No longer your enemy
There is no specific exercises to bring about rapid weight loss. However, there are many changes that, when applied to a regular exercise program, will have a great impact on weight loss efforts. The bad news: These changes involve working harder and longer than most people are used to working. The determined will see this as a challenge and opportunity to tweak their personal fitness program for fantastic results on the scale.
Increased Intensity
Greater intensity, applied to exercise, will help boost the metabolism and burn fat. This does not mean the full workout has to be at maximum effort. Mixing in intervals of harder work, and then returning to an average level of exertion will have a positive effect.
While it is possible to chart these intervals out according to precise measurements and times, it is far simpler to apply them informally. Execute what your body can handle in a session. Choose a specific part of the daily exercise routine to play with the intensity of the effort or pick a couple of days per week to add intervals.
Increased Duration
Longer exercise sessions are another way to increase caloric burn. Twenty to thirty minutes, three times per week is the accepted minimum for exercise. Any length of time added to that will give you a bonus. Longer sessions tax the major muscle groups more thoroughly but also call upon the secondary muscle groups to pitch in when fatigue occurs.
If time is short, add a minute, add a lap or a set. Small amounts of exercise throughout the day have the same cumulative effect as one long session, so break your routine into a morning and evening session if one large block of time is not available.
Weight Training
Weight training alone will build more calorie burning muscle, increase your power and strength for other exercises, and help the body to look toned. Adding weights to any exercise will increase the workload and intensity and burn more calories. For athletes in a specific sport, using weight during training can help the body respond faster and more effectively.
More Muscle
Engaging more muscle groups during exercise will build muscle tissue and crank up the metabolism, burning more calories while active and at rest. This can be done through exercise combinations (such as jump squats), by choosing exercises that naturally engage more parts of the body (such as skiing instead of biking) or by incorporating additional movement or work into traditional exercises (such as lifting hex weights while stationary biking or carrying weights on a run).
Combinations
Exercise combinations are quite effective at keeping the mind and body challenged and engaged. A recent principle of fitness suggests that muscle confusion caused by switching routines often keeps the muscles from adapting and experiencing fewer gains with each subsequent workout.
Cross training allows the body to recover somewhat while remaining active. Swimming instead of running twice per week, for example, relieves some of the stress on joints and lets muscle begin to rebuild. Pursuing several different forms of exercise helps the body develop well-rounded fitness and may help prevent injury.
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