If you want to get in shape but do not want use a selectorized machine, lift dumbbells or barbells, this article is for you.
Did you know that you can get in the best shape of your life without lifting weights?
Besides proper nutrition, all you need is a fitness routine containing the proper exercises and a healthy dose daily physical activity.
In this exercise review you will find a list of 12 fat burning, calorie crunching exercises that you can do in the comfort of your home, without any weights, gear or special equipment. These fat burning exercises will help you lose weight, gain confidence, improve both your posture and coordination.
Without further delay here are the first four fat burning exercises to get you going.
PushUps
Lie down, place your arms on your sides with your hands near your shoulders and push yourself up from the floor using only your arms and not your knees or legs. Concentrate your effort on your upper body and keep your back straight as possible while doing the movements. When your arms are fully extended, come back down at a steady pace without touching the floor, except with your hands and feet.
Jumping Jacks
Jump to a position with your legs spread wide while touching your hands together overhead, then return your legs together while bringing your arms to your side. Repeat the action at a fairly rapid pace.
Yoga
While not a particular exercise, but a practice, yoga has a variety of poses that exercise your body. Yoga burns fat, helps your heart, nervous system and a whole lot more. Click here if you want to learn more about the health benefits of yoga for women.
Bear Crawl
This exercise has you looking like a baby crawling across the floor, with a few modifications. First, your knees do not touch the floor. Second, you keep your bottom low to allow your back to remain straight. From there you simply “walk” across the floor in a low crouch. It sounds easier than it is, but it is a simple and effective movement that helps you get in shape by working your core and other muscles.
Squats
There are many varieties of squats, these instructions are for air squats which are fairly simple. Stand with your arms at your sides then sit in the air bringing your arms up for balance as you go downward. Keep your legs spread and your feet pointed straight forward and flat as you move. This builds your core and gives you balance.
Superman
To do the Superman exercise you lie down on the floor and extend your arms in front of you as if you were flying through the sky like a superhero. Raise your left hand above your head while also raising your right leg. Hold for 3 to 5 seconds the repeat with the opposite arm and leg. This burns but it is well worth it.
Sit Ups
This is a classic movement that works. To perform a sit up you lay on your back with your legs bent to about 45 degrees. Think of an upside down letter “V”. Now, with your feet flat on the floor, bend your upper body forward towards your knees. Keep your shoulders relaxed and your chin off of your chest. Exhale on the way up, inhale on the way down. Keep your head from touching the floor and hold for 2 seconds at the top.
As you can see these exercises are not complicated. However, they are great when it comes to improving your health and burning fat. Here are another five exercises that work without weights.
Jump Rope
Jumping rope may seem like merely a “child’s activity” but secretly, skipping rope doubles as a serious aerobic exercise. Grab a rope with both hands, set the hanging end behind you at your ankles and twirl it overhead. You jump when the rope comes around without letting the rope touch your feet. Simple and effective this build up stamina, helps your coordination and a host of other things.
Jogging
Aside from the 6 health benefits of running, jogging / running is an exercise that burns lots of fat. Grab a pair of shoes and get to it. Unless you go barefoot.
Bicycles
With bicycles you get on your back and place your hands behind your head. Similar to the sit up position you bend your upper body forward towards your knees, however you also bring one knee forward towards your upper body and touch an opposing elbow. Twist your body to connect the two. Switch from left elbow to right knee, then right elbow to left knee. Repeat until you complete your set of reps.
Finally, the last two exercises on the list; burpees and tuck jumps.
These two exercises have silly names, but these are serious. If you can manage to do 3 sets of 15 with either of these movements and not increase your heart rate or break a sweat, you probably have a career change ahead of you. Becoming a personal trainer might be the job for you.
Tuck Jump
A tuck jump is another simple yet highly effective exercise that gets you results. You jump high into the air and while up there bring your knees to your chest and release before you come back down to the ground. Simple but they work.
Burpees
Build strength with this aerobic exercise which combines push ups, squats and jumping. Start with your arms above your head, drop to a squat position, then quickly move to push up form on the floor, then quickly back to the squat form, then jump high with your arms above your head. Then repeat, immediately. The burpee exercise contains awesome movements that gets your body working.
Well, now you have a dozen exercises to help you reach your fitness goals.
These 12 fat burning exercises require no weights and can be done by beginners.
