Supercharge Your Weight Loss with These 8 Workout Tweaks
Focus On Enjoyment, Not Just Weight Loss
As Pilates instructor Cassandra Cotta discovered, shifting your mindset from working out solely to lose weight to finding activities you genuinely enjoy can make a huge difference. The moment she stopped pressuring herself to exercise a certain way for a certain amount of time and instead focused on activities she loved like Pilates, yoga, and running, her body started to change. Finding a rhythm that works for you, without rigid rules, is key.
Swap Cardio for Supersets
Certified trainer Alex Smith had a client who was seeing decent weight loss progress with cardio, but when Smith incorporated superset training, the client started progressing much faster. Supersets, where you do exercises back-to-back with minimal rest in between, keep your heart rate elevated both during and after the workout, making them one of the best options for fat loss. The client loved the superset workouts even more than cardio.
Prioritize Heavy Strength Training Over HIIT
While high-intensity interval training (HIIT) has its benefits, many experts recommend focusing on heavy strength training for weight loss instead. Strength training can burn just as many, if not more, calories than cardio. Plus, it builds lean muscle mass which increases your basal metabolic rate, meaning you burn more calories even at rest.
Take Breaks During Strength Workouts
Certified personal trainer John Codella has found that appropriate rest breaks can make a big difference in his clients' strength training workouts. High-energy clients who want to keep their heart rate up often benefit from taking a little more time to breathe between sets. This allows them to have more energy for the next set, get stronger, build muscle more easily, and drop extra weight faster.
Choose Fun Over Intensity
Food blogger Rachel Lessenden credits her 10-pound weight loss to choosing workouts she enjoys rather than ones she feels obligated to do. She used to think long running sessions were the key, but would be so hungry afterwards that she'd eat more to compensate, making it hard to maintain a calorie deficit. Switching to activities she loved like Zumba and walking made it much easier to stay in a calorie deficit and keep the weight off.
Prioritize Sleep Over Early Morning Workouts
Health coach Marvin Nixon had a client who was waking up at 4:30am to hit the gym, but wasn't seeing the weight loss results he wanted. The solution was prioritizing 7 hours of sleep per night, even if it meant fewer intense morning workouts. In just 5 weeks of getting more sleep, the client reduced his body fat percentage and increased his muscle mass.
Opt for Short, Frequent Workouts
Health coach Candice McDaniel struggled with her weight for years until she stopped trying to do long workouts. As a busy mom of 3, long workouts were hard to fit in consistently and left her sore for days. Switching to 10-15 minute workouts 5-6 days per week allowed her to be far more consistent without burning out. Combined with diet changes, the shorter workouts helped the weight come off for good.
Track Your NEAT
NEAT, or non-activity exercise thermogenesis, refers to the calories burned through activities like walking and standing throughout the day. Trainer David Rosales has his weight loss clients wear fitness trackers to quantify their NEAT. Often they start by adding a 10-15 minute midday walk, which breaks up the workday while burning extra calories and preserving muscle. Increasing NEAT over time can have a big impact.
