How to Lose Weight Fast With Kettlebells for Women

Russian fitness enthusiasts designed the kettlebell centuries ago, but its popularity is on the rise all over the world with elite athletes and casual fitness buffs alike. Kettlebell workouts are ideal for women looking to lose weight fast, as they provide a great challenge for your cardiovascular system, increase your muscular strength and burn loads of calories, which will help you on your way to a leaner, fitter body.

Step 1
Base your workout around compound exercises. Compound exercises are ones which require the movement of more than one muscle or joint. In kettlebell training, these include swings, snatches, cleans, presses, high pulls and many others. Compound exercises require much more effort, so burn more calories and stimulate the release of more hormones, which can lead to greater weight loss.

Step 2
Pick three or four exercises and perform them using the tabata protocol in one weekly session. Tabata involves performing as many repetitions as possible on a single exercise for 20 seconds, you then rest for 10 seconds and repeat again seven times. According to strength coach Nick Tumminello, tabatas are great for speeding up fat loss and improving your aerobic conditioning. Rest for three minutes between each exercise.

Step 3
Set up a circuit consisting of goblet squats, suitcase deadlifts, single arm presses and renegade rows in your other two kettlebell workouts each week. Do between five and eight repetitions on each exercise, using fairly heavy kettlebells, and repeat the circuit four times. You may also wish to perform some light aerobic work such as skipping in between rounds to keep your heart rate up.

Step 4
Keep your rest periods as low as you can, without compromising performance. Trainer John Romaniello writes in his article "The Five Principles of Radical Fat Loss" that to lose fat, you should aim to do more work in less time, which means keeping rest periods low. Rest just enough that you can complete your next set with good technique, but not so much that you are completely recovered.

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Exercises to Lose Upper Body Fat for Women

Reducing upper body fat is best tackled with a combination of training styles. Incorporating several different types of workouts each week will help reduce the fat from your belly, arms and back, without putting undue stress on your body. Remember, however, that exercise isn't the only part of the puzzle: eat sensibly and drink plenty of water to speed up the rate of fat loss.

Sprint Like You Mean It

Sprinting is a highly effective way to lose body fat, particularly from around your belly. Sprinting burns a significant amount of energy in a relatively short period of time, and also improves lean muscle definition. This will help flatten your stomach and tone your arms. A popular form of sprinting is the Tabata sprint, in which you do 20 seconds of all-out work, followed by 10 seconds of rest, and repeat this eight times. Sprinting is very taxing on the body, so do this twice per week, with at least two days between sessions.

Interval Action

Interval training is another very effective method for reducing upper body fat. The International Journal of Obesity found that three interval sessions per week was enough to significantly reduce trunk fat in women. A prime example of interval training is the high-intensity bodyweight circuit, in which you work very hard for an entire circuit, then rest a couple of minutes, then repeat. Choose five to seven exercises and perform them in a non-stop circuit, resting for two to three minutes once you have completed a full round of the exercises. Exercises you might choose from include push-ups, pull-ups, tricep dips, crunches, Russian twists, hand walkouts, mountain climbers, burpees, star jumps, bear crawls, planks and lying leg raises.

Long Live The Resistance

Resistance training, or strength training, is another effective way to reduce your upper-body fat. There's no need to fear becoming "bulky" from lifting weights -- most women don't have the hormonal or skeletal profile for it. You will, however, see a significant reduction in body fat, and an improvement in lean muscle definition by doing two upper-body weight sessions per week. Choose five to seven exercises to rotate through, doing three sets total. Choose weights that will allow you to complete at least eight repetitions, but not more than 12, and take a minute or two of rest between each set to recover. Exercises to choose from include the bench bress, bent over row, overhead press, overhead tricep press, bicep curls, tricep kickbacks, lateral raises, forward raises, dumbbell flies and dumbbell shrugs. Including two lower body workouts per week will also speed up your rate of fat loss -- include exercises such as squats, deadlifts, lunges, leg press, calf raise and hyperextensions.

Walk It Out

Walking is an underrated but important type of exercise for losing weight. Fat is often stored in the abdominal area in response to stress. Walking, particularly in peaceful and beautiful environments (like parks, forests and beaches) is very effective for reducing stress hormones in the body, relaxing the mind and central nervous system, and improving your body's ability to filter out the toxins and hormones that are causing you to hold belly fat. Walking for 30 to 60 minutes, two to three times per week will help you reduce your upper body fat.

