How much exercise do you really need to lose weight? That answer is different for every person, but for most of us, it's probably more than we think.
The American College of Sports Medicine recommends accumulating 200-300 minutes of exercise each week to lose weight (and that's without changing your eating habits), which translates to about 30-45 minutes of exercise every day.
So, what does a program like that look like in real life? My 30 Days to Weight Loss Program below offers one option, 4 weeks of cardio, strength and flexibility workouts ranging from 200-300 minutes each week.
This program is not intended for beginners. If you are, or it's been awhile since you've exercised, I have two other programs that are great precursors to this one: 30 Days to Health and Fitness or 30 Days to Weight Gain Prevention, both of which offer a less strenuous schedule.
A few caveats:
- Don't be a slave to the workouts or schedule: This is just a sample program and many of the workouts are advanced and intense. Not everyone is ready for this level of exercise. Take extra rest days or go back to an easier program if you feel sore, tired or your performance suffers.
- See your doctor if you have any medicial conditions, illnesses or injuries
- Substitute your own workouts if you have other activities you enjoy
30 Days to Weight Loss
Week 1
Goal: 215 Minutes of Exercise, Varying Intensity
- Sunday: Rest
- Monday: High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)
- Option 1: 30-Minute Treadmill Interval Workout
- Option 2: Create your own HIIT Workout - Alternate 1 minute of any cardio, working as hard as you can (e.g., sprinting) with 2 minutes of light cardio to recover for 30 min.
- Tuesday: Moderate Cardio and Strength Training
- Cardio Option 1: Walking, brisk pace, 30 minutes
- Cardio Option 2: 30-Minute Basic Cardio
- Cardio Option 3: Choose any cardio and work at a moderate intensity for 30 minutes
- Strength Option 1: Basic Total Body Strength, 30-45 min
- Strength Option 2: Total Body Home Workout, 30-45 min
- Strength Option 3: Choose Your Own Strength Workout
- Wednesday: Active Rest
- Accumulate 20 minutes of walking
- Thursday: Lower Body Strength, Stretch
- Option 1: Lower Body Strength (30 min)
- Option 2: Lower Body Mix and Match
- Option 3: Choose Your Own Lower Body
- Stretching (15 Minutes)
- Friday: High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)
- Option 1: 30-Minute Treadmill Interval Workout
- Option 2: Create your own HIIT Workout - Alternate 1 minute of any cardio, working as hard as you can (e.g., sprinting) with 2 minutes of light cardio to recover for 30 min.
- Saturday: Upper Body Workout
- Option 1: Upper Body Workout (30 min)
- Option 2: Upper Body Mix and Match (30 Min)
- Option 3: Choose Your Own Upper Body
Total Workout Time: 215 Minutes
Week 2
Goal: 250 Minutes of Exercise, Varied Intensity
- Sunday: Rest
- Monday: High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)
- Option 1: 30-Minute Treadmill Interval Workout
- Option 2: Create your own HIIT Workout - Alternate 1 minute of any cardio, working as hard as you can (e.g., sprinting) with 2 minutes of light cardio to recover for 30 min.
- Tuesday: Moderate Cardio and Strength Training
- Cardio Option 1: Walking, brisk pace, 35 minutes
- Cardio Option 2: 35-Minute Moderate Cardio
- Cardio Option 3: Choose any cardio and work at a moderate intensity for 35 minutes
- Strength Option 1: Basic Total Body Strength, 30-45 min
- Strength Option 2: Total Body Home Workout, 30-45 min
- Strength Option 3: Choose Your Own Strength Workout
- Wednesday: Active Rest and Core
- Accumulate 20 minutes of walking
- Option 1: Abs and Back Workout (15-25 min)
- Option 2: Best Abs Workout (20-30 min)
- Thursday: Lower Body Strength, Stretching
- Option 1: Lower Body Strength (30 min)
- Option 2: Lower Body Mix and Match
- Option 3: Choose Your Own Lower Body
- Stretching (15 Minutes)
- Friday: High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)
- Option 1: 30-Minute Treadmill Interval Workout
- Option 2: Create your own HIIT Workout - Alternate 1 minute of any cardio, working as hard as you can (e.g., sprinting) with 2 minutes of light cardio to recover for 30 min.
