Let’s face it – most of us want to make sure when we’re dedicating our time and effort to exercising that we’re getting the absolute most out of it.
Yes, it feels good to simply move our bodies, but if you have weight loss or strength goals you’re working towards, you’ll want to optimise your workout or session, and there are lots of simple ways to do just that!
Haley Pulli, Head Coach at MyBodyTutor, says, ‘Burning more fat isn’t about exercising longer; it’s about training smarter. High-intensity intervals help because they raise your heart rate and keep your metabolism active even after you stop. Strength training also plays an important role, such as building lean muscle, which helps your body burn more energy at rest.
‘Simple habits like proper warm-ups, hydration, and rest make your workouts more effective. And most importantly, pick workouts you enjoy. When movement feels good, you’ll stay consistent, and that’s what really drives results.’
‘If you want to get the most out of your workouts, it’s not about how long you spend in the gym; it’s about the quality and intention behind what you do,’ adds Fitness coach and Compex Partner, Annie Openshaw.
‘The best sessions are structured, purposeful, and aligned with your goals, whether that’s building strength, improving endurance, or supporting fat loss.’
Let’s look at a range of different approaches so you can find your preferred workout method and learn how to supercharge it.
Cardio and weights
Phil Carpenter, Personal Trainer and Assistant Manager at PureGym Portsmouth says that combining both cardio and weights within your routine will help you lose excess body fat while building lean muscle – a double whammy of benefits.
‘The majority of experts will advise you to do cardio after weight training, because if you do cardio first you will use up much of the energy source for your anaerobic work (strength training) and the target muscle groups will become fatigued before you undertake more strenuous activity,’ says Carpenter.
‘Looking at it the other way however, it is suggested that strength training first will deplete the muscles of stored carbohydrates (glycogen and sugar) and so fat burning will be enhanced during a cardio workout due to the lack of available sugar for fuel.’
He says that cardiovascular training will burn calories, improve your overall cardio fitness, improve your VO2 max, reduce your risk of mortality, boost your mood by releasing endorphins and even improve your energy levels.
Weight training on the other hand will improve your strength, build muscle, strengthen your bones, improve your posture, aid weight loss, improve your balance and can even reduce anxiety.
‘If your primary goal is to increase your aerobic endurance or lose body fat, then you should perform cardio first,’ says Carpenter.
‘And if your primary goal is to increase muscular strength, then do strength training first. To get the most out of your workout, perform the exercise that is most important to your goals first, when you are not fatigued.
‘A cardio workout will typically expend more calories than a weight training workout. However, your metabolism may stay elevated for longer after a weight’s session, helping you continue to burn calories after you stop working out. Combining cardio and weights within your routine will help you lose excess body fat while building lean muscle, which in the long run will help your overall fitness, rather than focusing solely on weight loss. Aiming for a balanced diet too will also help you maintain your results and improve overall health and wellbeing.’
Carpenter recommends these five great fat-burning exercises: Dumbbell Squat Press, Mountain Climbers, Burpees, Kettlebell Swings and Walkout Push-ups.
HIIT sessions and strength training
Beth Williams, Personal Trainer and Founder of Virago Fitness, says that in order to burn more fat during your workouts, it’s all about working smarter, not just harder, and High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) is the way to do it. ‘HIIT is one of the most efficient ways to do this as those short bursts of effort followed by recovery periods keep your heart rate elevated and create what’s known as the afterburn effect. That means your body continues burning calories for hours after you finish.’
Strength training is another essential tool for fat loss, she says. ‘By building lean muscle, you naturally raise your metabolism, so you burn more even when you’re resting. Compound exercises like squats, rows, and presses work multiple muscle groups at once, making them incredibly effective for both fat loss and overall fitness.
‘If you prefer steady cardio, aim to work at about 65–75% of your maximum heart rate. This is often called the ‘fat-burning zone’ because your body relies more on fat for fuel at that intensity. But variety is key so combining HIIT, resistance work, and moderate cardio across your week keeps your body challenged and progress consistent.
‘With that all said, do not underestimate recovery. Fat loss isn’t just about what happens in the gym. Sleep, stress management, and good nutrition are the real secret weapons. You can’t out train burnout, but you can outsmart it with balance and consistency.’
Kurt Johnson, Co-Founder & Clinical Director at One Body LDN agrees. ‘High-intensity interval training, or HIIT, has earned a reputation as the golden ticket for fast, efficient fat loss, and with good reason. Short bursts of all-out effort followed by brief recovery periods don’t just torch calories during the workout itself, but they trigger the afterburn effect, technically known as excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC). This means your body continues to work hard for hours afterwards, mobilising and burning fat to restore balance, making HIIT ideal for anyone with a busy schedule, packing maximum metabolic impact into minimal time.’
It’s important to resist the temptation to label HIIT as inherently “better” than steady-state cardio, Johnson warns.
‘For example, a 45-minute brisk walk or an easy-paced run may not leave you gasping for breath, but these lower-intensity sessions tap directly into fat stores while your body remains in an aerobic, fat-burning state. For beginners, those managing injuries, or individuals simply seeking a gentler, more sustainable exercise routine, steady-state exercise can be just as effective, or even more so, in the long term.
