How to Intensify Your Workouts for Quick Weight Loss

If you want to see quick weight loss results, then you probably need to add intensity to your workouts.  A more intense workout means more calories burned, and of course the more calories you burn the faster you lose weight.  Here are a few ways to intensify your workouts for quick weight loss.

• Adding in interval training is one of the best ways to intensify your workout.  Interval training is adding in short bursts of intense movement into a steady workout.  You can plan your intervals or do them whenever you feel you can.  For instance, if you’re jogging for 30 minutes, you can plan to do 2 minutes of fast running then rest for 4 minutes and repeat until your workout is over.  Unplanned intervals is just running for as long as you can and then taking as much time as you need to recover before completing another interval.  Interval training burns large amounts of calories and can help speed up your weight loss results.

• Another way to see faster results is to do combination exercises.  These are exercises where you combine different muscle groups into one exercise.  For example you can do a lunge and a bicep curl at the same time.  This works several muscles in your lower body as well as your biceps.  The more muscles you include in a movement, the more calories you burn.  Combination exercises are also a great way to get a complete workout in a short amount of time.

• If you want a more intense workout, try lifting heavier weights.  Most people use much lighter weights than they need.  If after you complete the sets of your exercise you feel like you could do more, you need to increase the amount of weight.  You also shouldn’t be lifting the same amount of weight for long periods of time.  Once the weight gets easier to lift, move up again. 

• Slowing down your exercises can make your workout harder as well.  Instead of doing your exercises at your normal pace, try to do them a little slower.  For instance, take 3 seconds to lift the weight and 4 seconds to lower the weight.  This adds a lot more intensity to the exercises.  You should also try to keep the tension in your muscles when you’re lifting weights.  To do this, don’t lower the weight all of the way.  Stop when you get three fourths of the way down, and then start the exercise again.  This will help you get the most out of each rep.

• When doing any strength training exercise you can add in an isometric hold at the end.  Here’s an example.  If you’re doing squats, do the number of reps in your set, then on the last rep only squat halfway down.  Hold this position for about 5-10 seconds or as long as you can.  Then go on to the next set.  You can also add in small pulses at the end if you want.  Pulses come in on the last rep as well.  Using the squat example, on the last rep, squat down as you normally would.  Hold the position and make small pulsing movements, basically tiny squats.  Do as many as you can and return to the starting position.

There are several ways to add intensity to your workouts for quick weight loss.  The suggestions above are just a few things you could do.  The most important thing to remember is that quality is better than quantity.  Focus on doing the workout correctly before you start to add intensity.  Once you are able to add intensity you’ll get noticeable results much faster.