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At-Home Weight Loss Workout Plans for Over-Sized Women

Working out at home offers many benefits, but doesn't mean you have to invest a lot of money in equipment. At home workouts are a good way to lose weight and reduce your risk of health conditions that include heart disease, diabetes and depression. Talk to your doctor about an appropriate workout routine for your health and weight loss goals.

Equipment

Even with very little space, you can set up an effective workout space in your home that helps you lose weight. A basement, garage or spare bedroom is ideal, but even a small corner of your family room works. Choose equipment based on your space and size. Being heavy can put strain on your legs, knees and joints, which might be exacerbated with exercise. Mark Klion, an orthopedic surgeon at Mount Sinai Hospital suggests low-intensity exercise, such as walking, which you can do around your house and yard, according to a 2009 Forbes.com report. Klion also advocates light weight lifting to strengthen your back and arms.

Getting Started

Some exercises might be difficult due to your size. Rather than trying to do them, choose exercises that are easy to perform to increase your motivation and help you jump-start your weight loss. Start slow and gradually build your intensity and time as you gain confidence with exercising. For example, start with a slow 10-minute walk on the treadmill and add a few minutes at a time each week. Lift weights with a small pound load at the beginning of your workout routine and build to heavier ones as you go. If you have trouble bending or moving, the National Institute on Aging suggests staying with your program and doing what you can, which gives you a healthy start and increases motivation. If your heart rate increases, your body is benefiting, according to the Harvard School of Public Health.

Exercise Choices

Many exercises are beneficial for weight loss and are easy to do at home. Walk or run in place while you watch television, climb up and down a flight of steps several times, lift weights as you listen to music, or do squats and lunges while you wait for dinner to cook. Even if your size restricts you to a couple of minutes, any increase in exercise offers benefits, notes the Harvard School of Public Health. Once you gain endurance and begin seeing results, lengthen the time and intensity of your workouts.

Considerations

The bottom line for weight loss is to burn more calories than you consume. Despite your best intentions when it comes to a home workout, failing to change your eating habits may derail your effort. Cut calories from your diet by filling up on a variety of foods from each food group, including fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean protein and low-fat dairy. These choices are low in fat and calories, but satisfy hunger and help you get adequate amounts of essential nutrients. Weight training is an important aspect of weight loss. Building lean muscle mass speeds your metabolism, which allows your body to burn calories more efficiently, even at rest.

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Gym Workouts for Women to Lose Weight

When women refer to weight loss, what they usually mean is fat loss. For maximum effectiveness in losing fat, women should hit the gym. Two forms of exercise, cardio and strength training -- both of which can be performed at the gym -- can help a woman quickly burn fat to noticeable degrees. Combined with caloric restriction, the gym can be a woman’s secret weapon for weight loss.

Strength Training

For many women, strength training is the road less taken. But strength training does something that cardio does not: it builds lean muscle. The body’s act of building lean muscle leads to a continued calorie burn post-workout that requires no extra effort on your part. To start weight training, you only need to choose your method: free weights, machines or group classes. Group classes tend to be the safest option for beginners, as you will be instructed on proper form for resistance training, which will prevent injury. Ask a trainer for advice before starting an individual free-weight or machine routine. Pilates and vinyasa yoga are also options for strength training. Ideally, you should schedule three weight training sessions per week -- even 30 minute sessions are enough to see results. Perform each exercise for three sets of 10 repetitions, or reps, each. Take one to three minute breaks between each set.

Cardio

Most women are already familiar with cardio workouts, though they may not be doing them the right way. Cardio works by calling on the body to put its fat-burning system into overdrive, provided you are doing it at the right intensity and for the right duration. A proper fat-burning cardio session should be at least 40 minutes and should require you to push your heart to 60 to 70 percent of its maximum rate. Cardio opportunities in the gym are plentiful. Not only do most gyms offer cardio classes ranging from kickboxing to step aerobics, but gyms also offer individual cardio equipment as well as facilities, such as stationary bikes and swimming pools. The truth is that any activity that gets your heart rate up can be cardio, so do what you enjoy most. Shoot for three cardio sessions per week to start.

