This Is The Best Workout For Weight Loss, According To Science
When you’re working out to drop pounds, choosing a plan or even just a class that gives you the most fat-burning power for your hour can be confusing AF. But now, a new study is breaking down which workouts are actually worth your time.
For the study, published in the Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness, researchers set out to determine how different aerobic training programs affected weight loss, fat mass, muscle strength, and overall physical fitness in a group of overweight and obese women. They randomly assigned 32 overweight women to either a low-impact aerobic workout that included strength training or a high-impact aerobics program.
1. High-Impact Aerobics
The high-impact program had participants working out four times a week with intense, hour-long cardio classes. High-impact workouts, which focus on moves that bring both of your feet off the ground at the same time, can include cardio kickboxing, cardio dance classes, boot camp classes, or high-intensity interval training (think: jump squats, burpees, and high knees).
For this study, women in the high-impact group spent five to 10 minutes warming up, followed by 40 minutes of training, and then five to 10 minutes of cool down. During the course of the study, the women worked towards getting their heart rate to 85 percent of their max heart rate.