The Fastest Way to Lose 10 Pounds

Your secret weapon if you want to break the double-digit barrier and lose 10 pounds--or more? Strength training. Adding resistance builds muscle and helps you burn more calories during (and after!) your workout, says Tom Holland, author of Beat the Gym. In fact, researchers found that women who did strength training increased their resting metabolic rate (the calories your body needs to get through the day) for as long as 16 hours post-exercise.

Do 10 reps of each move, going from one exercise to the next with no rest; then take a one-minute break. Do three circuits total. Follow this metabolism-revving, total-body routine two or three times a week.

To add to the burn and help you lose 10 pounds more quickly, do this routine in addition to this cardio workout, two times a week: Using your cardio of choice, warm up for eight minutes. Then, speed up to your comfortably hard pace and hold it steady for 10 to 15 minutes. Then slow back down and recover at a conversational pace for five minutes. Repeat one or two more times. Breezing through? Up your tempo time to 20-minute segments, and repeat two or three times.

MOVE 1   Dumbbell Squat to Overhead Press

Hold weights at your shoulders, elbows bent, feet hip-width apart. Bend your knees and lower until your thighs are nearly parallel to the floor. As you stand, press the weights overhead until your arms are straight. Return to start. That's one rep.

 

MOVE 2   Dumbbell Chest Press on Stability Ball

Grab a pair of dumbbells and position your upper back on a stability ball, knees bent 90 degrees, feet flat on the floor; hold the weights by your chest, elbows bent and palms facing forward. Press them toward the ceiling until your arms are straight, then lower back to start. That's one rep.

 

MOVE 3    Stability-Ball Jackknife

Start in pushup position with your shins on a stability ball, your body forming a straight line from head to heels. Keeping your back flat, contract your abs and pull the ball toward you by bending your knees toward your chest. Pause, then return to start. That's one rep.

 

MOVE 4    Dumbbell Lunge with Biceps Curl

Holding dumbbells at your sides, step your left foot forward and bend your knees until your left thigh is nearly parallel to the floor. As you lunge, curl the weights in front of your chest, palms up. Reverse to return to start, then repeat with the right leg. That's one rep.

 

MOVE 5    Stability-Ball Hamstring Curl

Lie faceup with your calves on top of a stability ball, arms by your sides, palms up. Squeeze your glutes and raise your hips until your body forms a straight line from shoulders to heels. Bend your knees to roll the ball toward you until your feet are flat on the ball. Straighten your legs to roll the ball back, then lower your body to the floor. That's one rep.