5 Fitness programs for weight loss

Want to drop pounds? Try these activities!

If you're looking to shed some winter weight, you may want to try one of these fitness programs.

So you're committed to shedding "elbees" in the New Year, but what are the best programs to try?

Jeff Dolgan, an exercise physiologist at Canyon Ranch in Miami, says there are a few exercises worth trying, especially when you want to drop pounds.

Get ready to get moving -- and start seeing results. The plan allows for movement through multiple ranges of motion and engages your core musculature with pelvic activation. Dolgan says the fun factor will keep you engaged and pumped for the next class. In short, you'll get moving and have fun -- and be likely to stick with it!

This program utilizes whole-bodyweight strength training and challenges functional ranges of motion using suspension straps. You'll burn more calories than with a traditional strength training program due to multiple muscle-group contractions, Dolgan says. It's also convenient because you can do it on the go, at the gym or at home.

Merge your focus from only strength training or cardio into circuit training. "The two techniques in one dynamic work out will allow for a greater calorie expenditure and more effective use of time," explains the fitness expert. So do three minutes of high-intensity cardio, then three sets of strength training.

According to Dolgan, a pound of muscle burns between 10 to 15 calories per day at rest. If big muscle groups such as the pectoralis major (chest), rhomboids (back), deltoids (shoulders), latissimus dorsi (back), quadriceps and hamstrings (legs) are challenged to a point of fatigue, muscle mass will increase slightly and therefore increase resting metabolic ability. What does that mean? It's a sure-fire calorie torcher.

"Strength training has a post-exercise calorie consumption effect, which means that for the 24 hours following a workout, a person is consuming more calories than if they had not strength-trained, due to tasks of recovery and repair," he notes.

An effective total-body workout that allows for high intensity without the effect of gravity on joint mechanics. Dolgan says that people usually work harder in the water because they are not sweating, so you'll get a solid workout. Think water exercise is for older gals? Think again!

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