Losing weight can be challenging, but regular exercise is one of the most effective ways to burn calories and shed unwanted pounds.
Losing belly fat has many health benefits, including reducing the risk of heart disease, diabetes, and even cancer. Losing weight, especially belly fat, also improves blood vessel functioning and sleep quality.
There are also big health benefits to having a low body fat percentage, like jeans fitting more comfortably and muscles looking more toned and defined.
This blog will explore some of the best weight loss exercises and how they can help you achieve your fitness goals.
Ready to get started? Let’s begin!
Know: 100+ Safe And Fast Ways To Lose Weight (Backed By Science)
Best Weight Loss Exercises
It has been scientifically proven that regular physical activity can improve overall well-being beyond the aesthetic benefits.
Weight loss exercises are any type of physical activity that helps you burn calories and lose weight.
Most weight loss exercises focus on maximizing calorie burn and improving cardiovascular health. Popular cardio options like running, cycling, swimming, and brisk walking engage the leg and core muscles to elevate your heart rate.
Other practical calorie-blasting exercises include aerobics classes, jumping rope, and high-intensity interval training (HIIT).
BUT, not all forms of physical activity are equally effective for weight loss. Certain types of exercise are more effective than others.
There are several major categories for the most proven weight loss exercises.
- Cardiovascular (Aerobic) Exercises
- Jogging or running
- Cycling
- Strength Training (Resistance) Exercises
- High-Intensity Interval Training
- Swimming and many more
When you start a new exercise program to lose weight, choose activities that are good for your current fitness level. Walking and swimming are good workouts for people who are new to exercise.
The best way to reduce weight is to exercise for 30 minutes 3 to 4 times per week and eat healthily. This will burn calories and fat in your body.
10 Best Weight Loss Exercises at Home
Here are the 10 best and most popular exercise programs that you can do at home to strengthen, fit, and improve your health.
1. Strength Training
Strength training usually involves lifting weights or exercises that challenge your muscles and require much effort.
These intense workouts demand more energy and can increase your metabolic rate during the workout and as your body recovers.
Working out muscles not only helps you lose weight, but it also keeps your muscles strong and healthy.
As you train your muscles and get stronger, your body gets better at using energy and nutrients. This improved efficiency can lead to a higher metabolic rate even at rest.
This study reviewed 149 studies and found that exercise training programs can be effective for weight loss, body composition changes, and weight maintenance in adults with overweight or obesity.
In a six-month study, it was found that doing 11 minutes of strength-based exercises three times per week resulted in an average 7.4% increase in metabolic rate, equivalent to burning an additional 125 calories per day.
Strength Training For Weight Loss
- Bodyweight Training: Includes exercises like push-ups, pull-ups, planks, and squats.
- Resistance Bands Exercises: Improve strength, balance, and flexibility. Great for rehabilitation and low-impact workouts.
- Free Weights Exercises: Include dumbbell and barbell exercises. Improve muscle strength, endurance, and coordination.
- Machines: They are often easier for beginners than free weights, such as leg press, chest press, and cable machines.
- Powerlifting: Builds significant strength and muscle mass. Primarily squats, bench presses, and deadlifts.
- Isometric Training improves strength and endurance. It involves exercises where the muscle length does not change, such as planks or wall sits.
2. Cardio Exercises
Cardio, or cardiovascular exercise, is any exercise that raises your heart rate and pumps blood. It is a great way to burn calories and lose weight.
Cardio exercises can help to improve your metabolism, which can help you burn more calories throughout the day.
There are different ways to do cardio exercises. You can do them inside or outside, with or without equipment. Therefore, it is important to find an activity that suits you the best and is enjoyable so that you can stick to it in the long run.
It’s nice, helping to improve balance, agility, coordination, strength, flexibility, and blood circulation — almost like getting a full-body workout with just one exercise.
3. Do High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)
HIIT, is a form of interval training, a cardiovascular workout involves alternating between short, intense bursts of exercise and brief recovery periods.
This form of exercise has been shown to increase metabolism and promote fat burning even after the workout is over. Consider incorporating HIIT sessions into your weekly routine to maximize calorie burn.
The research shows that HIIT, especially short, intense exercises like sprinting, effectively reduces body fat.
HIIT workouts provide improved athletic capacity and condition, as well as improved glucose metabolism.
The intense intervals spike calorie burn and EPOC (excess post-exercise oxygen consumption) so your body burns more calories after exercise.
