Best exercise by your experience...

CarlaMomOf4

So I have been all over the boards reading posts and experiences and everyone seems to be doing something a little different. I enjoy running but it doesn't seem to be much of a work out for other body parts other than my legs so far.My question is

What exercise or routine did you find brought you the best results thus far in your weight loss journey?

uk086242

One of the best overall exercises you can do is the bent leg / standard Dead lift. It works your thighs, hamstrings, lower back, core, arms, shoulders and upper back. Done with good technique you can go extremely heavy for 1-2 rep lifts (anaerobic), or lower the weight and (still with good technique) increase the reps to get a more aerobic impact.

Go to a good gym and get some instruction on the proper technique before you attempt it though.

If you want to get good at running, go running - if you want to shed excess bodyfat, look specifically into the types of exercise that will assist with that goal - be specific.

Good luck.

BigT555

pull ups, because they motivated me to be light and strong enough to do one at first, and now i strive for more each time i workout

eta; if were talking exercises best for strength building, itd have to be the same as the above posters, deadlifts

Cherimoose

I got the best results from reducing my food intake and by sitting less.

The usual fat loss (and fitness) plan includes full-body strength training + some cardio. I do both.

sloseph

i enjoy running the most, it great for pushing myself that bit further and i love being outside and seeing the scenery fly by

i've never given strength exercises much though, the closest i get to that is swimming which i enjoy but it gets a bit boring

Walter__

Get on a full-body weight lifting routine.

No_Finish_Line

learning how to prepare my own healthy meals was what got me the best results by far

Timshel_

For exercise sake - muscle activation, cardio, core, etc - nothing beats jumping burpees.

If you are just trying to burn calories for weight loss, it is a mix of steady state and high intensity cardio.

Lofteren

Squats

Edit: Heavy Bag work has also served me well.

MissHolidayGolightly

Tricep kickbacks



Just kidding! Love dead lifts.

nlcs_nickyv32

My profile pic says it all lol.

did_it_all_for_the_cookie

I do HIIT and strength training (mostly on alternative days) and it works wonders. There isn't ONE exercise, I'd recommend because you do need to work different parts of your body with different concentrations and intensities. A plan that gets all of your main muscle groups is the key.

CarlaMomOf4

Thanks for all the advice so far. Consensus seems to be weights weights and maybe some weights I have a small beginner set in my basement but not sure if they are heavy enough to get great results. They would be good to start out with I suppose.

asdowe13

Heavy Squats

earlnabby

Water aerobics which includes 30 min cardio, then 30 minutes strength and stretching.

cwolfman13

"Best" is going to be relative to ones fitness goals. As a matter of general all around fitness you should be doing cardio work as well as resistance training (follow an actual program) and it should be pretty balanced. I would also suggest stability, balance, and flexibility work as well.

For general fitness I ride 4x weekly and average about 60 miles or so per week. I lift 3x weekly and do a full body, compound routine...this is also where I fit in my stability, balance, and flexibility work.

For programming, look into New Rules of Lifting for Women...even if you don't do the program, it's an excellent read and a good intro into the world of resistance training/weight training. If you don't have equipment you should focus on bodyweight work with maybe some band work and light dumbbell work if you have them.

http://www.nerdfitness.com/

^^^this is a pretty good resource to get you started as well and they have some ideas for beginners and formulating a decent routine. You just don't want to be willy nilly doing whatever...you want something that is properly programmed to get the best results.

fe2o3girl

Whatever you enjoy doing. If you hate it, you won't keep doing it.

Exercise should be enjoyable, not a punishment for eating.

hoyalawya2003

Whatever you enjoy doing. If you hate it, you won't keep doing it.

Exercise should be enjoyable, not a punishment for eating.

Totally this. You will get different answers, because everyone is different.

I do bodypump once a week and go horseback riding two to three times a week. I was running, and finished C25K, and I might go back to that at some point. I had heard a lot of folks put down bodypump as "only cardio," but I am getting good results from it--definition and strength. They might be newbie gains, but my upper body looks better than it ever has (I have biceps! and my bingo wings are smaller/firmer) and I no longer despise my calves. I enjoy the class, where I doubt I would have stuck to (or even started) a heavy lifting routine. I tried a bodyweight exercise program, and didn't really like it.

TL;DR--experiment until you find something you like to do, the results will follow from consistency.

Leadfoot_Lewis

What exercise or routine did you find brought you the best results thus far in your weight loss journey?

Honestly, the routine you'll stick with.

Personally I'm not training to loss weight. I'm always looking to improve my strength and work on aesthetics. For that, a good mix of low and higher rep weightlifting + eating healthy has served me well.

caskettfan

Rowing. It's a great whole body workout and it doesn't strain your joints too much.

Laurenloveswaffles

Sex

SezxyStef

What exercise or routine did you find brought you the best results thus far in your weight loss journey?

Honestly, the routine you'll stick with.

Personally I'm not training to loss weight. I'm always looking to improve my strength and work on aesthetics. For that, a good mix of low and higher rep weightlifting + eating healthy has served me well.

this is what I was thinking...

I personally love lifting and have been doing it for 11months...same program even.

For me now it's about strength and getting a look now too...

SEAFOODMAN

Sex

I was waiting for this.....:laugh:

Icandoityayme

For me, I would say step ups. I love those.

jmt08c

Swimming-full body cardio and strength workout in one.

Hornsby

Riding a bike and lifting heavy.

MeanderingMammal

Inevitably lots of lifting zealots around, but in truth it depends on your objectives and priorities.

For me the priority is around running and cycling performance, which has led to a significant weight loss and reduction in bodyfat percentage.

The cycling is complementary to the running, as it balances out the more common sources of injury, as well as supporting the CV efficiency and improvements to lactate threshold performance.

Resistance training of some kind can be beneficial. Both cycling and running are improved through some resistance work, personally I prefer bodyweight as it's something I can integrate with my running; 5Km to the local park, do some resistance training then run home again.

But as upthread, it depends what you'll stick to. Again, from a personal perspective I find all of the p!ssing around with plates to be very boring and disruptive to my focus, so I do something that I'm more likely to actually do. If I did weights work I'd be wasting a lot of money as I know that I wouldn't stick to the programme.

dpwellman

What exercise or routine did you find brought you the best results thus far in your weight loss journey?

Weight loss? Running. Hands down.The only less efficient is doing it in snowshoes.

Graelwyn75

Boxing, cycling and weights.

ncrugbyprop

As an overall conditioning exercise, I would have to say man makers with dumbells.

For strength, a solid routine of heavy compound exercises.

For cardio fitness, swimming followed closely by running/sprinting.

For abs of steel, two hours of muay thai 4 or 5 days a week.

Christi132

Running, with a cool down that includes squats, abs, and pilates/yoga stretches.