"The squat is pretty much the king of exercises, in my opinion," said Shayna Schmidt, NASM-certified personal trainer and cofounder of Livekick. The squat to overhead press is an even more challenging variation. Adding a press increases your upper-body strength and core stability, and combining it with a squat allows you to lift even heavier weights, Shayna explained. "The fact that you're getting underneath the weight means that you can use your lower body, the strongest muscles we have, to help you get that weight above your head." The heavier you can lift safely, the more fat you'll burn.
- 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.
Image Source: POPSUGAR Photography / Kyle Hartman