The Best Fat Burning Exercises

In general when looking to to lose a few pounds or more most people start a cardio training program to help burn fat. This normally takes the form of lots of running and walking or getting on the cross trainer and rower in the gym.

As fat burning exercises these can be successful but are they as effective as everybody thinks? Recent research now suggests that too much cardio training can have a negative impact when looking to burn fat.

A possible side effect of excessive cardio training is a lower metabolism meaning you will be burning fewer calories and less fat. This is because during and after cardio training the body can use lean muscle for energy if there is no other energy sources available. This can result in people who have a small frame but have little muscle tone. Therefore with a lowered metabolic rate they are vulnerable to quick weight gain once they resume normal eating patterns.

Secondly when doing low to moderate intensity cardio training your metabolic rate is only elevated for maybe 1-3 hours after you have finished your session so your capacity to burn fat in the “after-burn” of exercise is very limited.

After examining these points it can be argued that the most effective exercises for fat burning are performed at high intensity with the focus on building lean muscle to produce a strong fat burning post exercise response. Therefore to burn fat you need lots of free weight and bodyweight exercises in your workouts. If must be noted that not all of these kind of exercises are suitable. For a more effective workout focus on multi joint movements that use lots of muscles and therefore lots of energy.

The key exercises  you should perform on a regular basis are:

Squats – Perform various types using free weight dumbbells and Barbells (No Machines!)

Deadlifts – Again to be performed with Dumbbells and Barbells

Chest and Shoulder Presses – No Machines if possible

Push ups- Use varying techniques to increase the difficulty

Pullups -  Very difficult for most people only perform if you can do full range of movement. If you cannot do this exercise then use lat Pulldowns

Lunges – Vary between front, reverse and side.

Rows – Bent over Rows and cable rows 

There are lots of variations of these exercises and I would recommend you examine further to get more ideas.

When performing these as fat burning exercises you do need to focus keeping the intensity of your workout high. For this work with heavier weights and smaller rest periods (under 60 secs) between sets to keep your heart rate high during the workout. Another highly advised technique is to perform supersets to maintain intensity. Supersets involve a pair of exercises being performed without rest as on rep. That would be classified as one set. A set of 10 reps of squats then performing 10 reps flat chest press immediately after is a good example of this. This does work better if you use opposing muscle groups in your exercise choices.

If boredom is creeping into your exercise regime then think seriously about doing free weights in your workouts. They may just be the answer to getting the results you want.