Losing weight is hard work. In fact, it can seem close to an impossible task. If you’ve been exercising and watching what you eat but still aren’t getting the fat loss results that you’re after, then you need to revise your game plan. Here are 4 hidden weight loss hacks that are designed to overcome your weight loss plateau and get you on the fat loss fast track.
Try High Intensity Interval Training
Weight loss really boils down to caloric balance. So long as you end up having burned more calories than you have consumed at the end of each day, you will lose weight. Exercises that provide the best calorie burn for the buck are the ones that you should be doing. When it comes to cardio training, that form of exercise is high-intensity interval training (HIIT).
HIIT involves alternating between rounds of fast, intense cardio and rest periods. There are many forms of HIIT but one of the best involves doing 20 seconds of intense work followed by a 10 second rest period. This is repeated for a number of rounds. You can use all kinds of exercise with HIIT including such bodyweight exercises as burpees, running on the treadmill and sprinting on a field.
To do HIIT sprints, get yourself down to an open field. Begin with a two minute slow jog warm up, while holding a stopwatch in your hand. At 1:30 start building your pace so that at two minutes you are sprinting at maximum speed. Do this for exactly 20 seconds. Then walk for recovery for exactly ten seconds. Repeat for eight rounds – and then collapse on the ground! Once you’ve got your breath back, finish with a two minute slow jog to want down.
This HIIT workout will be all over in eight minutes , and that includes the warm up and warm down! In addition to burning calories while you are doing it, HIIT aloso boosts your metabolism for the next 24-36 hours thanks to what is known as the excess post exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC) effect.
Perform HIIT workouts three times per week on alternate days to ramp up your fat loss.
Lift Weights
Yes, lifting weights will make your muscles firmer and stronger. But it will also help you to lose fat. Resistance exercise can burn a lot of calories. It also produces the EPOC effect so that you burn more calories after the workout. In addition, every ounce of muscle that you add to your body, boosts your metabolism so that you burn even more calories while at rest.
For the best calorie burning effect, you should build your workout around such compound exercises as squats, deadlifts, lunges and kettlebell swings. Use a relatively light weight and aim for repetitions of between 15 and 20 over 4 or 5 sets.
The bottom line here is that, before you spend your money on any weight loss products, make sure that resistance training is part of your weekly routine.
Jump Rope
Jumping rope is a hugely under-recognized weight loss exercise. With a caloric burn of between 15 and 20 calories per minute, it is one of the best things you can do to lose weight. At the same time that it burns off calories, jumping rope will work every muscle in your body while also improving your balance and coordination.
You can incorporate rope jumping into your workout by throwing it in between your resistance training exercises. Let’s say that you’ve just done 4 sets of 15 reps on the squat exercise and are about to move on to lunges. Before you begin your first set of lunges, grab your skipping rope and do 3 sets of 30 seconds. Do this between every resistance exercise and your daily caloric burn will skyrocket!
Train Early in the Day
The most important factor when it comes to weight loss success is consistency. That applies to both your nutrition and your exercise. The best way to ensure consistency of training is to work out first thing in the morning. Getting your session in before the unpredictability of your day throws your best laid plans out the window will mean that you don’t ditch your workout.
Working out first thing in the morning is a great way to get your metabolism revved up for the day, elevating your calorie burn over the next few hours. An early morning workout will also set you up mentally and physically for a great day.
Conclusion
When you’ve hit a weight loss plateau, you need to give your body a jolt to propel it into action. The four hacks that we’ve outlined here are designed to provide that shock. They aren’t easy but they are effective. We suggest introducing them one at a time over the next four weeks. After three months of applying these hacks, you’ll be well on the way to achieving your weight loss goals.
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