5 Best Cardio Workouts for Weight Loss

Weight loss is something that everyone is desirous of, but for as many people who are looking to lose weight exists just as many different workouts. That said, one of the most effective ways to lose weight is through cardiovascular, or cardio, workouts. These workouts are intense and they help you burn fat efficiently, which is the key to weight loss.

The more cardio you do, the better you become at these workouts, and as you increase your proficiency, you will lose more weight the more you remain committed to the workouts. Understanding the mechanics of cardio workouts and how they help you lose weight is part of ensuring that you get the right workout for you.

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Image source: pexels.com

The bottom line with cardio workouts is you want to do a lot of movement without a lot of resistance. Weight training is about improving strength by providing resistance, but this does not do much for the heart rate. When you increase your heart rate, you deplete your energy stores and your body will go to an auxiliary source of energy in your body – fat. Burning the fat cells takes longer and is less of a quick return, that’s why the longer the workout, the more you are dipping into your fat stores to do it.

According to Adam Steel from legwork.guide, burpees are a great workout for this reason – you are not giving your joints the same impact of long runs but at the same time you are extending the workout and thus making it so that your body has to burn fat cells in order for you to effectively work out. However, bike riding isn’t the only cardio workout that will do this for you, here are some other workouts that will help you lose that weight.

Running Stairs

There are a ton of reasons why you should do running as your cardio workout, but one way in which you can do this workout to a greater level is by running stairs. The reason is simple – running on flat surfaces only engages so much of your muscles, however, when you run stairs what you are doing is engaging your posterior chain in order to build up your core strength.

What that all means is you are doing more work, therefore you are burning more calories – which means you are burning more fat. The other important part is when running stairs, you are strengthening muscles that take the load of the movement off your joints. By having your muscles move your body, your knees and ankles are not carrying that weight. So instead of your knees feeling achy afterwards, your muscles ache – which means you are building more muscle and strengthening everything else.

Burpees

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Burpee; image source: pixabay.com

If you have been to a CrossFit facility or worked out in combat sports, you know that burpees are the way to go for a full body workout that leaves you feeling like you got much accomplished. The thing about burpees is they’re wildly efficient at burning calories. In fact, 1 minute of burpees burns 10-20 calories. This is assuming you are averaging about one burpee every three seconds.

The more burpees, the more calories, but don’t increase burpees without maintaining form. This reduces the efficiency of the burning of calories. When you are doing burpees correctly, it takes very little time to get proficient and in a good rhythm. The hardest thing about burpees is staying dedicated, but once you get it going, you will find the weight just flies off and you feel stronger after.

Jump Rope and Double Unders

Everyone knows that jump rope is a great cardiovascular workout but when you add in the double under aspect of it not only are you building your athleticism but you are burning calories. The reason why boxers and wrestlers warm up with jump rope is because it starts the fat burning process and gets your blood flowing. It’s a good warm up. That said, if you are not a boxer or wrestler, there are still a lot of benefits.

If you do 10 minutes of double unders, then you are burning 150 calories, and more if you weigh more. The reality is jump rope requires constant motion, and that’s always the key towards any cardio workout to be successful.

Mountain Climbers

The great thing about mountain climbers is you can hit these anywhere, really. The compact nature of the exercise is great because it isolates the legs and the core. When you do mountain climbers, you are burning about 50 calories when you do 3 sets of 40 reps. The reps are easy to knock out and the best part is afterwards you feel like you got a great workout in.

Adding mountain climbers also helps get rid of stubborn belly fat as well. One of the great things about mountain climbers is you can use them for any part of your workout – they don’t need to be a core part of the workout but at the same time, if you are crunched for time, they are perfect for getting accomplished what you are looking for. Incorporating mountain climbers is always a net positive.

Speed Skater Lunge

There are so many great things that come from lunges, and the inclusion of the hips and your posterior chain in any cardio exercise is something that helps with the rest of your foundation as an athlete. For weight loss, these exercises are awesome because they help sculpt the problem areas as well. Speed skater lunges are one of the best ways to take the lunge to something even more productive.

This works your glutes, legs, hips, and it also helps with your balance too. One of the ways that you burn fat is increasing metabolism, and this lunge is one of the best ways to get that done, which means the more your metabolism is working, the more fat is burning, and the higher your rate of weight loss will follow and get you the results you want.

 

 

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