The 5 Best Fat-Burning Workouts You Need to Be Doing Right Now

Do you struggle to find good fat-burning exercises and workouts that are effective and enjoyable? Most people do. 

Weight loss is among the most complicated fitness topics, and there is no shortage of false information and ineffective workouts. The more information you consume, the more overwhelmed and confused you feel. 

To help you cut through the confusion, here is actionable and specific information on five of the best weight-loss workouts. Let’s dive straight in.

1. Running Intervals

Jogging is fine, and you might even enjoy doing it. But let’s be frank here:

It's not as effective for burning fat as more intense exercise. To get the same results, you have to jog for way longer. We’re not always blessed with a flexible schedule that allows for such long workouts. And, it can be super boring. 

A fantastic alternative is interval training. This is an excellent way to condense more work in less time and reap similar benefits. Research finds that interval training is among the best ways to burn many calories per minute of exercise.

In essence, interval running is about pushing yourself harder, but for shorter periods, and gaining the same benefits without spending 40 minutes to an hour.

Here is a simple way to go about it:

Run as fast as you safely can and can sustain for 30 seconds, then jog or walk fast for a minute to recover. Repeat 10 times and call it a day. Make sure to warm up and cool down for 5 minutes before and after your workout. 

2. Bodyweight Circuit Program

If you prefer to exercise at home or can’t make it to the track for a good running session, bodyweight circuits are also fantastic. The best part is, you don’t need any equipment to do these circuits. It's a full-body workout that burns calories, improves cardio capacity and builds strength.

And, if you happen to be on the road (for example, staying at a hotel for a while), you don’t need to worry about training facilities nearby. You can do the circuit anywhere - in a hotel room, on the beach, and in a park.

Here are the movements:

1. Bodyweight jump squats
2. Push-ups
3. Wall sits
4. Step-ups (on a chair or another elevated surface)
5. Tricep chair dips
6. Jumping jacks
7. Plank
8. High knees
9. Forward lunges
10. Glute bridges

Do each exercise for 30 seconds, take up to 15 seconds to rest between sets, and work your way down the list. Once you’re finished, take up to two minutes of rest, and do one to three more rounds.

Activities like jumping jacks and high knees are fantastic fat-burning exercises because they burn a lot of calories. The remaining movements compliment the caloric burn and stimulate muscles growth to promote leanness. 

3. Strength Circuit With Dumbbells

Among the many weight-loss workouts you can do, combining weight training with the principles of circuits is a highly effective way to stimulate muscle growth, burn a ton of calories, and lose weight.

Dumbbells are a universal piece of equipment, and their versatility is unbeatable. Plus, with the wide range of weight options, dumbbells fit almost everyone because there is something for every fitness level.

The goal here is to use two dumbbell pairs — one pair of light ones and two heavier ones. If you only have a single pair, it can also work.

Here are the exercises:

1. Standing dumbbell overhead push-press
2. Bent-over dumbbell row (both at the same time)
3. Dumbbell goblet squats
4. Dumbbell Romanian deadlifts
5. Lying dumbbell chest floor press
6. Standing dumbbell bicep curl
7. Dumbbell overhead tricep extension
8. Dumbbell lateral raises

The premise is similar to that of the previous workout. Do each movement for 30 seconds, rest up to 15 seconds in-between, and go down the list. Once finished, take up to two minutes to recover and start over. Do between two and five rounds.

Ideally, you should use a pair of slightly heavier dumbbells for the first five movements and a couple of lighter ones for numbers six, seven, and eight. If you only have one pair, do as many repetitions as you can in 30 seconds.

4. Jump Rope High-Intensity Fat-Blaster

Love it or hate it, the jump rope is an excellent piece of fitness equipment and isn’t reserved for boxers and children only. The truth is, you can do a variety of fantastic workouts with a jump rope, especially as you develop your skill and start doing more intense workouts.

Here is one way to make use of it:

Start jumping at a moderate and sustainable intensity for 30 seconds. Once finished, take 30 seconds to catch your breath and repeat. Alternate between rest and work 10 times.

This is a great quick workout to do when you don't have a lot of time. Add intervals and/or increase the length of the work periods as you get fitter. 

5. Resistance Band Whole-Body Circuit

We can’t review fat-burning workouts without giving an honorable mention to resistance bands. While they might seem overly simplistic, they're actually incredibly useful.

You can perform dozens of exercises similar to the ones you would do in a gym. Also, research finds them to be as effective as free weights for stimulating muscle growth. And finally, they are affordable, you can easily store them in your home, and you can even take them on the road.

Without further ado, here are the exercises:

1. Resistance band front squat
2. Banded push-ups
3. Banded lat pulldowns
4. Resistance band deadlift
5. Banded overhead shoulder press
6. Resistance band floor press
7. Banded glute bridges
8. Band pull aparts

Like workouts number two and three, the goal is to do each movement for 30 seconds. Recover for up to 15 seconds in between, and work your way down the list. If the workout doesn’t challenge you as much, try using thicker bands for movements like the squat, push-ups, deadlift, and shoulder press. You can also boost the intensity by aiming for more repetitions inside 30 seconds, or increase to 45 seconds.

Once finished, take up to two minutes of rest and start another round. Aim for two to five total rounds.

Which of these workouts have you tried? Which would you like to try? What other exercises do you think are the best for fat-burning? Let us know in the comments section!

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