The Best DVDs to Help Lose Body Fat

What is the best exercise to lose weight? Well, there isn't just ONE exercise that will make you lose weight, but if you can combine several different ones, consistently, then you will lose the weight. So, what are exercises are they?

First, you are going to want to do some cardiovascular exercise to help you lose body fat. Cardio gets the heart rate up during the work, which burns calories. When you burn calories, you lose weight-as long as you burn more than you take in. Cardio also helps to keep your metabolism higher for up to two hours after you are finished exercising, depending upon how hard you worked during your session. If you are just starting out, you should shoot for thirty minutes of cardio per day. Once you have been working out a while, you need to up the time and intensity of your workouts.

Now, what is good, quality cardiovascular exercise? You can do a lot of things that qualify as cardio, but they don't all provide you with the same results. Steady state cardio, such as a walk on the treadmill or a ride on a stationary bike is a fine way to get your cardio in. However, the fastest way to lose weight is a thirty minute plyometric cardio DVD or thirty minutes of a cardio kickboxing class or cycling class at the gym. These will burn more than twice the calories of that steady state walk or stationary bike ride.

Plyometrics is basically 'jump training'. It is currently en vogue, because of HiiT training. HiiT training is 'high intensity interval training,' which is based upon the Tabata method. Izumi Tabata developed this method of training at the National Institute of Fitness in Tokyo. Basically you work hard for four minutes-work hard for twenty seconds, rest for ten seconds, work hard for twenty seconds, rest for ten, etc., for four minutes. Break for one minute, and then repeat. Videos such as Cathe Friedrich's HiiT use this method. The user will warm up for six minutes and then do sixteen minutes of plyometrics, then cool down. This DVD will burn three times the amount of calories that you would in the same amount of time on a stationary bike, or on a jog. This type of interval training works because you get your heart rate up into the anaerobic zone-meaning you are working without oxygen, by working as hard as you can for short burst, then you allow your heart rate to recover, and then you do it all over again. This type of interval training has been proven to be better for your heart, and to be the best way to burn fat and calories.

Other versions of this type of plyometrics and Tabata training can be found on Beach Body's TurboFire training DVDs.

Of course, in addition to all this cardio, you must be doing some weight training, too, in order to build your muscles. That is truly the best way to lose weight fast. No lean body was ever built on cardio alone.