When most people think about exercising to lose weight, their minds immediately turn to traditional cardio. “Traditional” refers to that long, slow, and steady type of training—jogging, biking, hiking, etc.—that lasts from 30 to 60 minutes. Sure, that method of training is valuable for your overall health, but if you’re not seeing the fat-loss progress that you want, it might be time to crank up that cardio by a few notches. To help you out, I’ve put together six of the best interval training workouts to lose weight faster.
One of the best ways to lose weight faster is by doing more high-intensity interval training (HIIT), which is an intense method of conditioning with tons of benefits. The idea is to push yourself as hard as you can for a short duration that’s usually between 10 to 30 seconds. Then, rest for a set amount of time to catch your breath until it’s time to do another repetition. The result? You’ll skyrocket your metabolism, burn more calories than steady-state cardio, and save a ton of time.
Add the below interval training workouts to the end of your routine as a “finisher” to help burn extra calories and crank up your metabolism to boost your results. In addition, avoid doing too many high-intensity workouts per week—two to three is plenty to accelerate your progress.
Workout #1
What you need: Pick one of three popular gym cardio tools—Airdyne bike, Ski erg, or Versaclimber! This is a simple interval workout that will spike your metabolism, burn a lot of calories, and massively improve your conditioning.
The Routine:
- For each exercise, do 30 seconds on followed by 30 seconds off.
- Repeat this 10 to 15 times.
Workout #2
What you need: All you need is your body. You’ll quickly cycle through several bodyweight ab exercises to improve your conditioning, boost your metabolism, and give your midsection a nice little boost, which is never a bad thing. Do this circuit 10 times.
The Routine:
- Ab Wheel Rollout (15 seconds, 30 seconds rest)
- Salute Planks (15 seconds, 30 seconds rest)
- Super Planks (15 seconds, 30 seconds rest)
1. Ab Wheel Rollout
- While on both knees, grab an ab wheel and push forward.
- Descend as low as you can.
- Pull yourself back up.
- Make sure to keep your arms straight and your hips extended the entire time.
2. Salute Planks
- Start in a plank position.
- Keep your core tight and your glutes squeezed.
- Bring one hand to your forehead in a salute position and hold for 3 seconds.
- Alternate sides.
- Prevent your hips from twisting and stay tight.
3. Super Planks
- Start in a plank position with your forearms on the ground.
- Crawl up into a pushup position.
- Lower yourself into a plank.
- Repeat.
RELATED: The #1 Most Effective Exercise for Weight Loss
Workout #3
What you need: This workout is perfect for a tiny gym or when the gym is super busy because you only need one piece of equipment: a kettlebell. The great thing about swings is that they’re a total body exercise that repeats so quickly, which makes them perfect for interval training.
The Routine:
- Kettlebell Swings (20 seconds, 40 seconds rest, repeat 10 to 15 times)
1. Kettlebell Swings
- Start in a deadlift position with the kettlebell a few feet in front of you.
- Hike the kettlebell back between your legs.
- Explosively drive your hips forward.
- Swing the kettlebell up to the rack position.
- Repeat.
Workout #4
What you need: Here’s another butt-kicking interval training workout that requires no equipment. This is the famous “Tabata” workout, where you push yourself to the absolute max. It’s extremely difficult, but the good news is it only lasts four minutes. It gets great results, but one Tabata is enough.
The Routine:
- Prisoner Hold Squat (20 seconds on, 10 seconds repeat, repeat for a total of four minutes)
1. Prisoner Hold Squat
- Start with your hands behind your head.
- Stand shoulder-width apart with your toes slightly out.
- Squat down by sitting back, spreading your knees, and keeping your weight on your heels.
- Once your hips are below parallel, drive through your heels and rise.
- Keep your lower back flat.
Workout #5
What you need: All you need is a resistance band. Bands are a very underrated tool because they can provide a lot of resistance without having to pack heavy weights. Simply throw some bands into your bag with different resistance levels, and you can get a workout anytime, anywhere.
The Routine:
- Band Bent-over Row (30 seconds, 30 seconds rest)
- Band Pushups (30 seconds, 30 seconds rest)
- Band No Money (30 seconds, 30 seconds rest)
1. Band Bent-over Row
- Stand on a resistance band with your feet shoulder-width apart and with one end in each hand.
- Bend your knees slightly and bend your hips until your torso is almost parallel to the ground.
- Keep your lower back flat, squeeze your shoulder blades together, and row.
2. Band Pushups
- With the resistance band in both hands, place it behind your back.
- Get in a pushup position with your hands about shoulder-width apart.
- Keep your lower back flat and hips in line with your shoulders.
- Lower yourself and keep your elbows close to your body as you descend.
- Push up and repeat.
3. Band No Money
- Hold a resistance band with your palms up in front of you while keeping your elbows tucked into your torso and your shoulder blades squeezed together.
- Spread the band while keeping your elbows against your body until your forearms are parallel to each other.
- Return to the starting position and repeat.
Workout #6
What you need: All you need is your body. This is a different kind of interval training. After all, typical interval training is actually pretty tough on your body, so it’s nice to have one option that’s gentle and something you can even do every day to help speed up your fat loss.
The Routine:
- Do a 5-minute warm-up by walking at a comfortable pace.
- Walk 3 minutes as fast as you can without running.
- Walk 3 minutes at a regular pace.
- Repeat this at least 4 times.
- Do a 5-minute cool down by walking at a relaxed pace.
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Anthony J. Yeung, CSCS