The best fat loss results come from combining exercise with smart nutrition.
While you can’t “out-train” a poor diet, the right mix of workouts helps you burn calories, preserve lean muscle, and improve metabolism so your body becomes more efficient at using fat for fuel.

When your goal is fat loss, your exercise plan should:

• Burn a meaningful amount of calories
   
• Build and preserve lean muscle (to avoid slowing your metabolism)
   
• Improve cardiovascular health and endurance
   
• Be sustainable long-term — not just a short-term push
   

• Builds lean muscle, which burns more calories at rest
   
• Shapes and tones the body as fat is lost
   
• Uses compound movements for maximum calorie burn
  Examples: Squats, lunges, push-ups, rows, deadlifts, presses
   

• Burns calories during the session
   
• Improves heart health and endurance
   
• Mix steady-state (longer, moderate effort) with high-intensity intervals (HIIT) for best results
  Examples: Walking, jogging, cycling, rowing, swimming, stair climbing
   

• Non-exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT) — all movement outside structured workouts — adds up
  Examples: Walking more, taking stairs, yard work, cleaning, standing more often
   

📝 Tip: NEAT can account for a surprisingly large portion of daily calorie burn.
 

Many people focus only on cardio for fat loss, but strength training prevents muscle loss when in a calorie deficit.
Without it, you may lose weight — but much of it could be muscle, which makes it harder to keep fat off.

3 Days Strength + 3 Days Cardio

• Mon: Strength (full body)
   
• Tue: Cardio (HIIT or intervals)
   
• Wed: Strength (full body)
   
• Thu: Cardio (steady-state)
   
• Fri: Strength (full body)
   
• Sat: Cardio (fun or longer activity)
   
• Sun: Rest or light active recovery
   

• Doing only cardio and skipping strength training
   
• Training hard but not adjusting diet to match goals
   
• Overtraining without enough recovery
   
• Relying solely on high-intensity workouts (burnout risk)
   
• Chasing calorie burn instead of building a sustainable habit
   

For most people, the fastest fat loss comes from:

1. Strength training 2–4x/week
    
2. Mixing moderate and high-intensity cardio
    
3. Staying active all day, not just during workouts
    
4. Pairing training with a nutrition plan that creates a moderate calorie deficit while providing enough protein
    

Now that you understand fat loss training, explore:

• Exercise for Muscle Gain
   
• Workout Planning & Progression
   
• Healthy Snacking
   
• Nutrition for Your Goals
   

Or let ShedPilot create a personalized fat loss program that combines strength, cardio, and nutrition — so you can burn fat, keep muscle, and feel stronger than ever.