You’re not still on the damned treadmill trying to lose fat are you? There are better fat burning exercises choices that do not require a gym and use little or no equipment. Stop imitating a gerbil with the treadmill-trot and try my five favorite exercises for burning fat.
5 Favorite Fat Burning Exercises
#1 Hill Sprints
Find a hill with a steep grade and run to the top as fast as you can. Walk down to the bottom of the hill. Now do it again. And then again. It doesn’t get much simpler than that for a fat burning workout plan. And you get some fresh air as a bonus!
#2 Kettlebell Swings
I like to keep my swing height at eye level and use relatively high reps for fat burning kettlebell work. Try doing 150 swings as fast as you can without sacrificing good form – rest as needed but keep the clock running. Be sure to drive with the hips and use good technique to protect the lower back. I know the video below is a little long. . . but come on, it’s Steve Cotter!
#3 Jump Rope
There is a little bit of skill required for this one, but acquiring the skill is time well spent. You can get fancy with crisscrosses and double-under if you want, but a simple single-pass jump is all you need for a great workout. I like to do intervals of 30 seconds of maximum effort followed by 30 seconds of rest. Repeat the cycle 10 times or as many times as your fitness level permits – whichever comes first. And if you want to check out a true jump rope bad ass, take a look at Ross Enamait (one of my fitness heroes) in the video below:
#4 Box Jumps
Box Jumps are great for training explosiveness, but they can also be used to crank that heart rate and blow-torch fat. For how to lose lower belly fat purposes I prefer a mid to low sized box (20 inches for someone of about average height and with decent jumping ability), but I have used picnic tables and park benches in a pinch. Do as many jumps as possible in one minute and then rest for 30 seconds. Repeat the cycle 3 – 5 times. And if you miss a jump, enjoy the wonderful sensation of scraping your shins!
#5 Burpees
OK, I admit it. . . this is my favorite. At my gym we referred to the burpee as “the great equalizer”. I don’t care how good of shape you are in, enough burpees will kick your ass! And whether you are in your living room, at the park, or in a hotel, the burpee is always available.
So what is the common thread with my 5 favorites?
They all jack your heart rate in a short amount of time. In my experience, these type of high-intensity short duration workouts are the best for burning body fat or if you want to go the supplement route you can check out a gnc fat burner.
What are your favorite fat burning exercises? Let us know in the comments below.
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I like the old standby – jumping jacks.
I do them for 15-30 seconds inbetween sets. Keeps my heart rate up and the sweat pouring through the workout. Try it, and see if you can still do them 10 sets into your routine.
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Well, you need the basic equipment but a few rounds of punching the heavy bag, or kick / punch combination works for me!
Jean-Maurice
My new favorite… bulldog rope!!! just did a tabata with it and it crushed me!
Dude, I’m not exactly sure what that is. . . but I have my ideas. Does it involve making a violent wave in a long stretch of rope repetitively? If it does, yeah that’s the shit. 🙂
Vic,
Any suggestions for a top-notch jump rope? I bought one from Monkey Bar gymnasium a couple years ago, but I am ready to get a speed/legit rope to really up my antics!
-Adam
I like the Buddy Lee jump ropes. Here’s the link to the one I use:
http://estore.websitepros.com/1220297/Detail.bok?no=10
I have done all but the hill sprints, will have to try them soon. My favorite is box jumps. I do burpees but despise them, lol.
I think everyone has a hate/love relationship with burpees. That is, everyone who does them right. 🙂
Vic,
Was just wondering how you would setup your burpee routine for a fat burning session. At least once a week I do 10 sets of 10 with 30 seconds rest in between and then stumble around until I remember where I am again.
Your routine sounds great! It really depends on your fitness level. Next up for you, I would try to do 100 as fast as you can. Rest as needed, but clock how long it takes to do 100. Then try to beat your time each subsequent session.
There’s no way I can skip like that, that’s just beautiful 🙂
Love the burpee 😉
Can’t imagine what a box jump would be like but it looks pretty dangerous that woman holding a baby while jumping. What if she tripped?! Hmmm!
