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Best Fat-Burning Exercises

The 15 Best Exercises to Burn Fat and Tone Your Whole Body

Jun 16 2018

There isn't one best way to lose fat, but we do know that lifting heavy weights and doing compound exercises (where multiple muscle groups are working at once) are great ways to burn fat and build muscle. If your goal is to lean out and get rid of stubborn fat, implement these 15 exercises into your strength sessions. Remember: exercise alone won't cut it. Be sure to eat clean, challenge yourself in your workouts, and be consistent.

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Basic Burpee

  • Lower into a crouching squat with your hands on the floor.
  • Do a squat thrust by jumping your feet back into a plank position.
  • Do one basic push-up, bending the elbows and then straightening back to plank.
  • Jump the feet forward to the hands and come into a squat.
  • Do an explosive jump straight up, getting as much height as you can.

If this move is too difficult or too much impact, try this modification.

Image Source: POPSUGAR Photography / Benjamin Stone

Squat, Curl, and Press

  • Stand with your feet directly under your hips, holding a dumbbell in each hand. Sit back into your squat, keeping the weight in your heels and bringing your thighs parallel to the floor without letting your knees go beyond your toes.
  • Push through your heels to return to standing while bringing the weights to your shoulders, performing a bicep curl.
  • Stabilize your torso and keep your arms moving upward, performing an overhead press with the palms facing out.
  • Lower your arms back to your sides to complete one rep.
Image Source: POPSUGAR Photography / Benjamin Stone

Triceps Dips

  • Position your hands shoulder width apart on the floor or on a secured bench or stable chair.
  • Move your booty in front of the bench with your legs out in front of you and feet placed about hip width apart on the floor.
  • Straighten your arms and keep a little bend in your elbows in order to always keep tension on your triceps and off your elbow joints.
  • Now slowly bend at your elbows and lower your upper body toward the floor until your arms are at about a 90-degree angle. Be sure to keep your back close to the bench.
  • Once you reach the bottom of the movement, slowly press off with your hands and push yourself straight back up to the starting position.
  • This counts as one rep.
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Squat Jump

  • Start in a squat with your arms by your sides.
  • Swing your arms to the ceiling and jump.
  • Land quietly as you return to the squat position. This completes one rep.

If this move is too much impact, do air squats.

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Plank Row

  • Start in a plank position with your legs wider than hip distance; the wider stance makes you more stable. Hold on to your dumbbells, keeping your wrist locked to protect the joint.
  • With your core tight and your glutes engaged, exhale, stabilizing your torso as you lift your left elbow to row; feel your left shoulder blade sliding toward your spine as you bend your elbow up toward the ceiling.
  • Keeping your neck long and energized, return the weight to the ground, then repeat the movement on your right side. This completes one rep.
Image Source: POPSUGAR Photography / Benjamin Stone

Split Lunge Jumps

  • Stand with your feet together and your knees soft. Jump and come into a lunge with your left leg forward.
  • Push off with both feet, jumping them together, then hopping into a lunge with your right leg in front.
  • Jump your feet back together to complete one rep.
  • Do 15 reps to complete a set.

If this bothers your knees, modify with forward backward lunges.

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Bent-Over Row

  • Lean forward and bend both knees, remembering to keep a flat back.
  • Extend your arms so they are straight. Lift the dumbbells straight up to chest level, squeezing your shoulder blades together as you do so. Be sure to keep your elbows in and pointed upward. Don't arch your back.
  • Slowly lower the weights back to the starting position to complete one rep.
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Squat to Overhead Press

  • Stand with your legs just slightly wider than hip distance apart, arms raised to shoulder height with elbows bent, holding weights by your ears.
  • Bend your knees as if you were sitting in a chair, keeping weight on your heels.
  • Press the dumbbells overhead as you straighten your knees to return to standing. This counts as one rep.
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High Knees

  • Run in place while lifting your knees high to the level of your waist. Engage your abs as the knee comes up.
  • Pump your arms to warm up your upper body.
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Forward Backward Lunge

  • Stand with the feet together.
  • Put weight in the left foot, lift your right knee up, and step into a forward lunge. The front knee should be at a 90-degree angle with the left knee just barely hovering above the ground.
  • Push into your right heel, come to stand, and immediately step the right foot behind you into a reverse lunge with the left knee at a 90-degree angle.
  • This counts as one rep.
Image Source: POPSUGAR Photography / Benjamin Stone

Dumbbell Deadlifts

  • Hold a dumbbell in each hand by your sides with straight arms, and have a slight bend in your knees.
  • Lower the dumbbells toward the floor. Keep your back straight, not curved or arched. Your chest should be parallel with the floor.
  • Straighten your torso so you have a straight body alignment. This counts as one rep.
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Dumbbell Lunges With Biceps Curl

  • Stand tall with your feet hip-width distance apart. Hold a dumbbell in each hand at your sides.
  • Step forward with the right foot as you bend the elbows in a biceps curl. Lower your hips until both knees are bent at about a 90-degree angle. Keep the front knee directly above the ankle, and lower the left knee to just tap the floor.
  • Keep the weight in your heels as you push back to the starting position. This counts as one rep.
Image Source: POPSUGAR Photography / Benjamin Stone

Single-Leg Deadlift With Row

  • Stand up straight and hold two dumbbells with your palms facing each other.
  • Lift your left foot up a bit and balance on your right leg. Keeping your back neutral, lean your entire torso forward while raising your left leg, which should stay in line with your body.
  • Holding this position, perform a row by bending your elbows back so that the dumbbells meet the sides of your chest while squeezing your shoulder blades together. Lower weights back toward the floor.
  • With your back straight, return upright, coming to your starting position, to complete one rep.
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Dumbbell Squat

  • Stand with your feet hip distance apart, holding a dumbbell at each shoulder.
  • Slowly bend your knees as if you were going to sit in a chair, keeping all the weight in your heels. Don't let your knees move beyond your toes, and don't let the knees roll out or in. Squat down as low as you can, keeping your head and chest lifted, your spine long, and your shoulders relaxed.
  • Press through your heels and slowly straighten your legs to stand up, completing one rep. Make sure to keep your spine neutral. Do not round your back.
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