Losing weight and keeping it off requires a multifaceted approach that combines a balanced diet, consistent exercise, and sustainable behavioral changes. While individual results may vary, incorporating the right exercise classes into your routine can significantly boost your weight loss efforts. This article explores some of the best exercise classes for weight loss, considering factors like calorie burn, intensity, and overall fitness benefits.
The Role of Exercise in Weight Loss
Exercise plays a crucial role in weight management by increasing the number of calories you burn. While studies suggest that exercise alone may lead to a modest weight loss of around 2kg, its primary benefit lies in preventing weight regain and improving overall health. Regular exercise increases muscle mass, which in turn elevates your body's calorie-burning capacity even at rest. This makes exercise a key component of successful long-term weight management.
It’s worth remembering that your goal when losing weight is actually to change your body composition, ie maintaining and promoting muscle mass while reducing body fat. Unfortunately, the number you see on the scales doesn’t give you this fuller picture.
Types of Exercise for Weight Loss
There isn't one single "best" exercise for weight loss. A combination of structured exercise and daily physical activity is likely to yield the most effective results. Here are some types of exercise classes to consider:
Cardio
Increasing aerobic activity on a regular basis increases the number of calories you burn and may help with your weight loss goals - especially shifting belly fat. Aerobic exercise improves endurance, breathing and heart rate and as such benefits the heart, lungs and circulation.
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- Examples: Brisk walking, jogging, dancing, swimming, tennis, and cycling.
- Benefits: Improves cardiovascular health, increases calorie expenditure, and helps burn fat.
Resistance or Strength Training
Often referred to as weight lifting, this form of exercise helps preserve and develop muscle and makes them stronger. You don’t need to lift weights in a gym if that’s not your thing, simply using your own body weight - doing a push up, for example - or using a resistance band will achieve a similar effect.
- Benefits: Builds muscle mass, increases metabolic rate, and helps prevent metabolism from slowing down during weight loss.
High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)
This much talked about and popular form of exercise involves cycles of short bursts of intense exercise followed by a brief rest, and combines cardio and resistance training. Typically taking 10-20 minutes to complete, this intense activity can be helpful for initiating body composition changes.
- Benefits: Burns a significant number of calories in a short amount of time, effective for burning belly fat.
Top Exercise Classes for Weight Loss
Here's a detailed look at some of the best exercise classes for weight loss, considering their calorie-burning potential, intensity, and unique benefits:
1. High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)
HIIT combines short bursts of intense exercise with brief recovery periods, keeping your heart rate high and maximizing calorie burn-even after your workout is over.
- Calorie Burn: Burns up to 500-800 calories per session
- Benefits: Boosts metabolism for hours after class (afterburn effect), combines cardio and strength for total-body results
- Best For: Those who want a fast, effective workout with maximum fat burn.
2. Spin / Indoor Cycling
A spin class is a high-energy, low-impact cardio workout that torches calories and builds lower-body endurance. The intensity of cycling helps you shed fat while strengthening your legs and core.
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- Calorie Burn: Burns 400-600 calories per session
- Benefits: Low-impact but high-intensity, great for all fitness levels, upbeat music and instructor motivation keep you going
- Best For: Anyone looking for an intense calorie-burning cardio workout without the stress on joints.
3. Boot Camp Workouts
Boot camp classes mix cardio, strength training, and bodyweight exercises for a full-body calorie burn. The variety of movements keeps your body guessing and helps avoid plateaus.
- Calorie Burn: Burns 500-700 calories per class
- Benefits: Combines strength and cardio for maximum fat loss, motivating group atmosphere pushes you to work harder
- Best For: Those who enjoy a challenging, high-energy workout with a mix of strength and cardio.
4. Zumba & Dance Fitness
Zumba and dance-based fitness classes turn your workout into a party while still torching calories. The constant movement and fast-paced choreography keep your heart rate up for an effective cardio session.
- Calorie Burn: Burns 400-600 calories per session
- Benefits: Great for fat loss while improving coordination, fun, stress-relieving, and beginner-friendly
- Best For: Those who want a fun, energetic way to lose weight without feeling like they’re working out.
5. Strength Training & Functional Fitness
While cardio burns calories during the workout, strength training increases muscle mass, which helps you burn more calories even at rest. Functional fitness classes focus on full-body movements, making them great for weight loss and overall fitness.
- Calorie Burn: Burns 300-500 calories per session
- Benefits: Builds lean muscle, which speeds up metabolism, improves overall strength and mobility
- Best For: Anyone looking to tone up, build strength, and lose fat through resistance training.
6. Walking
Walking can be a convenient way for many beginners to exercise without feeling overwhelmed or needing to purchase equipment. It’s also a lower-impact exercise, meaning it’s less likely to stress your joints.
