Everyone knows the important role sport plays in losing weight. However, it is so versatile, there are so many different types that it is not known which one is best to choose for weight loss. All sorts of myths complicate the situation. Some advise using only cardio exercises, others insist on strength training. There is an opinion that you need to exercise every day, and some argue that every other day, since the muscles need rest. And there are a huge number of such discrepancies. Let's try to figure it all out.
Benefit
First, understand the benefits of sports and whether it is really necessary when you need to get your figure in order. What happens to the body and body during regular training:
- calories are consumed intensively;
- the fat burning process starts in all parts of the body;
- beautiful muscle mass is formed;
- endurance and strength improve;
- Strength of character and fortitude are strengthened;
- the functioning of the heart and blood vessels improves, the level of bad cholesterol decreases, the blood thins;
- the respiratory process is normalized: tissues receive more oxygen, which allows the body to properly utilize fat;
- metabolism accelerates;
- Hormones are activated that control the process of decomposition of adipose tissue at all its stages.
Everyone who is losing weight needs to realize one simple truth: yes, diets are necessary for losing weight, and without limiting daily calorie intake, the weight will not creep down. But at the same time, all of them (with rare exceptions) are incredibly harmful to health. But regular exercise not only burns calories and fat, but also normalizes the functioning of most internal organs and systems.
What sport is most effective for losing weight?
When studying the question of which sport is the most effective for losing weight, it is worth taking into account the age, gender and degree of obesity of the trainee. If this is a young girl, the classes will be one, and an older man will be different. What different sports have in common is an aerobic orientation, which is characterized by a reduced intensity of activities. It aims to burn fat, not carbohydrates and glycogen, like intense strength training. In addition to burning fat, aerobic sports promote:
- strengthening the functioning of the heart and blood vessels;
- strengthening the respiratory system and joints;
- improving blood flow;
- increasing overall muscle tone and endurance.
For women
What sport is best for girls to lose weight? This question is asked by many female representatives. Experts advise dancing, Pilates, strip exercises, and aerobics. Among modern sports, body ballet, step aerobics, and running are suitable for girls. All directions model the figure, promote fat burning, form an elegant airy silhouette and increase grace.
For men
What sport is best for losing weight for men? Ideal for them would be strength training in the gym, cycling and team competitions. Men are recommended to play football, basketball, hockey, rugby, and volleyball. Running, jumping, jerking during these games force all muscles to work, burn calories and remove excess fluid from the male body, which creates swelling and excess weight.
For children
Children also suffer from poor nutrition and a sedentary lifestyle. They gain weight, which causes ridicule from their classmates. To lose weight, children need to engage in sports games. Martial arts are also suitable for boys, and dancing, aerobics, gymnastics, and skating are suitable for girls. Children's team outdoor games, swimming, and athletics sections can be recommended for both sexes.
At 20 years old
For men and girls at a young age, choosing a sport to lose weight is easy. At this time, the body has an increased metabolism, so young people do not suffer much from excess weight. If the problem of extra pounds bothers you, you can choose the following directions:
- fitness – gives excellent results, stimulates discipline;
- rollers - increase endurance, improve athletic fitness, spare joints and give pleasure;
- skiing - a winter sport suitable for strengthening all muscles and developing coordination of movements;
- athletics - running, jumping, will help speed up the process of losing weight;
- Dancing is a pleasant way to lose weight, achieve a slim figure and eliminate sagging skin; it is worth taking up modern options - hip-hop, Latin, Zumba.
For the elderly
What kind of sport should older people do to lose weight? Experts answer this question in such a way as not to injure the joints and take maximum care of your health. Sports suitable for older people:
- yoga, Pilates, gymnastics, wushu - develop flexibility, put the body and thoughts in order;
- swimming is good for the musculoskeletal system and the cardiovascular system, it is important to learn how to swim correctly and gradually increase the pace;
- water aerobics - involves working with a trainer; when choosing, make sure that the group is approximately equal in age, otherwise there is a high risk of getting the wrong pace of training;
- running is popular, but has contraindications for the elderly - diseases of the knees and hip joints, with them you can replace jogging with an elliptical or walking, Nordic walking;
- Bicycle – improves health and serves as an excellent form of transport in the summer.
For fast weight loss
If you need to lose weight quickly, then interval aerobics will come to the rescue. It implies that the training is constantly changing in pace - 30 seconds of classes are carried out very quickly, and a minute - slowly. Due to this combination, even a half-hour workout shows an excellent effect - the production of fat-burning hormones increases sharply, and extra pounds disappear faster. If you do strength training twice a week, you can achieve results in a short time.
Basic Rules
How to organize classes correctly so that they are as effective as possible for weight loss?
- Get examined and consult your doctor.
- Choose the sport you would like to play.
- Agree on your choice with your trainer and order an individual training plan.
- The best option is to exercise three times a week, every other day, so that the muscles have time to recover.
- Skipping workouts is highly undesirable.
- To improve results, do not forget about daily morning exercises and evening walks.
- It is not necessary to go on a diet, but organizing proper nutrition and a normal drinking regime is simply necessary.
Why does sport help you lose weight?
By going to the gym or training at home, you expose your body to active physical activity. This speeds up metabolic processes, saturates cells with oxygen, accelerates lymph flow and blood circulation, improves digestion and helps eliminate toxins from the body through sweat. This is the ideal set of factors necessary for weight loss.
