Exercising can be tough if you’re not used to it, but it’s important if you want to lose weight and keep it off. If you don’t exercise regularly, your metabolism starts to slow down and you will find it harder to lose weight and easier to gain weight back. Exercising will also strengthen your muscles so that you burn more calories throughout the day, even when you’re not working out! Here are 10 fat burning exercises that will help you lose weight!
Squats
The squat is an amazing exercise that targets most of your leg muscles, as well as several core muscles. Squats are a compound exercise that work major muscle groups and burn a high number of calories. As squats require a significant amount of balance, you’ll also develop your coordination with squats. Because squats hit so many muscles at once, they’re one of your best bets for fat burning exercises.
Wall Sits
Squat down with your back to a wall, feet out in front of you so that your knees are at right angles and 20-30cm (8-12 inches) away from the wall. Lean back until you feel comfortable, then slowly slide down until your thighs are parallel to the floor and your knees are slightly bent. Sit here for as long as possible without losing form.
Burpees
A burpee is a full-body exercise, as it involves a variety of movements. For example, it works your upper body and arms as you bring your hands up to shoulder height, then lift your feet off of ground. Your hips and thighs do most of the work when you perform a burpee. To get started with them, get into plank position (that’s on your stomach) with both feet together.
Plank
The plank is one of my favorite fat-burning exercises. I love that it’s a full body workout, but only requires you to use your core muscles. Planks are also a fantastic balance exercise and great for building upper body strength as well.
Dead Lift
Though it’s not an exercise that most people are familiar with, dead lifts are very effective in building muscle, increasing metabolism and helping you lose weight. Dead lifts target more than just your hamstrings and glutes. It also works your back, arms and shoulders as well. The best part is, it only requires a pair of dumbbells! By adding in a few sets of dead lift each week to your workouts, you will start seeing results!
Hip Bridges
Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Slowly lift your hips so they’re in line with your torso. Keep your neck relaxed and avoid arching or leaning back. Hold for 1 to 2 seconds, then lower down to starting position. Repeat 10 times, then switch sides. If you have any knee pain, move your feet farther away from you as you bridge up to take some of that pressure off of them when moving your hips up and down.
Lunges
This exercise involves stepping forward, one foot at a time, with your body weight on one leg. Lunges are among some of the best exercises for losing weight and shaping up your glutes. To make sure that you’re doing them correctly, hold a pair of dumbbells by your sides as you take each step. Repeat 15 times on each leg; rest for 30 seconds between lunges and repeat twice more. Start with three sets every other day and work your way up to five sets over time.
Lunge Jumps
Stand with your feet hip-width apart and take a big step forward with one foot, as if you were about to lunge. Then, jump up in the air and switch legs in midair so that you land with your other foot forward. Land softly, keeping knees bent at a 90-degree angle—your rear knee should touch or almost touch your front ankle. Do 20 lunges total per leg. Want to burn more calories? Squat before each lunge jump instead of standing straight up.
Push-Ups
Push-ups are a popular exercise with tons of variations. In order to reap their fat burning potential, you’ll want to keep a few things in mind. First, make sure your body is straight and tight throughout every rep. If that means lifting your knees off of a mat or having someone hold them down for you, so be it. Second, focus on slowing down your pace and remember to exhale as you press up from each rep.
Jumping Jacks
This is one of those simple cardio exercises that’s as easy to do as it is fun to say. In fact, if you ask around, you’ll probably hear people refer to jumping jacks by their full name. To perform jumping jacks, simply place your feet together and jump up into a jackknife position (thumbs facing forward). From there, spread your legs out until they are shoulder-width apart and return back to starting position. Repeat for 10-12 reps.