TOP 9 EXERCISES TO GET IN SHAPE FASTER

RUNNING

I bet you were hoping I wasn’t going to say running but yep running will burn fat so fast. It also burns many calories! Running also has the “afterburn” effect whereby after you stop running and are sitting or eating or whatever, your body is continuing the fat burn. So you keep burning calories hours after your running session. What’s even better is running hills. That burns even more! If you are new to running, start slow. Run for 30 seconds then walk for one minute and repeat. This will get you used to running. As you continue your running program, you can increase these time intervals.

BURPEES

Another favourite! Yes I’m being facetious here. Many people don’t like this exercise but it’s only because they don’t do them. They are challenging to do at first but your body will get used to them and you will find them easier to do. You just have to do them more often. This is an exercise that burns optimal fat because it is essentially a full body workout in one exercise. Not only that but it raises your heart rate big time in order to burn a high amount of calories.  Start with ten Burpees and work your way up. Also know that there are plenty of modifications for burpees so if you really can’t get through even two or three, do the modifications and then go from there. Don’t use modifications as a crutch though. As soon as those get easy, move onto the full burpees.

SQUATS

These can be air squats or barbell squats. Make sure when you are doing air squats, that you are doing enough of them so at least 20-30 in each set. The reason this burns so much fat is that your body is working super hard to finish the movement. The squat uses many muscle groups and joints to get you through the movement and this is why you are burning so much fat. Make sure though that when you perform the squat, you are dipping below hip level on the way down.

PLANK JACKS, TUCKS AND HOPS

This is a wonderful exercise for getting rid of fat. It is also wonderful for the core. But today we’re talking fat. Again you are using many muscle groups in a plank Jack. Plank tucks are the next level after plank jacks. They are tougher. So start with plank jacks and hops if you are new to this kind of exercise. This exercise combines strength with high intensity cardio. A winning combination for fat loss.

MOUNTAIN CLIMBERS

Mountain climbers are excellent for burning fat. Again you are doing a full body workout in one exercise. Yes these are challenging as well. But you will be thankful you did them after a few weeks! Make sure you are doing the fast mountain climbers because you want to be able to get the high intensity cardio included with this exercise.

STEP UPS 

Step ups can be done with a bench, stairs or anything else that you can literally step up onto without falling over! Make sure the step is high enough so that you are at a 90 degree level with your hips and knees. This is an excellent exercise for fat burn. You can also use the stepper machine at the gym to mimic this if you find this exercise too difficult on your back or knees. Take this slow at first, try a couple of repetitions and see how you feel. If it’s too hard on the hip lower the step a bit and go from there.

JUMPING LUNGES

This a plyometric exercise that burns fat and calories fast. It’s another exercise that uses many muscle groups and joints to get through the movement. It also raises your heart rate and in turn burns serious calories. This is tough but you can do it.

STAIRMASTER

This can be found at your gym. It’s the machine that looks like it has endless stairs to walk up. The stairs keep moving as you walk up them. You can increase the speed of this machine and that’s when it gets interesting. This is when you start burning fat like crazy. Don’t go the easy route with this one. Make sure you have it on a speed that feels challenging. You can even run on this machine so in fact you are constantly running up a flight of stairs. It’s awesome. You will love the fat burn on this one!

ANY COMBINATION EXERCISE

What do I mean by combination exercise? I mean when you combine two exercises together in one exercise. An example of this would be a squat with a shoulder press. As you squat up you will add the shoulder press into the movement. This burns fat because you are working so many muscle groups at the same time that your body needs to work way harder to complete the movement versus just doing one exercise like a regular shoulder press. Start combining your exercises into one and you will see the difference quickly. Another benefit to this is you reduce your time to complete your workout. You can complete this kind of workout in about 20 minutes.