The Best Workouts for Men to Lose Weight

The key to working out is to actually enjoy what you are doing. Sometimes that means playing basketball with the guys in a weekend league, racquetball with a friend twice a week or riding your bike on trails by the lake. The more fun you have, the more likely you are to stick with your workout. And the more you work out, the more weight you will lose, assuming you also are eating a healthy diet. Ultimately the best workout to choose is the one that best suits your personality.

Interval Training

One excellent workout for you to consider is interval training. This workout alternates high intensity exercises with lower-intensity ones. Like the start and stop motions of many sports, interval training can be done with a variety of workouts, from walking and running to swimming and cycling. The great thing about interval training is that you can choose a variety of intensity levels and can begin with as little as 20 minutes of activity.

A typical workout might include a three- to five-minute warm-up of walking, jogging or other low-intensity activity that gradually increases in speed. The warm-up should be followed by a minute of high-intensity activity, such as running or jumping rope, followed by a minute of low-intensity exercise. These one-minute intervals of high and low intensity should be repeated six to eight times. Then add a cool down period of another three to five minutes using lower-intensity exercises. The peak of exertion comes right in the middle of the training. Variations on this workout include using alternating amounts of time for the high- and low-intensity portions of the workout.

Weight Training

Another great option to build muscle and burn fat is weight training. The key is to work all the major muscle groups. For building chest muscles, try the bench press or dumbbell flys. Shoulder muscles can be developed through lateral raises and barbell presses. For building back muscles, try dead lifts, chin-ups or barbell rows. Developing arms can be achieved with barbell or dumbbell curls, triceps extensions or pull downs, and dips or wrist curls. Try squats, calf raises and leg curls to develop muscles in your legs. For building strong abs, crunches and reverse crunches are effective choices. Remember, when weight training, it's important to choose amounts that will allow you to perform three to four sets of seven to 10 reps each. Equally important is to rest for two to three minutes between sets.

Aerobics

Yet another good choice for weight loss is aerobic exercise. No, that doesn't mean you have to wear tights and go to a class where you use a step or jump around. Aerobic exercise is simply any workout you can do that will improve the oxygen consumption in your body. Aerobic exercise can include skiing, roller blading, surfing or any other activity that gets your heart rate up but still allows you to be able to talk while doing it. Along with helping you lose weight, this type of exercise also strengthens you heart, improves energy and increases your stamina.