- Calorie Burn: A 140-pound (65-kilogram) person burns about 7.6 calories per minute walking. A 180-pound (81-kg) person burns about 9.7 calories per minute walking.
- Benefits: Lower-impact exercise, meaning it’s less likely to stress your joints.
- Best For: Beginners to exercise without feeling overwhelmed or needing to purchase equipment.
7. Jogging and Running
Although they seem similar, the key difference is that a jogging pace is generally between 4-6 mph (6.4-9.7 km/h), while a running pace is faster than 6 mph (9.7 km/h).
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- Calorie Burn: A 140-pound (65-kg) person burns about 10.8 calories per minute jogging and 13.2 calories per minute when running. A 180-pound (81-kg) person burns about 13.9 calories per minute jogging and 17 calories per minute when running.
- Benefits: Helps burn visceral fat, commonly known as belly fat.
- Best For: People who want to burn visceral fat, commonly known as belly fat.
8. Cycling
Cycling is a non-weight-bearing and low impact exercise, so it won’t place much stress on your joints.
- Calorie Burn: A 140-pound (65-kg) person burns about 6.4 calories per minute cycling at a speed of 10 miles per hour (MPH). A 180-pound (81-kg) person burns about 8.2 calories per minute cycling at 10 MPH.
- Benefits: People who cycle regularly have better overall fitness, increased insulin sensitivity, and a lower risk of heart disease, cancer, and death than those who don’t cycle regularly.
- Best For: People who want a non-weight-bearing and low impact exercise.
9. Swimming
Swimming is its low impact nature, meaning it’s easier on your joints. This makes it a great option for people with injuries or joint pain.
- Calorie Burn: A 140-pound (65-kg) person burns about 9 calories per minute swimming at a crawl or moderate pace. A 180-pound (81-kg) person burns about 11.6 calories per minute swimming at a crawl or moderate pace.
- Benefits: Easier on your joints.
- Best For: People with injuries or joint pain.
10. Yoga
While it’s not commonly considered a weight loss exercise, yoga burns a fair amount of calories and offers many additional health benefits that can promote weight loss.
- Benefits: Teaches mindfulness and reduce stress levels.
- Best For: People who want to improve mental and physical well-being.
11. Pilates
Although Pilates may not burn as many calories as aerobic exercises like running, many people find it enjoyable, which makes it easier to stick to over time.
- Calorie Burn: A person weighing around 140 pounds (64 kg) would burn 108 calories at a 30-minute beginner’s Pilates class or 168 calories at an advanced class of the same duration.
- Benefits: Reduce lower back pain and improve strength, balance, flexibility, endurance, and overall fitness.
- Best For: People who want to reduce lower back pain and improve strength, balance, flexibility, endurance, and overall fitness.
12. Pure Barre
Immerse yourself in the Pure Barre Experience and explore the benefits of our low-impact, high-intensity workout.
- Benefits: Improves strength, endurance, flexibility, and balance, protects your joints from injury while you strengthen and tone your entire body.
- Best For: Clients at every fitness level.
Choosing the Right Class
The best class depends on your fitness level, goals, and preferences:
- Want maximum calorie burn in the shortest time? Try HIIT or Boot Camp.
- Prefer low-impact but intense cardio? Spin is perfect.
- Looking for a fun way to lose weight? Dance/Zumba is your best bet.
- Want to build muscle while burning fat? Go for Strength Training.
Factors Affecting Weight Loss
How much weight you can expect to lose from exercise depends on several factors:
- Starting weight: People with a higher starting weight typically have a higher BMR.
- Age: Older people tend to carry more fat and less muscle mass, reducing their BMR.
- Sex: People assigned female at birth (AFAB) tend to have a greater fat-to-muscle ratio than those assigned male (AMAB), which can affect BMR.
- Diet: Weight loss occurs when you burn more calories than you consume.
- Sleep: A lack of sleep may slow the rate at which you lose weight and even increase your cravings for high calorie foods.
- Medical conditions: People with medical conditions like depression and hypothyroidism may lose weight at a slower rate.
- Genetics: Weight loss has a genetic component, which may affect certain people with obesity.
Safety Considerations
If you’re new to exercise, speak with your GP or healthcare practitioner to ensure the exercise you propose is appropriate for you. This is especially relevant if you have heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, osteoporosis, an existing muscle injury, arthritis or joint issues; or if you’re on prescribed medication or are pregnant.
When you start exercising, start slowly, allowing time to warm up and cool down with a gentle walk or stretching exercises before and after each session. During your workout, aim for a pace you can continue without getting overly tired; as your stamina and strength improves increase the amount of time and intensity.