What is the best type of exercise for fat loss? Is it strength training, HIIT (high-intensity interval training), traditional cardio, or low-intensity activities like walking? If you work out to lose weight or reduce fat percentage, then this is a question you must have wondered about before. But which is it?
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Best exercise for fat loss
In a post shared on April 17, Raj Ganpath, a fitness coach, talked about each form of exercise, including strength training, HIIT, traditional cardio, and low-intensity activities, and discussed which helps you burn more calories and fat. He also shared a weekly plan to follow based on what your goals are. Let’s find out.
1. Strength training
“This does not burn too many calories per hour, but it builds muscle. By doing that, it increases your basal metabolic rate, which helps you burn more calories throughout the day. Over the course of weeks, months, and years, all of this accumulates and is very useful for long-term weight management,” the fitness coach explained.
2. HIIT workout
HIIT, or high-intensity interval training, doesn’t burn too many calories per hour— it is generally more than strength training, but definitely less than traditional cardio.
However, per the fitness coach, it significantly increases your heart rate and keeps it elevated throughout the day, so you end up burning more calories. “But here’s the catch: most of us are not training at the high intensities required to produce this effect. How do you know if you are capable or not? Well, if you’re not sure, you’re most probably not capable of it,” he cautioned.
3. Traditional cardio
Traditional cardio, like running, swimming, elliptical, and cycling, burns a significant number of calories per hour. However, the fitness coach pointed out that because the rate at which energy is used is very high, your body uses a variety of sources to generate this energy, not just fat.
“This means your body gets energy from its glycogen stores, which is basically glucose, and from fat stores. When you overdo it, it could even burn muscle to produce that energy. So while this is a great option, you want to be smart about it and avoid overdoing it,” he explained.
4. Low-intensity activities
Lastly, low-intensity activities like walking and hiking are very similar to running, swimming, or cycling, but the rate at which energy is used is much lower. As a result, your body can focus on fat stores and pull energy from them for the activity.
So, if your goal is to lose weight and you don’t care about where this weight loss comes from, and you just want to think about the short term, then go ahead and do plenty of cardio.
The fitness coach warned that he does not recommend this because, in the long term, your goal needs to be not just to lose weight but to lose fat, sustain the activity, improve your body composition, and think about long-term weight management. “If that is your goal, then you need to focus on all four things and try and use them sustainably in a smart manner,” he shared.
Weekly plans based on your goals:
Here’s a plan based on what your goal is per the suggestion the fitness coach listed above:
1. General health:
2 days of strength + 2 days of cardio + 6-12k steps every day
2. General fitness:
2-3 days of strength + 1-2 days of low intensity activity + 1-2 days of cardio/HIIT
3. Fat loss:
3 days of strength + 2-3 days of cardio/HIIT + 60-90 minutes of walking every day (throughout the day)
4. Strength gain or hypertrophy:
3-4 days of strength + 1 day of cardio/HIIT + 30-60 minutes of walking every day
Note to readers: This article is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your doctor with any questions about a medical condition.