Great fat-burning workouts don’t always need a gym. Bodyweight training, like weight training, is a form of resistance training. Instead of using the weights as resistance, you’re using the weight of your own body.
Bodyweight training has a long history of support strength, athletic performance, and yes, fat loss.
To get you started on your bodyweight fat loss journey, we’re here to give you an arsenal of bodyweight movements and an effective fat-burning workout.
For this workout, we wanted to give you a great bang for your buck.
After all, while interventions like supplements to support fat loss can play a role and give you that edge, if you want to lose fat, it starts with intelligent training and healthy nutrition. Here we’ll help you on that journey with some simple, effective exercises.
You can do this full-body workout anywhere: at home, at the park, while away for travel, or even during your lunch break at work. With intelligent bodyweight programming, there’s no excuse for not getting in better shape.
This circuit workout takes 20 minutes. After we go over exercises we’ll go over the exact protocol.
Exercise 1: Burpees
When it comes to fat loss, exercises that elevate your heart rate are a key piece of the puzzle. With burpees, you’re targeting your cardiovascular system while training many key muscle groups.
The Move:
Squat down and place hands on the ground, knees fully bent. Rebound up off the ground, jumping as high as possible while extending your legs and reaching your arms above the head.
When you land, move right back into the squat position to complete the next rep.
Tip: Avoid doing this exercise on a concrete surface if possible as it can lead to knee pain due to the excess stress coming down on the joints.
Exercise 2: Push-Ups
The classic push-up is the next bodyweight move for this workout session. Feel free to adapt this to any push-up variation you prefer.
Start in a prone position, balancing on your toes with the legs extended. Your hands will be placed shoulder-width apart, arms extended.
The Move:
Keeping the abs contracted and the spinal column straight, bend the elbows as you lower yourself down to the ground. Pause when your sternum is almost touching the ground and then press up to complete the rep.
Tip: Remember to keep your head looking down while doing this exercise. Don’t look up as this will place excess strain on the neck joints.
Exercise 3: Walking Lunges with A Twist
This lower body movement will hit your glutes, hamstrings, quads, and obliques.
Stand in an upright position with feet about hip width apart. Hands should be positioned by your ears, elbows bent.
The Move:
Take one step forward a foot or two and plant the foot on the ground. Begin to bend the forward leg as you lunge down, touching the back knee to the ground. As you lower, twist towards the front leg with the upper body. Reverse out of the lunge and twist back to center. Step forward with the opposite leg, repeating the above steps, to complete one rep of the exercise.
Tip: For added difficulty, pause for one second at the bottom of the lunge position. This will increase the time under tension for your legs.
Exercise 4: Traveling Plank
This variation on the classic plank exercise will increase the difficulty and recruit your core muscles.
Start in a prone position, facing the ground. Your legs will be extended and you’ll balance on your toes. Place your elbows under your shoulders and balance on your forearms. Your back should be flat like a tabletop in this position. This is the typical plank starting position.
The Move:
Hold this starting position for five seconds, then take one step to the right side with your right leg and arm, following with the left leg and arm. Hold this position for five seconds. Repeat the process until you complete half of the reps, then repeat the steps to the left side.
Tip: Make sure to keep the abs tight as you do this movement while also squeezing the glutes. This will help keep your back and hips in proper alignment to prevent the development of lower back pain.
Exercise 5: Mountain Climbers
Another great cardio move to get your heart rate up, mountain climbers will also activate your abdominal muscles.
You’ll start this exercise in a push-up position, with legs extended behind you and hands on the ground, shoulder-width apart. Keep your body parallel to the ground, with your back and hips in a straight line.
The Move:
Once balanced, drive one leg into the chest, bending the knee as you do so. Once in position, reverse direction and as you do so, pull the other knee inward. Keep alternating legs until all reps are completed.
Tip: Mind-muscle connection on this move is key. Make sure that you focus on driving the knees into the body by contracting the ab muscles. Keep your hips low, and focus on explosive, fast movements as you drive your knees toward your chest.
Exercise 6: Jump Squats
This move is great for building lower body strength as well as improving your power. It’ll also torch calories.
