Top Five Fat-Blasting Exercises

2:21 AM Weight Loss Trainer 0 Comments

The most common reason for taking up an exercise routine is to lose weight. Yes, we all want to be fit and healthy, but losing weight is still the number one motivator to exercise.

With this goal in mind, there are certain exercises and activities that will help you reach your goal faster. Here are my top five fat-blasting exercises.

Clean and Press

The clean and press is considered a power lift so a lot of everyday exercisers (especially women) don't do it, or even know about it. However, you can do the clean and press in a manner that turns it into an awesome fat-blasting exercise.

The reason it is such an effective exercise is because you utilize many of your major muscles including the back, thighs, shoulders, and glutes. To perform the clean and press, hold a barbell in both hands at your thighs. Squat down, allowing the bar to slide down your legs and almost touch the ground. Push through your heels to power back up and simultaneously clean the bar so it rests at your shoulders (palms facing forward). Finish the motion by pushing the bar overhead.

Using lighter weight allows you to do more reps and get your heart rate up on this one! Pick a weight that you can complete 10-15 reps with good form.

Deadlift

Like the clean and press, the deadlift is often considered a power lift. You use almost every major muscle in the body while doing the deadlift so it should definitely be included in your weight loss routine.

Start with a barbell on the floor in front of you. Squat down and grab the bar. Power through your heels to push yourself into a standing position using your legs. The bar should slide up your legs and end up in front of your thighs at the top of the movement.

Keep your back straight throughout the motion. You can generally use heavier weight on a deadlift than other leg exercises such as squats. Start out lighter and slowly increase your weight over time. Perform 8-12 reps with good form.

Hill Sprints

For some reason, most people associate running or jogging with losing weight. However, this is one of the least effective ways to burn fat and lean down. Sprints are a much more effective weight loss activity.

Performing sprints up a hill burns more calories and is an awesome workout! Sprint up the hill, walk down. Repeat for 15-20 minutes.

Squats

Squats are probably the most well-known exercise, as well as the least understood. Like clean and presses and deadlifts, squats are an excellent weight loss activity because you use many different muscles when performing squats.

The standard barbell squat consists of placing the barbell behind your head - it should rest on your traps, not your neck. You then begin the motion by pushing your hips back as if you are going to sit down. The mistake most people make is they push their knees forward to start the motion. This will put extra tension on the knee joint.

By pushing the hips back and allowing your weight to stay on your heels (not your toes) you will keep the tension on the thigh muscles and off your knees. The knees should stay stacked over your ankle; they should not protrude past your toes.

Performing a squat with a stability ball behind you or on a Smith machine will help keep your body in the proper form.

Tabata Intervals

Intervals in general must be a staple of any effective weight loss program. Tabata intervals are a fun, short, intense twist that can be used to ramp your routine up a notch.

You can use most any activity or exercise with Tabata intervals, including the exercises listed above. A Tabata interval is four minutes: 20 seconds on, 10 seconds rest, repeated 8 times. For example, you could sprint for 20 seconds, rest 10 seconds, and repeat for four minutes. You can also mix up different activities. Clean and press for 20 seconds, rest 10 seconds, sprint 20 seconds, rest 10 seconds, squat 20 seconds, rest 10 seconds, back to clean and presses. Continue for four minutes.

The main criterion for a Tabata interval is that the 20 seconds of work is intense. You must work hard during those 20 seconds. High intensity will mean different things to different people. Make it intense for you!

Include these five fat-blasting activities in your weight loss routine to help you reach your goal more quickly and effectively.