When it comes to moving, “two types of workouts will burn more calories than the 'traditional' workout,” says Franklin Antoian, personal trainer and founder of iBodyFit.com. “Endurance-type workouts—think a marathoner or long-distance swimmer—burn a lot of calories, simply because it takes a lot of energy to work out for 2 hours or so.” The other type is a little easier on your schedule: short, high-intensity bouts, which burn calories both during and after, thanks to that metabolism-boosting effect known as the “afterburn.”
These 10 workouts—from Antoian and coach Lisa Reed, M.S., C.S.C.S., owner ofLisa Reed Fitness in the Washington, D.C. area—get your calorie burn up and your waist size down. Plus, they don't require two hours—except for maybe the last one!
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Before your session of choice, Reed recommends a simple dynamic warmup to get your muscles ready and help prevent injury.
WARMUP
Do 25 yards or 20-30 seconds each of:
Skips (traveling or stationary)
Buttkicks (traveling or stationary)
Frankenstein walks/kicks
Walking (or stationary) knee hugs
Walking (or alternating) lunges
Walking (or alternating) lateral lunges
Walkout pushups
1. Basic Bodyweight Workout
“No gym? No problem. Speed up this circuit of bodyweight exercises to burn calories anywhere, anytime,” says Antoian. Do the circuit of exercises for one minute each four times through, resting for 30 seconds before repeating, for a 30-minute session.
Do this circuit 3–4 times. Do 1 minute each of:
Pushups
Jumping jacks
Forward-backward lunges (30 seconds each leg)
V sit-ups
Side-stepping squats (30 seconds each leg)
Burpees
Mountain climbers
2. Beast Mode Bodyweight Workout
“This bodyweight circuit workout raises your body temperature and increases your metabolism,” Reed says. Do the main circuit two or three times through, resting as little as possible. Then finish with the cardio burnout.
Do this circuit 2–3 times. Do 30 seconds each of:
Isometric squats
Squats
Sumo squat jumps
Wide-hand push-ups
Renegade rows with pushups between
Side plank rotations with reach
Reverse lunges (right)
Reverse lunges (right)
Plank tricep get-ups (right-arm lead)
Plank tricep get-ups (left-arm lead)
Windshield wipers
Then do 30 seconds each of:
Speed squats
Quick feet
Skater jumps
Speed jumping jacks
High-knee stationary sprint
Burpees
3. Classic Gym Circuit
“If you're short on time and are happy with a basic workout, try this tried-and-true circuit,” Antoian says. Do the whole thing 3 to 5 times through, with little to no rest in between exercises and sets, and use a heavy enough weight that it’s tough to finish the last few reps.
Do the following as a circuit 3–5 times:
20 leg presses
15 dumbbell squats with shoulder press
15 hamstring curls
15 bench presses
25 cable rows
10 dumbbell bicep curls
10 tricep pressdowns
25 crunches
4. Tabata
The definition of high intensity, tabatas have you alternating 20 seconds of hard effort with 10 seconds of rest, straight through for four minutes. “The best thing about the Tabata workout is that you can perform these short, intense routines with your own body weight in the comfort of your own home,” Reed says. “Tabata raises your heart rate, pumps up your muscles, and increases your fitness level.” These ones will have you alternating two exercises targeting the same muscle groups, and going from one to the next provides a kickbutt workout in 24 minutes.
A. Lower-body tabata #1 (do circuit 4 times)
20 seconds of speed squats
10 seconds rest
20 seconds isometric squat hold
10 seconds rest
B. Lower-body tabata #2 (do circuit 4 times)
20 seconds of walking lunges
10 seconds rest
20 seconds of squat jumps
10 seconds rest
C. Upper-body tabata #1 (do circuit 4 times)
20 seconds of dumbbell bentover rows
10 seconds rest
20 seconds of dumbbell chest press
10 seconds rest
D. Upper-body tabata #2 (do circuit 4 times)
20 seconds of dumbbell bicep curls
10 seconds rest
20 seconds of dumbbell tricep kickbacks
10 seconds rest
E. Cardio tabata (do circuit 4 times)
20 seconds of skater jumps
10 seconds rest
20 seconds of frog jumps
10 seconds rest
F. Tabata abs (do circuit 4 times)
20 seconds of bicycle crunches
10 seconds rest
20 seconds of supermans
5. Battle Ropes
“If you've never incorporated battle ropes into your training, you'll soon find out why they burn so many calories so quickly,” says Antoian. “Repeat this workout four times for an ultra kick-butt 20 minute workout.”
1 minute of rope alternating arm waves
30 seconds of pushups
1 minute of rope double-arm slam jumping waves
30 seconds of bicycle crunches
1 minute of rope outside circles
30 seconds of mountain climbers
30 seconds of rest
6. Killer Kettlebells
“Training with kettlebells is very beneficial because they improve your body composition, generate total body power, and build strength simultaneously,” says Reed. “Due to how the weight is distributed, kettlebells force your muscles to counterbalance, improving your stability and balance as well.” These exercises should all be performed unilaterally, meaning with one arm at a time, which further engages the core. Go from one move to the next, then rest for a minute or two before repeating the whole thing two more times.
Do 10 reps each arm or leg. Perform the complete group of exercises as a circuit, doing 3 circuits total.
Single-arm swings
Squat to single-arm overhead press
Single-arm bentover rows
Single-leg Russian deadlifts
1-2 minutes rest
7. TRX Training
TRX workouts not only increase total body strength to burn more calories throughout the day, but will also increase your heart rate to help improve body composition. In addition, the TRX engages more muscles of your core. With all of your core muscles being worked, you will condition your entire body and get tight lower abs at the same time!
Perform each exercise on the TRX for 30 seconds each:
Set 1 (do 3 times)
TRX squat jumps
TRX push-ups
TR pull-ups
Set 2 (do 3 times)
TRX reverse lunge to knee up (each side)
TRX tricep extensions
TRX bicep curls
Set 3 (do 3 times)
TRX hamstring curls
TRX pike-ups
Set 4 (do 3 times)
Side oblique crunches (each side)
8. Fiery 50
“The combo of sprinting, getting down to do abs, and then jumping as high in the air as you can for the burpees is a sure way to tear through some calories,” Antoian says. Repeat the workout five to 10 times with no rest between exercises and just one minute between rounds.
50-yard sprint
50 sit-ups
50-yard reverse sprint (run backwards)
50 reverse sit-ups
10 burpees
9. Metabolic Strength
“A metabolic workout increases your strength and stamina, burns fat, and increases your metabolism to boost energy and weight loss,” Reed says. The secret is not scrimping on the load and going from one exercise to the next with little break.
Do each move for 45 seconds with enough weight that you’re pretty wasted as the time runs out—Reed suggests using the same amount on the first four exercises, and the same (lighter) load for the last three. At the end of the circuit, rest for two to three minutes before doing the whole thing another time or even two.
Do the circuit 2–3 times
Barbell squat
Barbell push press
Barbell front squat
Barbell bentover row
Pushups
Barbell skull crushers
Barbell standing bicep curls
Barbell walking lunges
10. Try-a-Tri
We’d be remiss to totally ignore those long-duration workouts Antoian mentioned. “Hit the road, trails, and water for this long-duration calorie-burning workout,” he says. “As a bonus, you'll be prepping yourself for a beginner triathlon.” Take only as long a break as it takes for your to transition between events (swimsuit to biking clothes, etc.).
Swim a quarter mile (in a pool, lake, ocean)
Bike 10 miles (outdoors or in)
Run 3 miles (outdoors or in)