Start in an upright standing position with the feet about hip width apart.
The Move:
Bend at the knees and squat down as low as you can, pulling your arms back behind you. Rebound up off the ground, jumping as high off the ground as you can, swinging your arms through and above your head. Upon landing, move right back down into the squat position and continue with the next rep.
Tip: When doing this exercise, make sure that you land with the knees moving over the toes to avoid suffering from knee pain. Your whole foot should hit the ground simultaneously.
Exercise 7: Crab Walk
The crab walk is a great exercise for testing your balance and agility while hitting the triceps and shoulder muscles.
From a seated position with your knees bent and feet planted on the ground, place your hands on the ground beneath your shoulders. With your weight evenly distributed between your feet and hands, lift your hips so your body is just hovering above the ground. You should already feel your triceps activate.
The Move:
Begin to take one step back with the right foot and hand, followed by the left foot and hand. Continue to walk both arms and legs in the backwards direction as you move across the floor. Keep the abs and glutes tight and hips up off the ground as you do this.
Tip: With this exercise, you don’t want your steps to be too large. This makes it challenging to control. Smaller steps will tend to work better for most people.
Exercise 8: Bicycle Crunch
The bicycle crunch is great for those looking to challenge their core as it’ll hit both the rectus abdominis and the oblique muscles.
Lay supine on the ground with the legs extended and hands by the ears, elbows bent.
The Move:
Bring one knee up towards the body and as you do, lift the upper body and cross over so the opposing elbow moves towards the knee. Lower that leg and untwist to center. Lift the next leg and repeat the process with the other elbow this time. Continue alternating sides simultaneously until all reps are complete. Note you should never lower the upper body fully back on the ground until the exercise is finished.
Tip: To see best results with this movement, perform it in a slow and controlled fashion. Some people rush the movement, which takes the strain off the muscles.
The Workout Protocol
Now that you have a selection of exercises to perform, let’s put them together in a workout set-up. This will be a timed circuit workout.
You will perform each exercise, doing as many reps as you can in a one-minute time frame. After each minute interval is up, rest for 15 seconds and then move onto the next exercise.
Once you finish the entire circuit, repeat a second time through. This will take you 20 minutes total. If you have a few extra minutes, you can go for a third round, for a total of 30 minutes.
One full minute is a long time for these exercises. We don’t want you to slog through at the expense of quality. If you need to stop and rest during the minute, do so. Pick it back up again as soon as you’ve recovered.
Do this workout two to three times per week and you will see results, both in your performance and physique.
How to Make This Workout More Effective
Want to make this workout even more effective? Try supplementation. Using the right products before and after your workout will ensure your body is getting everything it needs.
We designed Clean Burn to be a delicious fat-burner supplement that supports your energy during your training while supporting healthy weight loss.* It contains premium ingredients like organic caffeine, organic guayusa, and more.
However, we want to make something clear: Supplements are not everything. Your Clean Burn will not do this training for you, nor will it be what’s responsible for your fat loss. If you want to burn fat, it’s up to you to stay consistent with training and stick to a nutrition plan.
Supplements and ‘Habit Cues’
Quality supplements like this come with a few benefits. First, they’ll give you an undeniably edge. With the caffeine, you’ll feel the energy right away, which will help you perform during this short workout.
Second, we know that supplements don’t exist in a vacuum. The act of taking your scoop of Orange Mango Clean Burn and sipping on it before your workout will tell your brain and body that it’s time to train. In The Power of Habit, Charles Duhig discusses “the habit loop,” and how habits often begin with a cue. You can think of that first sweet sip of Clean Burn as a cue, which will then help you get in the right frame of mind to train hard.
More on Fat Loss?
If you’re serious about changing your body, then you’ve come to the right place. While this bodyweight workout is a great start, if you want the best results possible, then it’s only the beginning of your journey.
If you’re serious about getting into the best shape of your life, check out our free training program, 4 Weeks 2 Shred. It’s the program meticulously designed and real-world tested to maximize fat loss results in just 28 days.