- Saturday: Upper Body Workout
- Option 1: Upper Body Workout (30 min)
- Option 2: Upper Body Mix and Match (30 Min)
- Option 3: Choose Your Own Upper Body
Total Workout Time: 250 Minutes
Week 3
This week, you'll back off your workouts to allow time to recover, recuperate and get ready for next week.
Goals: 200 Minutes of Exercise, Varied Intensity
- Sunday: Rest
- Monday: High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)
- Option 1: 30-Minute Treadmill Interval Workout
- Option 2: Create your own HIIT Workout - Alternate 1 minute of any cardio, working as hard as you can (e.g., sprinting) with 2 minutes of light cardio to recover for 30 min.
- Tuesday: Moderate Cardio and Strength Training
- Cardio Option 1: Walking, brisk pace, 20 minutes
- Cardio Option 2: 20-Minute Basic Cardio
- Cardio Option 3: Choose any cardio and work at a moderate intensity for 20 minutes
- Strength Option 1: Basic Total Body Strength, 30-45 min
- Strength Option 2: Total Body Home Workout, 30-45 min
- Strength Option 3: Choose Your Own Strength Workout
- Wednesday: Active Rest
- Accumulate 15 minutes of walking
- Thursday: Lower Body Strength, Stretch
- Option 1: Lower Body Strength (30 min)
- Option 2: Lower Body Mix and Match
- Option 3: Choose Your Own Lower Body
- Stretching (15 Minutes)
- Friday: High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)
- Option 1: 30-Minute Treadmill Interval Workout
- Option 2: Create your own HIIT Workout - Alternate 1 minute of any cardio, working as hard as you can (e.g., sprinting) with 2 minutes of light cardio to recover for 30 min.
- Saturday: Upper Body Workout
- Option 1: Upper Body Workout (30 min)
- Option 2: Upper Body Mix and Match (30 Min)
- Option 3: Choose Your Own Upper Body
Total Workout Time: 200 Minutes
Week 4
Goals: 300 Minutes of Exercise, Varied Intensity
- Sunday: Rest
- Monday: High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) and Stretching
- Option 1: High Intensity Medley (45 min)
- Option 2: Intense Intervals (40 min)
- Option 3: Create your own HIIT Workout - Alternate 1 minute of any cardio activity, working as fast as you can (e.g., sprinting) with 2 minutes of light cardio to recover for 45 min.
- 10 minute stretching
- Tuesday: Light Cardio and Strength
- Accumulate 15 minutes of light-moderate cardio
- Strength Option 1: Basic Total Body Strength, 2-3 sets of each exercise, 45 min
- Strength Option 2: Total Body Home Workout, 2-3 sets of each exercise, 45 min
- Strength Option 3: Choose Your Own Strength Workout
- Wednesday: Cardio and Stretching
- Choose any cardio activity and work at a moderate pace for 60 minutes
- 10 minute stretching
- Thursday: Total Body Strength
- Strength Option 1: Basic Total Body Strength, 3 sets of each exercise, 45-60 min
- Strength Option 2: Total Body Home Workout, 3 sets of each exercise, 45-60 min
- Strength Option 3: Choose Your Own Strength Workout
- Friday: Active Rest
- Accumulate 5-10 minutes of walking
- Saturday: Circuit Training (Cardio and Strength), 60 min
- Option 1: Advanced Cardio and Strength Circuit (30-60 min)
- Option 2: Strength and Cardio Caloried-Burning Circuit (30-60 min)
- Option 3: Choose Your Own Circuit
Total Workout Time: 300 Minutes
