Best Workouts To Lose Weight

Weight loss is simple, but improving body composition – losing fat while retaining or adding some lean body mass – is a lot trickier. It requires the use of smart nutrition and the best workouts to lose weight.

A lot of people who focus on “fat loss” think of their lifting program as a way to burn more calories, so they assume the key is to do higher reps and more sets. You definitely have to increase energy expenditure, but not at the expense of the growth stimulus placed on the muscles.

It’s more important to focus on increasing density than volume. Density refers to doing more work per unit of time. Basically, rest less during your workouts. This will keep your metabolic rate high. It’ll also promote a hormonal milieu conducive to fat mobilization.

An effective fat burning workout shouldn't involve endless cardio and tons of volume. Try any of these proven strategies instead. Not only are these the best workouts to lose weight, you’ll also find nutrition info that actually works for fat burning.

The Fat Loss 5 Workout Circuit

Created by trainer Nick Tumminello, the Fat Loss Five sequence consists of five exercises performed back to back in a circuit. There are two basic components to the Fat Loss Five circuit: four strength exercises and one total-body cardio exercise.

While you’re cycling through strength exercises, the sequencing of the Fat Loss Five circuit creates a constant cardiorespiratory effect. Whenever you perform any strength exercise, your body pumps more blood to the muscles involved in the movement. By performing an upper-body exercise, followed by a lower-body exercise, followed by a core exercise, you’re constantly changing where your body must increase blood flow.

Additionally, finishing each circuit of strength exercises with a burst of total-body cardio interval exercise keeps this cardiorespiratory effect going even longer.

Here are the five exercise categories that make up a Fat Loss Five circuit:

1. Upper-body pushing

2. Upper-body pulling

3. Lower-body leg- or hip-oriented

4. Core

5. Cardio

So you can see what it looks like in action, I’m providing you with two sample Fat Loss Five workout sequences you can immediately use. One of the sample workout sequences involves only bodyweight and band exercises. So, whether you’re training at a large gym or at home with minimal equipment, get ready to burn some fat!

Another One Of The Best Workouts To Lose Weight - Complexes

A complex is simply a series of movements performed with a barbell, dumbbell(s), or kettlebell(s) where you finish each rep of one movement before quickly moving onto the next movement. Typically, you don't take your hands off the weight until the complex is finished.

A basic kettlebell complex could consist of 6 reps of overhead squats, 6 squats, 6 kettlebell swings, 6 bent-over rows, and 6 Romanian deadlifts done in order without stopping.

On the other end of the difficulty spectrum are complexes where you do several movements for a prescribed number of reps, rest briefly, and then repeat the movements, this time doing one less rep on each exercise and continuing on in this one-less-rep-with-each-set protocol until you're lying on the floor making pitiful little wheezing sounds.

For instance, a favorite complex of trainer Alwyn Cosgrove involves doing 6 reps each of 8 different movements that includes deadlifts, bent-over rows, front squats, overhead presses, and back squats, among others.

You'd do 6 of each, rest briefly, and then repeat the complex, this time doing 5 reps of each. Then you'd rest again and do 4 reps of each. You'd continue doing circuits in this manner until you were down to 1 rep per movement.

The beauty of the complex is that you can do a tremendous amount of work and lift a tremendous amount of weight in just a few minutes. Take the Alwyn Cosgrove complex mentioned, for example.

If you were to complete it using only the standard 45-pound Olympic bar, you'd have lifted just over 7,500 pounds in just a few short minutes, which is a little heavier than the combined weight of two-and-a-half Toyota Priuses! Understandably, this kind of workload melts body fat, increases conditioning, builds muscle, and possibly increases your fuel efficiency, and it does it all fast.

The ugly part of the complex is that it's hard. It takes concentration and drive. After you're done, you'll probably be standing in a puddle of sweat and strangers will think you have a glandular problem. If you're not at least a little bit nervous before doing them, you're not using enough weight or you're not doing enough circuits.

The only rule in devising complexes is that the exercises need to follow some sort of logical exercise order in regards to the bar. You wouldn't start with bent-over rows and then do back squats next.

Instead, you want anatomical flow between the movements – deadlifts can transition to Romanian deadlifts, which can transition to bent-over rows, and so on. Here are some examples of complexes.

Tips And Challenges

• When starting any complexes that use a barbell, start with a broomstick so you can get the feel of it.
• I recommend printing out the names of the movements in a large, bolded font and taping the piece of paper on the wall or laying it on the floor in front of you so that your soon-to-be oxygen starved brain doesn't have to struggle to remember the precise exercise sequence.
• As you improve your conditioning, make your complexes harder by progressively increasing the number of circuits, sets, or reps, or by using less rest as the weeks go by. Here's an example: Week 1: 4 circuits of 5 reps each – 90 seconds rest
  Week 2: 5 circuits of 5 reps each – 75 seconds rest
  Week 3: 5 circuits of 6 reps each – 60 seconds rest
  Week 4: 6 circuits of 6 reps each – 45 seconds rest
• Make up your own complexes. Just remember that you have to be logical. Throwing in curls or lateral raises isn't going to work very well because the complex is limited by your heaviest weight you can use on your weakest movement, and those two movements are very weak when compared to a deadlift.
• Complexes can be done after your regular workout as a fat-burning, muscle-shaping finisher. However, since they're one of the best workouts to lose weight, many people would be better off replacing their entire standard workout with complexes. You'd find yourself looking much, much better, in addition to having more time to devote to good ol' life.

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