Now that the warm weather and longer days are back with us, it’s a great time for healthy resolutions by doing fat burning exercises to melt your winter waistline. You want to get more toned and lose the few kilos you added on during the past winter? First, we have to tackle a common mistake: it is not possible to lose fat on a particular area of the body, like belly or thighs. It is unfair but it does not work this way. The body functions as a whole and you have to deal with that.

 

Though, in this article, we will give you some advice to trick your body and become the best bikini version of yourself. Practice these 8 exercises on a regular basis and you will get fast and lasting results on your waistline.

 

1. Running to lose weight

 

 

Running, cycling, swimming or actually any other cardio exercise you’d like. There is no secret, if you want to lose fat you have to sweat! As a motivator, picture out sweat as fat crying. Besides burning fat, running is a great exercise which offers a lot of benefits: cardio is great for your heart (which is a muscle as a reminder), great for endurance and it slims you down. And its biggest advantage is that it does not require any equipment. You just need to put on your shoes and go for a run.

 

By the way, no need to push yourself too hard in the beginning or you’ll get disgusted. Test yourself, for how long can you run before you really have to stop? If it is for 20 minutes, try to run for 20 minutes 2 to 3 times a week. Then add 5 minutes to your overall time every two weeks. Beginning slowly and gradually increasing the intensity of your runs is the key to progress. Also remember that when you run, the first 10 minutes are always the hardest because your body goes into a running mode and needs an adaptation time. 

 

However, running can induce traumatic efforts for your joints. Listen to your body and run with moderation if you suffer from weak knees or ankles.

 

2. Planking 30 sec a day keeps belly fat away

 

 

Planking is terribly effective. Not only will it strengthen your deep muscles and give you the lean and toned body you want but it also will improve your posture by reinforcing your back muscles. In effect, it is a matter of habit, even with only 30 secs a day, you will quickly be able to hold the plank for a longer time.

 

To do a perfect plank, adopt a push-up position, your weight supported by your forearms. Ground the toes onto the floor. You should keep your stomach muscles strained and your hand in alignment with your spine. It is a static exercice, you have to hold the position for as long as you can.

 

Many variations are possible: side plank, plank to pushup, spider plank (which will basically destroy your love handles). Enjoy them all!

 

3. Burpees: you will love them as much as you will hate them

 

 

Burpees are one of the best bodyweight exercises for weight loss and for reshaping your body. Shoulders, core muscles, buttocks, thighs, they put every muscle of your body to work and require a lot of endurance and energy. Moreover, that is why this movement is part of most of athletes and army trainings. It is not a difficult exercise though. There is only one rule if you want it to be effective and to burn fat: be dynamic and go on with the different steps quickly.

 

Start in a squat position, your hands next to your feet on the floor. Jump your feet back and land in a plank position. Your weight is on your hands and on the balls of your feet. Then jump your feet back in a squat position. Jump as high as you can while your hands reach over your head. Land and immediately start your next repetition.

 

If you want to increase the intensity, you can add a pushup before you jump back in the squat position.

 

4. Lunges for perfect butt and thighs

 

 

This is the perfect exercise to develop your glutes and to slim your legs down without increasing their volume. Even though lunges are really easy to perform, you have to do them correctly in order to avoid any risk of injury.

 

Stand with your feet about shoulder-width apart, your hands are on your hips. Take a step forward and go down. Your legs should get into a 90° angle. Then go back up and step backward in your initial position. Do not forget to squeeze your stomach muscles during the whole exercise, you want that flat belly!

 

You can add some weight with dumbbells if you are feeling that this exercise is too easy.

 

5. Squats will never disappoint you

 

 

Squats are a well-known exercise for burning fat. And for good reason! Squats are highly effective for shaping your buttocks and thighs. Indeed, they involve your lower body muscles and your joints. If you do them properly, you will be able to do lower squats over time, and the lower you get, the deeper you work.

 

Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. Push your hips back and bend your knees like if you were sitting on a chair. Try not to bend your upper body forward.

 

No chance of getting bored, you can vary the type of squats as much as you want: sumo squat, jump squats, pistol squats and others.

 

6. Mountain climbers, fat enemies

 

 

Mountain climbers burn a lot of calories and tone the core muscles in the same time. They are a great total-body exercise: your shoulders have to stabilize your upper body, your triceps work asymmetrically to keep you in place, you are moving your legs so you are getting some work in the hip joint and then, because you do them pretty quickly, it becomes a really cardio vascular type of movement. Thus you can basically practice mountain climbers everywhere and you do not need anything. Except for a mat if you want comfort.

 

Get into a plank position, your hands a little wider than your shoulders. One leg after the other, draw your knee in without lifting your hips up. Depending on your flexibility, your knee should touch your elbow.

 

Do not be fooled by its apparent ease, this exercise is really intense. The faster you’ll go, the more fat you’ll burn!

 

7. Jumping jacks against cellulite

 

 

As easy as they are effective, jumping jacks are among the most famous exercises in fitness. They make you get movement in your upper as well as in your lower body, they are cardio vascular and they do not require any equipment. That is why they are often part of warmup sessions. Particularly effective against cellulite, jumping jacks will help you melt so don’t hesitate and add them to your workout routine!

 

Stand up with your legs slightly apart, your knees slightly bent. With a little jump, widen your legs and at the same time quickly bring your hands over your head until they touch. Go back quickly to the starting position and repeat the movement.

 

Basically, it is just a jump so don’t forget to engage your glutes the whole time and repeat them quickly for more intensity.

 

8. Push-ups are worth it

Pushups are one of our favorite exercises. They are great because you don’t need any equipment, you can do them anywhere, anytime. They require a lot of strength in the upper body so if you can’t do a classic push-up yet, start with a modified version. There are a couple different variations of doing a push-up. Choose the one you can do the most efficiently and effectively.

 

In a plank position, your hands are about shoulder-width apart. Make sure the position is comfortable. Inhale as you go down and exhale like if you want to blow the floor away. The wider your legs are, the easier it gets. Make sure that your head is not dropping, keep it in line. Engage your core, draw your belly muscles in.

 

An easier version is to do knee push-ups which will relieve pressure on your upper body. On the contrary, if classic push-ups are too easy for you, you can increase the difficulty with adding a jump or by moving your hands between each reps.

 

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These 8 exercises use several muscular groups and make your whole body work at a time, which is the best for burning calories. Do them properly and mix them in order to see results quickly. The best is to train on a regular basis whether it is at a gym or at home in addition to paying attention to what and how much you eat.

 
We recommend you 101fitness which provides perfect bodyweight programs to do on your own in addition to helping you having a healthy diet, with a cut in calories intake. We promise you will be ready for the summer in a few weeks!