How To Start HIIT Workout To Lose Weight
- Duration: Keep HIIT workouts short; typically, they should not exceed 30 minutes.
- Frequency: Due to its intensity, 2–3 HIIT sessions per week are generally sufficient, with rest or lower-intensity exercise on other days.
- Intensity: The high-intensity periods should be performed at near-maximum effort.
- Progression: Gradually increase the intensity or duration of the high-intensity intervals as you get fitter.
HIIT workouts can be done with any type of exercise, but some of the most popular HIIT exercises include:
- Burpees
- Jumping jacks
- Jump rope
- Mountain climbers
- High knees
- Battle ropes
- Butt kicks
- Stair running
- Lunges
4. Abs and Core Focused Exercises
Getting toned, defined abs is often a top fitness goal. Exercises that target the abdominal muscles and core not only build a strong midsection, they also burn belly fat.
A stronger core means better posture, injury prevention, and faster calorie burning. To trim your waistline, focus on these key abs and core exercises twice to thrice weekly.
You don’t have to spend hours at the gym or use expensive equipment to get visible abs. With the right home workout plan, you can target your core effectively and get closer to those six-pack goals.
6. Walking, Jogging and Running
If you have time, walk anywhere. Consider walking there or riding a bike if work or the grocery store is not far away. It may take you longer, but you’ll get your workout in simultaneously.
Depending on your sex and weight, walking a mile (1.6 km) burns approximately 100 calories.
According to a small study, women with obesity who walked for 50–70 minutes three times a week for 12 weeks, on average, lost weight and reduced their waist circumference.
According to Harvard Health, a 155-pound person can expect to burn about 288 calories by jogging for 30 minutes at a pace of 5 miles per hour (8 km/h). If that same person increases their speed (running) to 6 miles per hour (9.7 km/h) for a 30-minute run, they will burn approximately 360 calories.
7. Yoga
Practising yoga regularly can also calm you and improve your mental health, leading to more mindful and healthy food choices that directly aid in weight loss.
Studies have shown that yoga can reduce stress and cortisol levels, enhance mood, decrease anxiety and depression, improve sleep, and improve chronic conditions such as hypertension and diabetes.
A 12-week study of 60 women with obesity found that those who did two 90-minute yoga sessions a week lost more weight than those who did not.
A 2015 study found that practising yoga led participants to make healthier eating choices.
Type of Yoga To Lose Weight
- Vinyasa Yoga: Known for its fluid, movement-intensive practices, Vinyasa is great for calorie burning.
- Ashtanga Yoga: A rigorous style of yoga that follows a specific sequence of poses and is great for building strength and endurance.
- Power Yoga: An intense practice that builds muscle, ideal for weight loss and muscle toning.
- Hot Yoga/Bikram Yoga: Performed in a heated room, increases flexibility and calorie burn.
High-intensity yoga styles like Ashtanga, Vinyasa, and Power yoga burn the most calories.
8. Cycling
Cycling offers both cardiovascular and muscular benefits and is an excellent way to lose weight. It is low-impact and high-efficiency and can be enjoyed outdoors or indoors using a stationary bike.
Cycling is a convenient activity that can be done outdoors or while watching TV using a stationary bike at home. More opportunities to exercise make weight loss easier.
Harvard Health estimates a 155-pound person burns 252 calories cycling moderately for 30 minutes on a stationary bike, or 288 calories biking at a moderate 12–13.9 mph pace.
Planning Your Cycling Routine
- Choose the Right Bike: Ensure the bike fits you properly and is comfortable for long rides.
- Frequency: Aim to cycle at least 3–4 times a week.
- Duration: Start with shorter rides (20–30 minutes) and gradually increase to longer rides (1–2 hours or more).
- Intensity: Vary your cycling intensity — mix longer, steadier rides with shorter, high-intensity sessions.
9. Start Swimming
Swimming is a great way to get in shape if you don’t like going to the gym or can’t do certain things because of joint pain.
Water-based workouts are low-impact, making them easier on your hips, knees, and feet.
A 12-week study found swimming 60 minutes 3 times per week significantly lowered body fat, improved flexibility, and reduced heart disease risk factors in middle-aged women.
Here are some of the top reasons how starting a regular swimming program can help you lose weight:
- Swimming can help you burn calories and build muscles without hurting your body, like running. Depending on your intensity and weight, swimming burns between 500 and 800 calories per hour.
