[0:06] What Is the Best Workout for Fat Loss?

OK, so today I’m going to answer the question: what is the best workout for fat loss?

If your goal in 2026 is to get in shape and achieve an amazing transformation, what workouts should you actually be doing to get there?

To answer this properly, I want to take a couple of different approaches. And the first one might sound predictable, but it’s important to say it clearly.

[0:26] The Best Workout for Fat Loss Starts With Your Diet

The first answer is this: the best workout for fat loss is your diet.

If your goal is to lose body fat, the purpose of training doesn’t really change whether you’re trying to lose fat, build muscle, or improve your overall physique. Training still follows the same principles.

Those principles are progressive overload, getting stronger over time, using good form, and choosing exercises that feel good for your body.

Where people go wrong is they start doubling their reps, cutting rest times in half, doing endless Zumba classes, body pump sessions, or loads of isolation movements. They think more sweat equals more fat loss.

But whatever built your physique in the first place is the same thing that maintains and improves it while you’re losing fat.

[1:13] How You Should Train for Fat Loss

I recommend focusing on getting stronger in the 6–12 rep range. In some exercises you can go up to 15 reps, but most of your work should live between 6 and 12 reps.

Progress doesn’t have to happen every single week. Sometimes you add weight. Sometimes you add reps. Sometimes you repeat the same weight and reps but improve your control, tempo, or technique.

Those are still wins.

Don’t just focus on numbers. Focus on how well the movement feels, how stable you are, and how controlled each rep is. That’s what allows you to safely progress later.

The time you spend in the gym is your muscle time. This is what builds your body and ensures that when you lose weight, you don’t just end up smaller and softer.

Fat loss happens outside the gym — during the other 23 to 23.5 hours of the day.

Your workouts are there to build and maintain muscle. Your diet and lifestyle create the fat loss.

[2:52] Setting Up Your Diet for Fat Loss

Here’s a simple way to structure your diet for fat loss.

Calories: Set your calories at around your bodyweight in pounds multiplied by 12. This creates roughly a 20–25% calorie deficit.

If you’re over 225 pounds or significantly overweight, multiplying by 10 may be more appropriate.

Protein: Aim for around 0.8 grams of protein per pound of bodyweight. You can go up to 1 gram per pound if you prefer. In metric terms, that’s roughly 2 grams per kilogram.

Protein helps preserve muscle mass and keeps you feeling full.

Good sources include chicken, fish, turkey, tofu, tempeh, seitan, Greek yogurt, and similar options.

Fats: Set fats at around 0.4 grams per pound of bodyweight.

Fats often get pushed to extremes — either cut out completely or eaten excessively on keto-style diets. Neither is necessary.

This moderate intake helps regulate hormones, support joint health, and keep everything running smoothly.

Carbohydrates: Once calories, protein, and fats are set, fill the remaining calories with carbs.

This approach gives you energy for training while keeping fat loss sustainable.

[5:59] The Best Workout Split for Fat Loss

Once your nutrition and progressive overload are in place, a full-body training approach works extremely well for fat loss.

My preferred setup for most people is:

• Full body workouts
• 3 days per week
• 30–60 minutes per session

This gives you enough stimulus to build muscle, while still allowing recovery.

If you’re newer to structured training, start with two full-body workouts and rotate them across the week.

Week one might look like:

• Workout A
• Workout B
• Workout A

Week two:

• Workout B
• Workout A
• Workout B

As you progress, you can eventually move into three full-body workouts or even an upper/lower split. This isn’t a forever plan — it’s a highly effective starting point.

[7:05] Example Full Body Workout Structure

When I say 1A and 1B, I’m referring to supersets. You perform exercise A, rest, then exercise B, rest, and repeat until all sets are complete.

If the gym is busy, just do the exercises in order with a little extra rest.

Workout 1 Example:

• 1A: Dumbbell split squat – 3 sets of 8–12
• 1B: Dumbbell shoulder press – 3 sets of 8–12
• 2A: Lying leg curl – 3 sets of 8–12
• 2B: Neutral grip lat pulldown – 3 sets of 8–12
• 3A: Push-ups – 3 sets of 10–12
• 3B: Seated neutral grip cable row – 3 sets of 10–12
• 3C: Decline hanging leg raises – 3 sets of 10–15

Workout 2 Example:

• 1A: Rack deadlift – 3 sets of 8–12
• 1B: Low incline dumbbell press – 3 sets of 8–12
• 2A: Leg press – 3 sets of 8–12
• 2B: Underhand lat pulldown – 3 sets of 8–12
• 3A: Seated dumbbell curls – 3 sets of 10–12
• 3B: Rope tricep pushdowns – 3 sets of 10–12
• 3C: Swiss ball crunch – 3 sets of 10–15

These workouts are based on compound movements, full-body stimulus, and efficient training.

[9:42] Golden Rules for Fat Loss Training

1. Always prioritize perfect form. Film your lifts if needed.
2. Aim to beat last week — more reps, more weight, or better control.
3. If an exercise causes pain (not effort or muscle fatigue), swap it out.

[10:40] Supporting Habits That Drive Fat Loss

Once training and nutrition are dialed in, these habits make a big difference:

• 8,000–10,000 steps per day
• 7–8 hours of sleep per night
• Around 3 litres of water daily

Accountability is the biggest game changer. 

That can look like daily weigh-ins (using the scale as data), weekly progress photos, a supportive peer group, or ideally, an expert coach who removes all guesswork.

At RNT Fitness, we do exactly that by building a fully customized plan around your training, nutrition, lifestyle, sleep, and recovery, supported by our proven five-phase transformation system.

If you’re a high-performing professional who’s been stuck in cycles of all-or-nothing dieting, inconsistency, or yo-yo weight loss, this is your moment to change that.

No extremes. No guesswork. Just a structured, sustainable system that works.

[12:03] Next Steps

1. Book a 1-1 strategy session with my team to find out more: https://www.rntfitness.com/applynow
2. Find out if you’re ready for a transformation at https://www.rntfitness.com/transform