Burn More Body Fat With 5 Simple Moves & Exercises

We've all asked these questions before: What's the best way to burn fat the fastest? Which exercises are the most efficient? Which ones burn the most calories? How many calories would I burn if I just do jumping jacks?

Well you walked into the right place because I'm going to fill you up with the answers that hopefully solves your concerns!

The names of each workout will be in headings followed by directions of how to perform the exercise and finally the how-to videos to conclude with each.

Squats

Squats are performed by using your own bodyweight or with additional weight. They target virtually all muscles in your legs while burning calories and contributes very well for weight loss.

If you've been to the gym a couple of times then I'm pretty sure you've probably heard of squats before. And if you were serious with getting fit at least once then you most definately have tried this exercise!

Related: 14 Subtle but Powerful Health Benefits of Exercising Other Than Losing Weight

Squats boost power for both jumping and sprinting which makes it one of my top priorities in the workouts list.

And did you know that squats burn a ridiculous amount of calories compared to many others?

How do I calculate the calories burned from squats?

1. Multiply your weight by .096
2. Take the answer and multiply it by the amount of minutes you perform the exercise.

For instance, if you weigh 160 lbs. and you take 15 minutes to complete your squats, you will burn approximately 230 calories.

If you received a different answer on the calculator following Christy's method, remember that the amount of calories you burn is formulated depending on the intensity of the exercise and your weight.

Related: This Trick Can Make You Eat Less

For example, a 120-pound person doing squats for 15 minutes can burn 95 calories, and performing for an hour can burn 382 calories.

Here is a quick list I have put together showing more varieties of weight:

Pounds	Minutes	Calories Burned
80	15	64
100	15	80
120	15	95
140	15	111
160	15	127
180	15	144
200	15	159
240	15	191
280	15	223
320	15	255
400	15	319

Related: 15 Amazing Things Happening To Your Body When Losing Weight

Directions (Barbell)

1. Plant your feet flat on the ground, toes slightly outward.

2. Position the bar behind your head, with the weight on your upper back.

   • Raise and dismount the barbell from the rack. Then take a step forward or backward, or the rack would interfere in the motion.
3. Bend your knees and slowly lower your hips as if to "sit" on an invisible chair.
4. Contract your abs as you move through the squat.
5. Push straight back up, lifting your hips up and forward to lift toward starting position.

Plank

Planks are one of those exercises that are a complete must for strengthening your core, as they take part in engaging multiple muscle groups simultaneously.

But thats not all: They also tighten your stomach, improve flexibility, balance and posture, mood (Yes!), and lessen back pain.

If you're like me you've purposely left planks away from your exercise routines in the past. Why? Because they were overwhelming! I'm the type of person who may become paranoid if I don't see results, so after weeks of exercise and plenty of fitness articles I realized one day that I just had to start doing planks again---after learning the benefits coming from them.

When I started out it felt impossible to hold a plank longer than 40 seconds. However, after plenty of weeks passed I learned that it gets easier to hold longer over time.

Read: 9 Ways To Lose Weight Fast At Home Before Bedtime

The longer you hold a plank the more calories are being burned, as your body begins to struggle supporting your weight and firing all of its calorie-burning engines.

Directions

1. Get into pushup position on the floor.
2. Your elbows should be directly beneath your shoulders, and your body should form a straight line from your head to your feet.
3. Place your wrists in line with your elbows.
4. Push your body up into your upper back and hold your chin close to your neck (like you’re holding an egg between your chin and your throat).
5. In this position, brace your abdominals—contract them like expecting a punch in your stomach, squeeze your gluteal (tailbone) and thigh muscles simultaneously while continuing to breathe normally.
6. Hold the position for as long as you can. Rest for approximately one minute and repeat three to five more times.

Burpees

Burpees are one of the fastest calorie burners out there. But let me warn you: they're not easy!

To someone who is barely venturing into their fitness adventures, burpees may look a little strange. But they are really tough and can get your heart pounding very quickly. After a few burpees you will start sweating at a quick rate.

Directions

1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, weight in your heels, and your arms at your sides.
2. Push your hips back, bend your knees, and lower your body into a squat.
3. Place your hands on the floor directly in front of, and just inside, your feet. Shift your weight onto them.
4. Jump your feet back to softly land on the balls of your feet in a plank position. Your body should form a straight line from your head to heels. Be careful not to let your back sag or you butt stick up in the air, as both can keep you from effectively working your core.
5. Jump your feet back so that they land just outside of your hands.
6. Reach your arms over head and explosively jump up into the air.
7. Land and immediately lower back into a squat for your next rep.

Related: 7 Worst Mental Attitudes That Make It Harder To Lose Weight

Jumping Jacks

Commonly introduced early stages into childhood, jumping jacks can slice calories quicker than you arrive at your gym!

According to Calorie Lab, doing jumping jacks for 15 minutes for someone who weighs exactly 100 pounds can burn 80 calories! But like every exercise listed, don't expect to be doing jumping jacks long enough to be burning the calories you wish for all at once! I recommend combining all of these exercises with others for a balanced circuit workout. Not only will the calorie burning continue long after your workout ends but you'll also acquire all of the benefits without hurting yourself.

Jumping jacks engage all of your muscles at the same time: upper body, abs, legs, and of course your whole cardiovascular system. They are the perfect warm-up activity, as they help you loosen up at the beginning of a workout!

Directions

Mountain Climbers

Mountain climbers are one of the most effective exercises I know. It's a full body workout!

When performing mountain climbers your heart rate goes up really fast. This exercise fires up nearly every muscle group in the body: deltoids, chest, obliques, biceps, hamstrings, abdominals, quads, triceps, and even the hip abductors!

According to Tanya Siejhi Gershon, mountain climbers are peat the action with your other knee.

High Knees

We've all ran a mile before, i'm sure.

It's easy to look at this exercise and think: Oh, that looks easy and fun! Its like running! It's actually a lot more challenging than one would think and the tension is a lot different. In addition it also works a lot more muscles than one expects. When performing correctly, you'll feel lots of tension coming from your legs, arms, and abs.

Related: 7 Exercises To Burn Fat With Resistance Bands

Directions

1. Stand up straight and place your feet about hip-width apart.
2. Place your hands palms down facing the floor, hovering just above your belly button.
3. Quickly drive your right knee up to meet your right hand, bring the same leg back to the ground immediately bring the left knee coming up to meet your left hand.
4. As you are alternating knees, you want to do it with a hopping motion, staying on the balls of your feet the entire time.
5. Make sure you are engaging your abdominal muscles as each knee comes up to meet the hands.

When you lift your leg high in front of you, your abs have to activate to support its weight. So not only is your leg working to move itself, your whole core is working to help it.

Like jumping jacks, high knees are both a great warm-up and a great cardio burst in a total body workout. One minute of high knees–working your very hardest–will burn about 8 calories. Not as many as mountain climbers, but a pretty good burn for such a simple exercise!