Sample Workout

The best results are seen when you combine cardio with strength training. This maximizes the number of calories burned; so, assuming that you are keeping your caloric intake constant, a workout combining these two types will lead to the greatest weight loss. Such a sample workout could consist of a weekly schedule in which you alternate strength training with cardio, taking one day off. This type of schedule is especially effective because it helps you build the habit of going to the gym. For example, you may choose to do six free-weight exercises for strength training on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and take one-hour aerobics classes Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.

Diet

While gym workouts are useful in spurring weight loss, diet is also chief to results. A number of studies have shown how caloric reduction results in weight loss -- primarily fat loss -- implying that one of the fastest ways to weight loss is through eating less food or less calorie-dense food. Other studies have shown that replacing carbohydrates in your diet with proteins leads to decreased weight and waist size. By incorporating diet with exercise, you can arrive at your goal much more quickly. But remember, if you have a health condition, be sure to consult a doctor before changing your diet or beginning an exercise regimen.

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Diets for Women to Lose Weight on Their Butts & Thighs

Being overweight or obese has many disadvantages for a woman's health. However, if most of your excess weight is in the lower portion of your body -- where women tend to put on the most weight -- you may be better off. Women who are pear-shaped are at lower risk for developing diabetes and blood lipid abnormalities, according to a 2004 "International Journal of Obesity" study. At the same time, fat on the thighs and butt is difficult to shed and is responsible for unsightly flab and cellulite.

Reduce Calorie Intake

You will be most successful at losing weight by consuming the appropriate amount of calories. In order to shed pounds, you need to take in fewer calories than you use. The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, NHLBI, explains that the number of calories each individual should consume is based on gender, age and activity level. The least active you are, the fewer calories you need. Healthy females who are sedentary, meaning they get little, if any, exercise outside of their ordinary routine, need about 1,600 to 2,000 calories a day. Moderately active females need 1,800 to 2,200 calories. If you take in more calories than you burn, your body will store the excess calories as fat. Women with a pear-shaped physique are more likely to store that fat in the butt and thighs.

Eliminate High Calorie Foods

Consuming 150 calories a day above the amount you burn through physical activity can lead to gaining 5 lbs. over the course of six months, according to the NHLBI. By eliminating one beverage or one snack a day, and choosing healthier recipes, you can easily reduce your calorie intake. Drink zero-calorie water or club soda rather than a 136-calorie cola. A large serving of fast food French fries can have more than twice as many calories as a small serving. You will eliminate 320 calories from your diet by opting for a small French fry at one popular fast food eatery. When eating an omelette, choose egg whites, which have roughly 79 calories, versus one made from regular eggs, which can have 600 calories based on a three-egg omelette.

Eat Healthier Foods

Simply increasing your family's intake of healthier foods could significantly impact your body mass index. In a 2008 study published in the journal "Obesity," children in families that introduced healthier foods, such as fruits, vegetables and low-fat dairy and reduced energy-dense foods with limited nutritional value, showed a greater reduction in overall body fat compared to families who continued eating an diet high in energy-dense foods. Body mass reduction in the parents followed the same pattern as their children. The Mayo Clinic suggests eating foods that are low in calories but can make you feel fuller longer, known as low-energy-dense foods. Several fruits and vegetables are high in water content and low in calories, such as grapefruit and carrots. Foods high in fiber take longer to digest, which makes you feel fuller on fewer calories. Good examples are vegetables, fruits and whole grains. Dairy and lean meat contain fat, which can make you feel satiated longer. The key is to take in lean sources of fat, such as low-fat milk and poultry. Also, nuts, seeds and olive oil contain healthy, monounsaturated fats.

Facts About Target Weight Loss

Unfortunately, there is no way to target and reduce fat in just one area of your body. You can, however, reduce the size of your thighs and butt by taking in fewer calories and consuming healthier foods. As the pounds fall away, the change in areas you gain the most weight could show a more dramatic improvement compared to areas where you have less fat. According to an article published by "Scientific American," no cream, injection, pill or other gimmick will reduce excess weight in a woman's butt or thighs. The only way to shed pounds here is with a sensible diet and regular exercise.

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