Exercising will help you lose all the accumulated fat, become slimmer, fit and healthy.
Impact of sport on the body:
- helps to lose excess weight;
- increases immunity;
- improves the functioning of the cardiovascular system;
- stimulates the production of the joy hormone;
- increases the level of endurance and strength.
Rating
It is difficult to determine the best sport for weight loss: one will burn the maximum number of calories, while the other will intensively remove fat. Body type and physical fitness also work. And yet, there is a TOP of the most effective types, among which you should look for your “golden horse”:
- Struggle.
- Run.
- Ice-skating race.
- Ballet.
- Swimming.
- Speed cycling.
- Jumping rope.
- Water aerobics.
- Strength training equipment.
- Fitness.
Effective types
Before starting to lose weight, every girl asks the question, which type is best for losing weight? You must find the answer to it yourself, because the most effective method of body correction is considered to be the one that will bring you pleasure. By working hard and with joy, you will certainly get the desired results. The main thing is that training takes place regularly and does not depress you mentally and physically.
You can choose from the following sports:
- Swimming. One of the most effective sports that helps to shape your figure. In 1 hour of swimming you can lose up to 600 calories if you follow all the rules. Those who want to lose weight should work out with a trainer who will monitor the quality of the exercises performed and the weight loss process itself. Before the swim, you need to develop your muscles by warming up, this will help avoid cramps. Do not forget that in water the body does not produce sweat, so the main load goes to the kidneys; more than 2 hours of active exercise can be hazardous to health.
- Dancing. Perhaps one of the most interesting sports with its bright varieties. In an hour of exercise you can lose up to 500 calories and get a lot of positive impressions. For girls, such weight loss will be especially pleasant, because they will be able not only to correct their figure, but also to realize their creative potential.
- Run. There are different running techniques that help you lose weight, all of them are suitable only as aids for losing weight. Running can burn up to 750 calories in just 30 minutes. However, to achieve such results, you should exercise under the close supervision of an instructor, otherwise you may develop problems with muscles and joints.
- A ride on the bicycle. This is the most effective method for those who want to correct curvy hips and buttocks. By riding for just 30 minutes 3 times a week, within a month you will notice how excess fat disappears and your muscles become firm and elastic.
- Fitness. Rhythmic exercises with and without equipment are designed specifically to build an ideal toned body, but without unnecessary relief. The workouts involve cardiological and anaerobic loads, so they have a complex effect on burning fat deposits and forming strong, toned muscles. As a rule, classes last 1 hour and should be held 3 times a week.
- Aerobics. This sport is designed specifically for weight loss. It combines challenging exercises and dance elements, making your workouts more varied and interesting. In one session you can lose up to 400 calories, which is an excellent indicator.
- Exercises in the gym. This is the surest way out for those who do not have sufficient self-control, since in the gym the trainer will monitor the completion of all exercises. The specialist will also develop a training program specifically for you that will help you achieve your goals.
These are not all sports that can be useful for losing weight. Basic house cleaning at a fast pace or walking will be a great addition to your overall weight loss program.
Tables
You can try to choose a sport based on the data in the following tables, which clearly demonstrate the benefits of each of them for losing weight.
How many minutes will it take to burn 500 kcal?
How many calories can you burn in 1 hour?
How many calories can you burn in 1 hour on exercise machines?
Criterias of choice
If you have planned to lose weight through sports, but cannot decide on a particular type, a few recommendations will come in handy.
Girls and men
Men predominantly choose strength sports, such as wrestling and gym equipment, in order to not only lose weight, but also build muscle mass, develop strength and endurance.
For a girl, it is better to choose loads that are more cardio-oriented (although exercises with weights should also be performed). This includes running, dancing, swimming, jumping rope, fitness - everything that will develop flexibility and stretching.
In the hall or at home
If you choose strength training equipment, swimming, fitness, dancing, then it is better, of course, to take a gym membership. There is professional equipment, the opportunity to communicate with more experienced like-minded people and consult with a trainer.
But you can also exercise at home by selecting an appropriate set of exercises (for example, to work out all parts of the body) or by purchasing a lightweight model of a simulator. To achieve results, dedication and regularity of practice are much more important. There will be no effect from a gym membership if you constantly skip workouts.
Intensity
If you are looking for a sport for the lazy, don’t waste your time: it simply doesn’t exist. Perhaps walking can be recommended, but you will still need an accelerated pace and daily walks. It is best to discuss the frequency of classes and their intensity in advance with two specialists - a doctor and a trainer. The best option is to draw up a training plan with them so as not to harm your health and achieve the desired result.
Strength and cardio exercises
As for the choice between cardio exercise and strength sports, we have already talked about their ratio in a weight loss program, and how to combine them correctly. You cannot give preference to one thing, otherwise both directions will be useless. Do you want a slim and toned body? Include them in a single training plan.
When choosing a sport for weight loss, do not forget to also focus on your own desires and physical fitness. If you feel after training that this is not your thing, you don’t need to torture yourself, there will be no result. Sports should be fun, because the endorphins produced during exercise also take part in fat burning. Therefore, look for what you like. In addition, this will reduce the risk of failure.