The Best Form Of Exercise For Fat Loss

When the sun poked its head out the other week, I decided it was time to shed the extra layer of 'fun' I've been carrying around since mid-December.

Know the feeling? Here's our guide to shifting that extra fat and toning up.‍

When it comes to fat loss, not all exercise is created equal

N.B: the most strenuous workout in the world won’t help you lose fat if your diet is poor and you don’t move enough during the rest of your day. This article is purely about getting the most out of your actual training sessions for a fat loss goal.

I’ve given talks and written articles in the past about the ‘best’ form of exercise, and the short version is:

The ‘best’ form of exercise is whatever you enjoy most because you’ll keep at it.

That approach works for general health and fitness – any exercise that allows you to move, burn a few calories and improve your heart and lung health – but not if you're specifically after fat loss.

You might enjoy walking or golf, but it won’t burn the same amount of calories in the same amount of time as a big gym session or home workout or provide the necessary stimulus for your muscles to maintain muscle mass.

It’s essential that you enjoy your exercise routine. Not every rep necessarily, but generally speaking, it should be a positive part of your day. But if you’re serious about fat loss, not all exercise is created equal. You might have to deviate from doing what you love to get the results you want. You never know; you might start loving the new stuff too, whether that's smashing out burpees or starting a session with a big deadlift.

The weight loss formula

To lose weight, you absolutely must consume less than you expend.

Weight loss = Calories in < calories out

Weight gain = Calories in > calories out

Weight maintenance = Calories in = calories out

No workout will help you lose weight if you're overeating (yes, even if you're doing keto).‍‍

The difference between weight loss and fat loss

Weight loss is a catch-all term that can include losing muscle and fat. However, fat loss refers to shedding fat while aiming to maintain muscle.

If you want that a toned look and a strong body, focusing solely on weight loss won't give you the results that you're looking for. Maintaining or even growing muscle might also need to be part of your plan.

So knowing if you want to lose weight or lose fat is essential and will determine which exercise you should do.‍‍

Getting the right fat loss balance

Running burns many calories but doesn't provide much upper body resistance, so you're not giving your body a compelling reason to hold onto muscle up top.

A strength session in the gym gives your body that reason to hold onto muscle, but your calorie output won't always be that high, especially if you're taking long rests.

For our members focused on fat loss, I always program a balance of enough strength work to retain muscle whilst pushing them hard enough to get as much bang for their buck in terms of calorie output. 

If your time is restricted to 2-3 training sessions a week, you want to ensure you’re getting as much out of it as possible. For example, if two people are training for an hour each, and one burns 450 calories and the other burns 800 calories, the second person can burn an extra pound of fat every 10 workouts (1lb of fat = 3500 calories).‍‍

Four pro tips for training for fat loss

Here are four tips for designing workouts that encourage fat loss and hold onto the sweet, sweet muscle you've worked so hard for:

1. Compound lifts are still king

Compound (multi-joint) exercises help you work more muscle groups and usually require more effort (and more calories out) than isolated exercises.

That doesn’t mean there’s no room for bicep curls though; keep in isolated exercises on any area you want to focus.

2. Be strict with your rests between sets

If you’re dawdling around doing a few Wordles (no, I still don’t know what they are) between sets, your output won’t be high. Big long rests are great for building strength but not so good for maintaining intensity. 

I recommend 90 seconds or less for rest between sets in these types of workouts.

3. Finish with a bang

I’ll generally increase the reps and decrease the rest with each exercise, finishing with a circuit format. Moving your body hard for 8-15 minutes at the end of a workout can give you big returns in calories spent. You can mix in resistance exercises too for a good muscle pump. 

A good finisher circuit might be an AMRAP, EMOM, RFT, or another circuit format.

4. Work with an expert

Want to increase your chances of success? We work with 000s of members like you to reach their fat loss goals. We'll design your workouts and give you personalised diet guidelines, accountability and support.

Good luck - you've got this! Knowledge is power!