9 At-Home Exercises for Burning Fat and Losing Weight
Do you want to lose weight without going to the gym? There are lots of exercises you can do at home to burn fat and drop inches off your frame. Jamie Costello, vice president of fitness at Pritikin Longevity Center and NASM-certified personal trainer, offers ten simple and effective exercises you can do for fat loss.
Scissor Bridges
Scissor bridges "are excellent for hamstrings, glutes (butt muscles), outer and inner thighs," says Costello.
How to Do It: Lie face up on the mat. Squeeze your glutes and lift your hips off the ground. While holding the bridge, lift your right foot off the mat. Using a controlled motion, move your right leg out to the side and then back to the center. Repeat at least 10 times. Switch to the other side.
Opposite Arm Leg Crunch
Opposite arm leg crunches are excellent for obliques (side abdominal muscles), according to Costello.
How to Do It: Lie face up with arms and legs extended overhead. Crunch upward while aiming your right hand towards your left foot. Alternate sides. Complete 10 on each side.
Squat With Side Leg Raise
Squats with side leg raises are good for quadriceps, "the large muscles at front of thighs and outer thighs," says Costello.
How to Do It: Stand with legs hip-width apart. Squat, keeping your knees behind your toes. As you stand up after each squat, lift your right foot off the ground, performing a side leg raise. Complete 10 squats/side leg raises on the right side. Then switch to the left.
Seated Spinal Twist
Seated spinal twists stretch the spine, shoulders, and hips, improves spinal mobility and releases tension in the back and shoulders, Costello explains.
How to Do It: Sit on the floor with legs extended in front, bend right knee and place right foot on the outside of left knee, twist torso to the right and place left elbow on the outside of right knee, gently twist further while keeping spine tall, repeat on the other side.
Jumping Jacks
Jumping jacks are effective for increasing heart rate, improving cardiovascular fitness, and working multiple muscle groups, including legs, arms, and core.
How to Do It: Start with feet together and arms at sides, jump legs apart while raising arms overhead, then jump back to the starting position.
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Lunges
Lunges "target quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, and calf muscles, improves lower body strength and balance," says Costello.
How to Do It: Stand with feet hip-width apart, step one foot forward and lower body until both knees are bent at 90-degree angles, then return to starting position and repeat on the other side.
Dead Bugs
Dead bugs "strengthen core muscles, including abdominals and lower back, improves stability and coordination, and helps alleviate lower back pain," Costello says.
How to Do It: Lie on your back with arms extended towards the ceiling and legs bent at a 90-degree angle, engage core muscles to press lower back into the floor, slowly extend right arm overhead and left leg towards the floor while maintaining contact between lower back and ground, return to starting position and repeat on the opposite side.
Do More Cardio
"If your goal is to burn fat, get a new cardio routine going. For example, rather than sticking to the same machine for the entire 45-minute session, break it up," says Costello. "Try 15 minutes on the stepper, then switch to the elliptical for 15 minutes. There goes 30 minutes! Now try spinning for 15 minutes."
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Do Mini Intervals
Push yourself out of your comfort zone, yet be cautious of any injuries, he adds. "On each machine, do mini intervals. For instance, increase your speed for 90 seconds, then slow down (yet still working within your Training Heart Rate Zone) for 60 seconds. Then, increase your resistance for 2 minutes while keeping the speed the same. Then, decrease resistance for 1 minute. Repeat till your 15 minutes are up."
