You don’t need any equipment other than your own bodyweight to get an effective fat burning workout at home.
The following 3 bodyweight exercises are so effective at burning calories that they will help you quickly lose fat without spending money on home workout equipment.
These 3 exercises will work your entire body and get you sweating in no time:
Table of Contents
Squat Thrust, Mountain Climbers, and Burpees
- The squat thrust works your legs, abs and lungs; it’s great for building explosive power.
- The mountain climbers work your shoulders, chest, triceps, abs and legs (especially the calves).
- Burpees work pretty much every muscle in your body at once! This is why they are so effective for fat burning.
Why Should You Use Bodyweight Exercises To Lose Fat?
Bodyweight exercises make the ultimate home workout because they don’t require any fancy equipment or gym memberships! It’s easy to save a lot of money by working out at home without spending a dime.
The only downside is that it can be difficult to perform high-intensity workouts with nothing other than your bodyweight.
That’s where this workout comes in handy! It’ll boost the intensity of even the most basic bodyweight exercises so you burn more fat and calories.
What Are The Benefits Of Doing Plyometric Exercises?
Bodyweight plyometrics exercises aren’t just great for burning fat – they also build muscle. And the more lean muscle mass your body has, the faster you’ll burn fat.
The squat thrust and burpee are both plyometric exercises. Plyometric exercises build explosive power by training the fast-twitch muscles in your legs, glutes, and core.
Explosive power is extremely important for athletes who need to make sudden bursts of speed or jumping ability. However, explosive power is also extremely beneficial for regular people and weekend warriors who want to get in shape fast and look good naked.
Why? Because explosive power will allow you to lose fat faster! When your body uses more energy (calories) it’ll burn more calories even when you’re not working out.
The squat thrust and burpee both train your muscles to be more explosive. Because of this, you’ll lose weight faster and build muscle by performing these exercises regularly.
Build Muscle Without Bulking Up
Strength training with bodyweight exercises is very effective for building muscle without bulking up. Bulking up only makes it harder for your body to burn fat. That’s because excess calories from bulking up will be converted into fat instead of being burned as energy.
So, let’s get started.
What You Need: Not much; just enough space to move in your home.
Exercise Instructions
Perform each exercise for 30 seconds at a time. 1 set of 20 repetitions is called 1 round, so you will complete 3 rounds of these bodyweight exercises.
If you are a beginner, you should perform 2 or 3 rounds until you are able to complete the designated number of reps without taking breaks between sets.
Number Of Reps
The number of reps you do will depend on your current fitness level. If this is your first time doing these exercises, it’s advised to get a feel for them before increasing the number of rounds and/or reps.
How Often Should You Do This Workout?
How often should I perform this workout? Perform this home workout 3 times a week with at least 1 day of rest in between each workout.
How long should I rest in between sets? Rest for 30 seconds in between sets to give yourself ample time to recover and get ready for the next round of exercises.
Which days should I work out? You can do this home workout on a Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. If you have a different schedule, just make sure that you don’t work out on back-to-back days with this workout.
Warming Up
Before starting any exercise, make sure you are properly warmed up. The fuller range of motion the exercise provides, the better it is for warming up (e.g., jumping jacks vs walking lunges). Dynamic stretches that cover numerous joints are great for warming up before performing any home workout.
The Home Bodyweight Workout
Bodyweight Squat Thrust
1. Squat down with your heels on the ground.
2. Squat up while keeping your heels down and your abs braced.
3. Don’t arch your lower back at the top.
Mountain Climbers
1. Brace your abs in order to pull your ribs down, and keep your tailbone tucked under.
2. Keep your shoulders “active.” Don’t let them relax during the movement.
3. Keep a rigid torso and move only from your hips, bringing one knee up at a time.
4. Don’t allow your lower back to arch or your hips to shoot up.
Burpees
1. Squat down with your feet straight forward, your heels on the ground and your knees tracking over your toes.
2. Jump back to a plank position, and land with your abs braced and without arching your back.
3. Drop into the pushup while keeping your tailbone tucked under and squeezing your shoulder blades together and down to your back pockets.
4. Finish the pushup and jump back to the squat position with your heels on the ground, knees straight forward and feet straight.
5. Jump upward and drop down to repeat.
Cooling Down
It’s also important to properly cool down after your workout, especially when doing high-intensity exercises like this one. Cooldown slowly with static stretches aimed at the muscles that were used in your workout. Doing so helps reduce muscle soreness. Static stretching is the best cool down.
Static Stretches For Cool Down
Chest Stretch
Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and your hands at your sides. Raise one arm overhead until you feel a stretch across your chest. Hold the position for 30 seconds, then repeat on the opposite arm.
High To Low Plank Reach-Downs
Start in a high plank position with your hands below your shoulders and your feet wider than shoulder-width apart. Lower one hand to the floor and step it out to the side while reaching overhead with the opposite hand.
Aim for 3 sets of 12 reps on each side, alternating sides after every rep.
Glute Stretch
Start by standing with your feet together. Lift one foot and bend the knee, then lean toward that side until you feel a stretch in your glute. Hold for 30 seconds, then switch sides.
Leg Raise Stretch
Lie on your back with both knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Extend one leg up toward the ceiling (keeping it straight) while raising your opposite leg (bent) and holding it with the flat palm of your hand. Aim for 3 sets of 12 on each side, alternating sides after every rep.
Quad Stretch
Step one foot behind you while keeping the other in front. Lower into a lunge until you feel a stretch in your quad, then hold for 30 seconds before switching sides.
Chest Stretch
Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and your hands at your sides. Raise one arm overhead until you feel a stretch across your chest. Hold the position for 30 seconds, then repeat on the opposite arm. Keep your back straight and look forward throughout this exercise.
High To Low Plank Reach-Downs
Start in a high plank position with your hands below your shoulders and your feet wider than shoulder-width apart. Lower one hand to the floor and step it out to the side while reaching overhead with the opposite hand. Keep your back straight and look forward throughout this exercise.
Aim for 3 sets of 12 reps on each side, alternating sides after every rep.