‘The truth is, HIIT and steady-state cardio shouldn’t be seen as rivals; each plays a distinct role, and combining them can deliver the best results.
‘Strength training, meanwhile, remains a remarkably underappreciated ally in fat loss, because unlike cardio, which burns calories primarily during the workout, building lean muscle elevates your resting metabolic rate, helping you burn more energy even at rest. Muscle tissue is metabolically active, so the more lean mass you have, the more calories, and therefore fat, your body burns.
Johnson recommends compound lifts such as squats, deadlifts, and presses as they ‘utilise multiple large muscle groups simultaneously, creating both mechanical and metabolic stress, and when combined with supersets or abbreviated rest periods, these sessions maintain an elevated heart rate, blending strength gains with fat-burning effects. Beyond the benefits to aesthetics and metabolism, resistance training also fortifies joint health, enhances posture, and improves functional capacity, making it a more rounded approach often missing from traditional “fat-loss” narratives.’
Resistance training and low-impact conditioning
Annie Openshaw says that, for most people, a balanced combination of resistance training and low-impact conditioning, such as walking or cycling, will yield far better results than endless HIIT sessions.
‘HIIT can be effective in short bursts as it improves cardiovascular fitness, boosts calorie burn and teaches your body to recover quickly,’ she says.
‘However, it shouldn’t be the only thing you do. The real magic comes from strength training. Lifting weights helps increase muscle mass, and that’s what keeps your metabolism higher (which will help you to burn more calories when even just resting), your body more sculpted, and your joints better supported as you age.
‘I always encourage clients to focus on progressive overload by gradually increasing the weights they lift over time. That’s what tells your body to adapt, grow stronger, and become more efficient. It’s also a more sustainable way to train; you’re less likely to burn out or get injured compared to constantly chasing the next sweatier, faster session.
‘Another underrated way to maximise your workouts is to fuel properly. Go into your session with enough energy to perform well and make sure you’re eating enough protein throughout the day to support recovery and muscle repair. And speaking of recovery, this is where the real results happen.
‘So many people overlook this, but recovery is just as important as the workout itself. On top of eating well and getting plenty of sleep, I love using the Compex Fixx Mini Massage Gun (£149.99, compex.com) after tough strength sessions or matches (I play competitive squash, so my legs and shoulders take a beating!).
‘It helps relieve tightness, improves circulation, and speeds up recovery so I can train again feeling fresher. I also love incorporating Compex Ayre compression boots (£499.99, compex.com), (which I combine with my evening television time!), to help reduce muscle soreness and support performance between workouts.
‘At the end of the day, the best workout is the one that challenges you, supports your goals, and leaves you feeling stronger. Train smart, recover well, and your results will follow.’
Yoga, sculpting and interval training
Jenna Armitage is the co-founder of GoodGood Yoga, an infrared-heated yoga and Pilates studio in Balham, South London.
After turning to hot yoga over two decades ago to help with tendonitis from her competitive sports background, she became a certified instructor in 2012.
‘To maximise the benefits of any workout, increase your heart rate through intentional movement and strength-based training,’ says Armitage.
‘Workouts that combine dynamic sequences like flow-based yoga, sculpting, or interval training help to elevate the heart rate, improve cardiovascular endurance, and build lean muscle simultaneously. You can then incorporate light weights or resistance into these sessions to tone and sculpt the body as well as boost metabolism, allowing the body to continue burning calories long after the workout ends.
‘Infrared-heated workouts will enhance these effects even further! The gentle heat promotes circulation, improves oxygen flow to the muscles, and supports detoxification through sweating. It also helps muscles warm more efficiently, which can reduce stiffness and lower the risk of injury.’
Outside the gym
Kurt Johnson says the debate around fasted versus fed workouts also continues to circulate in fitness circles.
‘Clinically, fasted low-intensity cardio can slightly increase fat utilisation during exercise, but it is far from a decisive factor in long-term fat loss. If training on an empty stomach leaves you fatigued, unmotivated, or irritable, the trade-off is not worth it, since consistency, showing up session after session, matters far more than chasing marginal tweaks or fleeting trends.
Nutrition around training is equally crucial, he says, because a post-workout meal heavy in refined sugars and fats can blunt your efforts.
‘Protein-rich, minimally processed foods support muscle repair and sustain metabolic momentum. It’s the scaffolding that supports every workout, and without a good diet, even the most expertly programmed session loses its impact.
‘Finally, the most overlooked fat-loss influencers often lie outside the gym, and even the most meticulously executed training plan will falter if they are neglected. Chronic stress elevates cortisol, which stubbornly directs energy storage toward abdominal fat, while poor sleep disrupts hormonal balance and appetite regulation. In some cases, paradoxically, the fastest path to fat loss is not exercising harder but instead prioritising quality sleep, managing stress, and moderating training load until your body is hormonally optimised.’
Now that’s something we can all do!
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