- The resistance provided by the water activates arm, shoulder, chest, back, leg and core muscles. Building this muscle mass leads to a boosted metabolism.
- Swimming is ideal for beginners or those with injuries since it does not put pressure on joints. It is also a low-risk exercise, so you can work out frequently.
- Water workouts boost your heart health, improving cardiovascular endurance so your body burns fat efficiently.
10. Stretching Routines and Pilates
Stretching routines alone aren’t usually the best way to lose weight because they don’t burn as many calories as cardio or strength training exercises.
But stretching can also make you fitter and more flexible and help you recover, which can help you lose weight faster.
I. Dynamic Stretching Routine (Pre-Workout)
Dynamic stretches can increase the reach, speed, or both of your body. They are also a good way to warm up your muscles before a workout.
- Leg Swings: Forward, backwards, and side-to-side to loosen the hips and thighs.
- Arm Circles: Large and small circles to warm up the shoulders.
- Lunges with a Twist: Helps warm up the legs, hips, and torso.
- High Knees: Lift knees one at a time as high as possible to warm up the hips and thighs.
- Calf Stretch: Against a wall or on the edge of a step.
II. Static Stretching Routine (Post-Workout)
Static stretches involve stretching a muscle (or group of muscles) to its farthest point and then maintaining or holding that position.
- Hamstring Stretch: Sitting or standing, extend one leg and reach toward your toes.
- Quadriceps Stretch: While standing, pull one foot towards your buttocks, feeling the stretch in the front of the thigh.
- Shoulder Stretch: Bring one arm across your body and lightly press it to stretch the shoulder.
- Triceps Stretch: Raise one arm, bend it backward to touch the back, and use the other hand to gently press the elbow.
III. Pilates-Inspired Stretching
Pilates exercises focus on core strength but also include elements of stretching that can improve flexibility and muscle tone.
A study found that middle-aged women who did Pilates three times a week for eight weeks significantly reduced their waist, stomach, and hip size compared to a non-exercising control group.
- The Saw: Stretches the hamstrings and twists the spine.
- Mermaid Stretch: Side stretches to open up the side of the body.
- Spine Stretch: Sitting stretch that encourages a range of motion in the spine.
FAQs
What type of exercise is best for weight loss?
For anyone looking to lose weight, it is essential to incorporate strength training and cardiovascular exercises into their routine. When combined with the right diet, this will help them achieve their weight loss goals.
Can you lose weight by exercising 30 minutes a day?
Yes, you can. But you need to ensure you do the correct exercises with good intensity, and frequency.
But, if your goal is to lose weight quickly, you must increase your workout time.
It’s a good idea to contact a certified fitness trainer to learn what exercises you need to do and how.
How Much Weight Can You Lose in 1 Week by Exercising at Home?
The weight you lose is based on how many calories you burn. If you burn around 500 calories a day, you should be able to lose half a kilogram of weight within a week. You can also make changes to your diet to create a calorie deficit.
If you want to shed weight at the rate of 1 kg per week, it is important to know 1 kg is equal to how many calories. There are a total of 7700 calories in 1 kilogram of body fat.
How can a beginner start losing weight?
Regular exercise for at least 30 minutes per day and dietary changes that induce a calorie deficit, such as cutting out empty carbs, processed foods, products with added sugars, etc., can help you lose about half a kilo to one kilo of weight every week.
How To Start The Workout For Fat Loss?
To start the workout, you have to figure out your weight and BMI. This is not limited to weight alone because your gender, race, ethnicity, and height play equally important roles.
Women generally have more fat as compared to men, and the average weight of a man is much more than women. So, you can use any online BMI calculator to figure out your BMI.
Now, simply look for the average BMI for someone your age, height, and gender, and this will estimate how much weight you need to lose.
It is important to exercise as much as possible to lose weight. But exercising in a gym can be expensive, and not everyone has the time or money to go there. Luckily, some exercises at home are just as effective.
10 BEST Weight Loss Exercises To Reduce Weight At Home
Disclaimer:
The information provided in this blog post, is for general informational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for professional fitness or medical advice. Exercise routines and fitness recommendations can vary greatly depending on individual health status, physical condition, and fitness goals.
We strongly recommend consulting with healthcare and fitness professionals before beginning any new exercise program. The use of any information provided in this blog is solely at your own risk.