Which sport is most effective for weight loss?

Which sport is most effective for weight loss?

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Short answer: The best sports for weight loss are a combination of cardio and strength training. Running, swimming and HIIT burn the most calories, but the sport you stick to every week will always give the best results.

Exercise enhances the effect of weight-loss medication and helps maintain muscle mass whilst you’re losing weight. But which sports are best for weight loss? There’s no one-size-fits-all answer, as it depends on your starting point, your preferences and how you exercise in combination with your treatment. In this blog, you can read what the science says about the most effective forms of exercise, and why the best sport is ultimately the one you stick with.

What makes a sport effective for weight loss?

A sport is effective for weight loss if it helps you create an energy deficit, maintain muscle mass and keep it up in the long term. Calorie expenditure is only part of the story: the impact on hormones, muscle mass and recovery is at least as important. As the guidelines based on this evidence indicate, the total volume of training over time is more important than the intensity of a single training session. Consistency is the most underrated variable in any training programme.

Which sports burn the most calories for weight loss?

Running, rowing, swimming and cycling are among the sports with the highest calorie expenditure per hour. A comprehensive review thus shows that aerobic exercise consistently leads to weight loss and fat reduction in overweight individuals, particularly when the intensity and duration are high enough. The absolute energy expenditure varies greatly from person to person, depending on body weight, fitness level and training intensity. When you’re just starting out, you often burn relatively more calories during the same activity than someone who has been training for a long time, simply because of your higher body weight.

Why is strength training crucial for weight loss?

Strength training is crucial because it preserves muscle mass whilst you are losing weight, and muscles increase your resting metabolic rate. Comparative studies show that strength training not only improves body composition but also has a positive impact on metabolic markers such as insulin sensitivity. This is particularly relevant when using GLP-1 medication, where appetite suppression can sometimes lead to insufficient protein intake: without adequate protein and muscle stimulation, you lose not only fat but also muscle mass. Two to three strength training sessions a week are already enough to achieve this effect.

Is walking enough for weight loss?

Walking is an excellent starting point, especially for people who are just beginning or who have limited stamina. Calorie expenditure per hour is lower than with more intensive sports, but the overall effect over several days is significant. If you want to know how many steps a day help with weight loss, the answer is nuanced: more steps help, but regularity and pace also play a role. For people who are already active, it’s best to combine walking with another form of exercise to enhance the results.

What is HIIT, and is it effective for weight loss?

HIIT stands for High-Intensity Interval Training: short periods of maximum effort interspersed with rest periods. A meta-analysis showed that HIIT improves insulin sensitivity and contributes to fat loss, even when compared with prolonged moderate-intensity aerobic exercise. The advantage is that it’s time-efficient: a twenty-minute session can have comparable effects to an hour of moderate-intensity cardio. If you’re taking GLP-1 medication, you should avoid scheduling HIIT immediately after an injection or a meal, as intense exercise can increase the risk of nausea.

What is the best sport to take up when you’re just starting out?

The best sport to take up when you’re just starting out is one with a low barrier to entry and a low risk of injury. Walking, cycling or swimming are good choices because they are gentle on the joints and can easily be made more intense. As the guidelines based on this evidence state, it is more effective to build up an exercise routine over weeks and months than to start intensively and give up too soon. Start with three sessions a week for 30 minutes, and gradually add strength training once your body has got used to the exertion.

How do you combine exercise with weight-loss medication?

Combining exercise with weight-loss medication enhances the effect on weight loss, but requires practical consideration. GLP-1 medicines such as semaglutide, liraglutide and tirzepatide can cause side effects such as nausea or diarrhoea, particularly when the dose is increased. Intense exercise immediately after an injection or straight after a meal can exacerbate these side effects, so it is best to schedule your training sessions for a different time. Tirzepatide also increases the heart rate by an average of three to five beats per minute, which is relevant for higher-intensity cardio training: bear this in mind when assessing the strain on your body. Adequate fluid intake is particularly important if you are combining sport with medication that may cause gastrointestinal side effects.

Nutrition and lifestyle when using GLP-1 also play a role here: the appetite-suppressing effect of GLP-1 medication can sometimes make it difficult to consume sufficient protein. Without adequate protein intake around your training sessions, you will lose unwanted muscle mass as well as fat. Ensure you consume at least 1.2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day, spread across your meals, and discuss this with your healthcare professional. The Pharmacotherapeutic Compass highlights this interaction between diet, muscle preservation and medication use as a relevant part of treatment.

The best sport is the one you stick with

Theory is valuable, but you do exercise with your body, not with a spreadsheet. Research shows that the combination of HIIT and strength training is most effective for both fat reduction and metabolic health, but this combination only works if you do it every week. Someone who goes for a brisk walk three times a week and does light strength training twice a week achieves better results than someone who starts an intensive programme once and gives up after two weeks.

At Goodweigh, we don’t just focus on weight-loss medication, but on the bigger picture: diet, exercise and guidance. Through personalised weight-loss guidance, your treatment team will help you incorporate exercise in a way that suits your life, your body and your pace. Want to find out more? Take a look at the Goodweigh programme and discover how we guide you.

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