6 Effective Interval Workouts for Rapid Weight Loss

When most people think of working out to lose weight, they immediately turn to traditional cardio. “Traditional” refers to the long, slow, steady type of exercise—jogging, biking, walking, etc.—that lasts from 30 to 60 minutes. Sure, that training method is valuable for your overall health, but if you’re not seeing the fat loss progress you want, it may be time to up your fitness a few notches. To help you out, I’ve put together six of the best interval workouts to lose weight faster.

One of the best ways to lose weight faster is to do more high-intensity interval training (HIIT), which is an intense cardio method with tons of benefits. The idea is to push yourself as hard as you can for a short period of time which is usually between 10 and 30 seconds. Then rest for a certain amount of time to catch your breath until it’s time to do another repetition. The result? You’ll skyrocket your metabolism, burn more calories than steady-state cardio, and save tons of time.

Add the below interval training sessions to the end of your routine as a “finisher” to help burn extra calories and rev up your metabolism to boost your results. Also, avoid doing too many high-intensity workouts per week – two to three are enough to speed up your progress.

Workout #1

What you need: Choose from three popular pieces of fitness equipment – Airdyne bike, Ski erg or Versaclimber! This is a simple interval workout that will increase your metabolism, burn a lot of calories and improve your fitness significantly.

The routine:

1. For each exercise, do 30 seconds on followed by 30 seconds off.
2. Repeat this 10 to 15 times.

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Workout #2

What you need: All you need is your body. You’ll quickly cycle through several bodyweight exercises to improve your fitness, boost your metabolism, and give your midsection a nice little boost, which is never a bad thing. Do this circuit 10 times.

The routine:

• Ab Wheel Rollout (15 seconds, 30 seconds rest)
• Salute Planks (15 seconds, 30 seconds rest)
• Super Planks (15 seconds, 30 seconds rest)

1. Rollout of ab wheel

1. While on both knees, grab an ab wheel and press forward.
2. Go down as low as you can.
3. Pull yourself back up.
4. Make sure to keep your arms straight and your hips extended at all times.

2. Salute planks

1. Start in plank position.
2. Keep your core tight and your glutes squeezed.
3. Bring one hand to your forehead in a salute position and hold for 3 seconds.
4. Alternative pages.
5. Prevent your hips from twisting and stay tight.

3. Super planks

1. Start in a plank position with your forearms on the ground.
2. Crawl up into a pushup position.
3. Lower yourself into a plank.
4. Repeat.

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Workout #3

What you need: This workout is perfect for a small gym or when the gym is super busy because you only need one piece of equipment: a kettlebell. The beauty of swings is that they are a full-body exercise that is repeated so quickly, making them perfect for interval training.

The routine:

• Kettlebell Swings (20 seconds, 40 seconds rest, repeat 10 to 15 times)

1. Kettlebell Swings

1. Start in deadlift position with the kettlebell a few meters in front of you.
2. Walk the kettlebell back between your legs.
3. Explosively drive your hips forward.
4. Swing the kettlebell up to the rack.
5. Repeat.

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Workout #4

What you need: Here’s another interval workout that requires no equipment. This is the famous “Tabata” workout, where you push yourself to the absolute max. It’s extremely difficult, but the good news is that it only lasts four minutes. It gives amazing results, but one Tabata is enough.

The routine:

• Prisoner Hold Squat (20 seconds on, 10 seconds repeat, repeat for a total of four minutes)

1. Prisoner Hold Squat

1. Start with your hands behind your head.
2. Stand shoulder-width apart with your toes slightly out.
3. Squat by leaning back, spreading your knees and keeping your weight on your heels.
4. When your hips are below parallel, drive through your heels and rise.
5. Keep the lower part flat.

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Workout #5

What you need: All you need is a resistance band. Bands are a very underrated tool because they can provide a lot of resistance without having to pack heavy weights. Simply throw a few bands in your bag with different resistance levels, and you can exercise anytime, anywhere.

The routine:

• Band Bent Row (30 seconds, 30 seconds rest)
• Band Pushups (30 seconds, 30 seconds rest)
• Band No Money (30 seconds, 30 seconds rest)

1. Band bent row

1. Stand on a resistance band with your feet shoulder-width apart and one end in each hand.
2. Bend your knees slightly and bend your hips until your torso is almost parallel to the ground.
3. Keep your lower back flat, squeeze your shoulder blades together and row.

2. Band Pushups

1. With the resistance band in both hands, place it behind your back.
2. Get into a pushup position with your hands about shoulder width apart.
3. Keep your lower back flat and your hips in line with your shoulders.
4. Lower yourself and keep your elbows close to your body as you go down.
5. Press up and repeat.

3. Tie no money

1. Hold a resistance band with your palms facing up in front of you while keeping your elbows tucked into your torso and your shoulder blades pressed together.
2. Spread the band out while keeping your elbows close to your body until your forearms are parallel to each other.
3. Return to starting position and repeat.

Workout #6

What you need: All you need is your body. This is another type of interval training. After all, typical interval training is actually pretty tough on your body, so it’s nice to have an option that’s gentle and something you can even do every day to speed up your fat loss.

The routine:

1. Do a 5-minute warm-up by walking at a comfortable pace.
2. Walk 3 minutes as fast as you can without running.
3. Walk 3 minutes at a normal pace.
4. Repeat this at least 4 times.
5. Cool down for 5 minutes by walking at a relaxed pace.