Good collection there Vic. I’m not sure what burns fat most, but am all for the fast and furious approach,
Tusc 🙂
Oh yes, Ross is fun to watch with a jump rope. 🙂
The “Burpee” changed my life. I NEVER knew what it was, and didn’t recognize it by name a year ago. Then, I got tired of lifting weights, the desire for a beach body on steroids, and the boredom of long cardio sessions. I wanted a tighter looking muscular body (need I mention “300” or James Bond?) AND I wanted to be more functional.
“What the hell is a Burpee!”, was my first notion of the actual word. I found this guy Vic who had a cool video on it, and MANY more movements that didn’t look effective, but DAMN they looked fun.
Could I really get into BETTER shape and have fun doing it? Yes, thanks to Vic’s guidance and vision.
Real quick: You want to know how fighters get into excellent shape in only 6 to 8 weeks (I mean BATTLE READY)? Vic has laid out the essential movements and conditioning drills. So, while you might not have an appointment to smash someone recreationally, being in fighting shape feels damn good.
Thanks again Vic,
Jesus Sanchez
Jesus, my sincere appreciation for your comments. Truth be told, it’s hearing from guys like you that motivates me to keep putting out articles and videos. Thanks!
Vic, the ones you listed are top notch. My addition:
1. Pickup Basketball
2. Heavy bag
3. High volume squats and deadlifts 3-4x per week. (8 sets of 5 reps @ 60-65%1RM)=> those lean you out very nice. The workouts are not pleasant though…
4. Mountain climbers
5. High bar get ups – high volume: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bQDHzV0eGXM (those combined with burpees would destroy you 🙂 )
6. Table push aways 🙂
Yavor, you are a sick, sick man. . . and I like that. 🙂 Seriously, the high volume squats and deads are NOT for the feint of heart. But they are undoubtedly effective at getting you lean.
As always, thank you for your comments at GymJunkies.
I ended up in the ER getting 10 stitches in my shin from box jumps!! The thing is, I had already done about 80 reps. Missed just 1 and it was definitely the end of my workout. I’m not a big fan of the scar on my shin…I call it my “battle wound.” It took me a while to brave them again….now I just use softer surfaces like a padded bench 🙂 I <3 Crossfit!!
Nicole, you are a trooper for sure! I’ll bet you never miss a box jump again in your life. You are awesome!
Thruster with a DB in each hand.
Weight varies according to one’s fitness level.
Good one! Love me some thrusters.
Make no mistake: The scars we have remind us of the battles we endure. Added muscle is an accumulation of callouses caused by the grinding of hard work.
I applaud you Nicole!
These are 5 great fat busters that require little or no gym equipment. People still seem to turn to bodyweight moves last for burning fat.
If you do use a tredmill or run, besides hill sprints I love a 5km interval session with 1 minute sprints every 2 minutes, followed by 10 minutes of steady state running.
I do cardio exercising at home myself to lose some weight, which I’m also blogging about. Your blog is interesting.
Big fan of all of these. I find burpees, box jumps, and jumping rope to be the hardest for me. Can not do as many or as long as I can hill sprints longer than all of them. fatlete.blogspot.com
Prisoner Burpee Challenge for the WIN.
210 consecutive burpees, my all time favourite way to kill myself. The sense of satisfaction of finishing almost takes the pain away………..until the next day and your abs feel like you met a pissed off bear who was in a particularly bad mood when he kicked the shit out of you
I’ve done that drill. Once. And I swore I would never do it again. The prisoner burpee challenge is NO JOKE!
I will go for jump rope because its very intensive workout and will give us quick reduction in burning fat.
Nicole – I just gauged my shin 2 days ago doing 24′ box jumpos and had to get 10 staples in my shin area (and dissolvable stitches beneath the staples)…how long did you wait to Crossfit? I am already going crazy from missing workouts!!
Thanks!
i guess, i’ll go for jump rope training. it would be easier for me that will also give me fast burning fats.
I’m extremely impressed with your writing skills as well
as with the layout on your blog!
Thanks for the fitness tips Terry!