Exercises to Lose Weight Quickly

Looking for a few good exercises to lose weight quickly? Shedding a few pounds is a common desire, and here are five solid exercises that you can easily add to your regular workout regime.

First, you have to realize that your metabolism is a key factor to weight loss. If you increase your metabolism, you burn more calories around the clock, meaning you can eat the same and still decrease body fat.

There are a lot of factors to take into account, notably diet strategies, but one thing that will have immediate impact is to opt for exercises that both burn immediate calories and boost metabolism for later. One such exercise is the classic squat.

Squat

Squats are performed with a barbell resting across your shoulders with your hands resting on the bar far apart for balance. Back and neck should be straight. Feet should be about shoulder-width apart. For feet angle, use what feels natural; just make sure that when you squat down, your knees travel in the same direction as your toes are pointing.

Some prefer to use a belt for extra back support, but the single most important precaution you can take is keeping your abs tense. Knee wraps are common, but don't use them unless you have a real reason to (i.e. knee joint problems and the like.)

Once you have the basic stance, simply descend in a controlled manner until your thighs are about parallel to the floor, at which point you make a smooth ascent. Push with your heels until you're almost up, but don't lock out your knees; turn and begin the descent again.

Other Exercises to Lose Weight Quickly

The benefit of squats is that it's a compound exercise that involves several major muscle groups. Unlike, say bicep curls, which are isolated to a small part of the body, squats work on a systemic level, building core strength and hiking metabolism in a completely different way. Other exercises that share this desirable characteristic for losing weight quickly are the deadlift, the bench press, the dip and the pull-up.

Deadlift

Deadlifts means you lift the barbell off the floor up to a standing position and back down. This involves many of the same muscle groups as squats (hips, thighs, back and arms to some degree); only the emphasis is more on the back area.

The key to staying injury-fee is to maintain a flat back and tense abs throughout. You may find yourself more comfortable with a wider or narrower stance than you would with squats. The same principle applies; go with what feels natural, as long as the knees and feet are pointing in the same direction during the movement.

Bench Press

The barbell bench press is such a classic it almost needs no introduction, but we suggest going with dumbbells instead. The benefit here is that you incorporate a whole slew of secondary, stabilizing muscles that may help you avoid should injuries and the like in the future. As a bonus, you never have to worry about being stuck with the bar across your throat during a solo workout.

You start by sitting on the foot end of the bench, letting the dumbbells rest on your thighs. Move the hands to a point where your thumbs are about on the level of your lower chest as you "roll" back into a balanced, comfortable position. Keep your hands fairly close to your body with straight wrists throughout the exercise.

You may keep your feet up on the bench (training balance but less power) or on the floor (allowing you to push against the floor for an extra boost). Either way, keep your wrists immediately over your elbows at all times, i.e. avoid letting the dumbbells produce any kind of twisting motion of the shoulder joint.

As with squats, you should turn right before locking out at the top and before hitting the very bottom during the descent. The reason for this is that you rob yourself of some benefit by locking out, while the latter is more about preventing over-stretching sensitive joints.

Dips

For dips, grab two bars about shoulder-width or slightly more, holding up your body in the air with knees bent. Leaning forward slightly, descend slowly until your upper arms are parallel to the floor, at which point you make a smooth but distinct turn and push your way back up. We'd like to emphasize the lower turning point, as repeated over-stretching the shoulder joint in this position is a sure ticket to problems later on.

Body weight alone is usually enough unless you're very strong, in which case you may want to use a weight belt to add a plate or two to your body weight (if your gym doesn't have one, you can hold a dumbbell between your feet.) Likewise, a beginner can place a box or something underneath and use the legs to get a little help. Better yet, use an assisted dip machine that contributes a set number of pounds extra boost.

Pull-ups (aka. Chins)

Finally, pull-ups come in different flavors. Overhand or underhand grip (knuckles pointing away or towards you), narrow or wide grip, straight bar or various handles. They work different parts of the back, but for weight loss purposes, it doesn't really matter. Go with whatever feels good. Use the weight belt if you're strong enough to do more than 12 strict reps, and use the box underneath for help or an assisted machine if you're just starting out.

Conclusion

Again, we'd like to emphasize that we're talking about long-term metabolism gains here, as the immediate caloric "cost" of a 30 second set of squats is of course far inferior to a half-hour on a Stairmaster. However, for a set of exercises to lose weight quickly, and keep it off, these compound exercises are a superb mainstay of your weight training regimen.