardio and you can even try HIIT swimming bouts.

I can not physically do HIIT, What should I do?

Start with low-intensity cardio, move on to moderate cardio to build a cardio base, then try HIIT after 4-5 weeks.

How long should a HIIT sprint be?

Each HIIT sprint should last around 10-30 seconds.

How long should I do low-intensity cardio?

However many calories you want to burn, I keep mine below 1 hour.

+ 9 Sources

EHproject has strict sourcing guidelines and relies on peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions, and medical associations. We work mostly with peer-reviewed studies to ensure accurate information. We avoid using tertiary references. You can learn more about how we ensure our content is accurate and current by reading our editorial policy.

  1. Strasser, B., Spreitzer, A. and Haber, P. (2007). Fat Loss Depends on Energy Deficit Only, Independently of the Method for Weight Loss. Annals of Nutrition and Metabolism, [online] 51(5), pp.428–432. doi:https://doi.org/10.1159/000111162.
  2. Strasser, B., Spreitzer, A. and Haber, P. (2007). Fat Loss Depends on Energy Deficit Only, Independently of the Method for Weight Loss. Annals of Nutrition and Metabolism, [online] 51(5), pp.428–432. doi:https://doi.org/10.1159/000111162.
  3. Wewege, M.A., Desai, I., Honey, C. and Hagstrom, A.D. (2022). The Effect of Resistance Training in Healthy Adults on Body Fat Percentage, Fat Mass and Visceral Fat: A… [online] ResearchGate. Available at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/354683145_The_Effect_of_Resistance_Training_in_Healthy_Adults_on_Body_Fat_Percentage_Fat_Mass_and_Visceral_Fat_A_Systematic_Review_and_Meta-Analysis#:~:text=Compared%20to%20the%20control%2C%20resistance,%25%20confidence%20interval%20%E2%88%92%200.87%20to%20%E2%88%92.
  4. Wewege, M.A., Desai, I., Honey, C. and Hagstrom, A.D. (2022). The Effect of Resistance Training in Healthy Adults on Body Fat Percentage, Fat Mass and Visceral Fat: A… [online] ResearchGate. Available at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/354683145_The_Effect_of_Resistance_Training_in_Healthy_Adults_on_Body_Fat_Percentage_Fat_Mass_and_Visceral_Fat_A_Systematic_Review_and_Meta-Analysis#:~:text=Compared%20to%20the%20control%2C%20resistance,%25%20confidence%20interval%20%E2%88%92%200.87%20to%20%E2%88%92.
  5. Resistance Training for Health and Fitness. (n.d.). Available at: https://www.prescriptiontogetactive.com/static/pdfs/resistance-training-ACSM.pdf.
  6. Foster, C., Farland, C.V., Guidotti, F., Harbin, M., Roberts, B., Schuette, J., Tuuri, A., Doberstein, S.T. and Porcari, J.P. (2015). The Effects of High Intensity Interval Training vs Steady State Training on Aerobic and Anaerobic Capacity. Journal of sports science & medicine, [online] 14(4), pp.747–55. Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4657417/.
  7. Foster, C., Farland, C.V., Guidotti, F., Harbin, M., Roberts, B., Schuette, J., Tuuri, A., Doberstein, S.T. and Porcari, J.P. (2015). The Effects of High Intensity Interval Training vs Steady State Training on Aerobic and Anaerobic Capacity. Journal of sports science & medicine, [online] 14(4), pp.747–55. Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4657417/.
  8. Meyer, J. (2017). The Benefits and Risks of CrossFit: A Systematic Review – Jena Meyer, Janet Morrison, Julie Zuniga, 2017. [online] Workplace Health & Safety. Available at: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/2165079916685568.
  9. Meyer, J. (2017). The Benefits and Risks of CrossFit: A Systematic Review – Jena Meyer, Janet Morrison, Julie Zuniga, 2017. [online] Workplace Health & Safety. Available at: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/2165079916685568.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Zack Shakoor Kayani was born and raised in the South East of England/London. Zack has attained a bolus of knowledge regarding biosciences through academia and his career experiences. In terms of his educational background, he has… See More