Everyone today is looking for the best and most effective ways to lose weight and with so many different workout regimes on the market today it can be impossible to know which ones are the most effective for your current workout needs. If you are looking to lose weight in general in many different areas of your body than there are some great fat shredding workouts that are great for burning fat much faster than some of the more traditional workouts.

Of course cardio is one of the most important forms of exercise but this is not the only exercise you should be practicising. Cardio workouts work best when used as a warm up to a specified workout regime and then at the end of the workout as well. Also it is important to note that cardio workouts are not meant to be intense to the point where you feel like you are going to fall off the treadmill. You have reached your maximum speed as soon as your heart rate is raised and this can be determined by your weight and a fitness professional's help to determine what your heart rate should be. Whether it is a brisk walk or a jog this is more than enough to help you burn fat and calories, sprinting is no longer necessary!

In collaboration with cardio, here are some great fat shredding workouts to help you burn fat faster than you ever imagined:

Lunges: stand with your feet standing apart and with your toes pointing forward. Hold a dumbell in each hand to increase the exercise's intensity. Take a large step forward with your left leg and dip down until your left thigh is parallel to the floor. Push off the floor with your left heel; return to the starting position and repeat Squat and Touch: stand on your left foot with your right leg bent just enough so elevate your right foot slightly off the floor. Bend your left knee as you simultaneously bend forward at the waist. Reach down with your right hand and touch the floor. Then stand again without allowing your right foot to touch the floor at any time and repeat with your left foot.

Calf Raise: holding a dumbell in each hand (weight of your choice) and then slowly lift onto your toes and release back down slowly. Repeat in sets of 12-15

Weighted Crunch: Laying on your back on the floor grab one dumbell (weight of your choice) and lift it up as high as you can as you pull your upper body off the floor into a slight crunch. Return and alternate sides.

Dumbell Shrug: Hold two dumbells in your hands,lift your shoulders towards your ears and then roll them back. Make complete circles with your shoulders. Repetitions of 12

This is a great set of fat shredding exercises that you may not have ever thought would work for you. Everyone is so convinced that cardio is the only way to burn fat but this is not the case at all. It is very important to always increase the intensity of your workouts to be constantly making your body work that much harder. By setting up a workout routine and sticking with it at least four times a week and increasing the intensity every four weeks or less if you find yourself progressing faster than increase the intensity as you choose.

There are a lot of people out there who hate exercising and by listening to your favorite music in your MP3 player or turning on your favorite shows on the television when you are working out can really make a difference and take your mind off the actual workout. Take these steps and workouts into consideration and watch the results appear.