The New Year is upon us and as we welcome in 2021, many people are also looking for ways to achieve their New Year’s Resolutions or accomplish their weight loss goals. If you ever wondered what trainers think are the best exercises, our very own SureFiz trainer has compiled eight of her favorite exercises that she incorporates in her fitness routine for you to try as you sweat your way to weight loss. Try incorporating them into your weekly workout routine to see how well they work for you.
Any exercise is a good exercise to help with healthy weight loss and staying fit. But many trainers have favorites—exercises that they feel are better for the whole body. The exercises we list here are what we call “more bang for your buck” exercises, allowing for integration of core work and multi-muscle group activation. When doing them correctly you can see your fitness level and your overall strength increase. These are certainly not all-inclusive; there are many exercises that help with full body strength and endurance. But these exercises are a good start to helping you reach your strength and fitness potential, as well as lose more weight for good.
Burpees are a great full body bodyweight workout that can blast calories and fat, while getting the heart rate pumping. You will work your lower body during a squat position, upper body and shoulders as you drop down into a plank and the core for the entire exercise. Although they may sound intimidating, burpees can be modified so that almost anyone can do them. There are many variations of a burpee that can be done to make it more or less challenging, such as adding a pushup or dumbbells, adding exercises to make it more complex, or doing it on an elevated surface to make it easier. Here’s how to do a burpee:
A squat press is another great full body exercise with more of a focus on strength than explosive cardio. But don’t let it fool you—a squat press can get your heart pumping and the sweat flowing almost as good as any cardio based exercise! In a squat press you will use legs to squat, arms to lift the weights overhead and the core to stabilize while you work. You will need a set of dumbbells or soup cans, or another weighted object to perform this exercise. Here’s how to perform a squat press:
Push-ups are a great strength building bodyweight workout that engages multiple muscle groups for maximum calorie burn and weight loss. You don’t need anything except your body and a mat or the floor to perform them, and there are many modifications you can do to make this exercise effective for anyone at any fitness level. Here is how to do a push-up:
The plank is an excellent endurance and strength building exercise and is a favorite of many trainers. Because the abdominals are intended as stabilizers and not movers, the plank helps to strengthen them in a more effective way than other popular core exercises, such as a crunch. There are many ways to modify the plank to make it more or less challenging and to build intensity as you can increase the time a plank is held. Here is how to hold a plank:
The Bulgarian split squat is an amazing strength building exercise using a step or bench that engages the quadriceps as a primary mover and also works the glutes, calves and hip flexors. You will also engage your core as the body works to balance with one foot elevated on a step. Here’s how to do a Bulgarian split squat:
The sumo squat (also known as a plié squat) is a variation of the traditional squat where you step your legs out wider and the toes are pointed outward to opposite corners of the room. This exercise is perfect to implement into a leg routine, as it activates the leg muscles differently than a traditional squat. As you do the exercise, engaging the core and glutes will also help to promote a larger grouping of muscles and feel more like a full body exercise, gaining the “more bang for your bucks” benefit in your weight loss program. Here’s how to do a sumo squat:
Swings are a dynamic exercise that works your full body in one movement while scorching calories and blasting fat. The swing will strengthen your hamstrings, quadriceps, glutes, shoulders, core and more. With so much muscle activation in one movement, you can see why they are a popular move for many trainers. If you don’t have a kettlebell you can also use a single dumbbell or even double up with two dumbbells for a more challenging routine. Here’s how to do a kettlebell swing:
You might be one of many who overlook jumping jacks in adulthood and think they are meant for middle school PE class. But in all honesty, jumping jacks are an amazing way to burn calories quickly, and work your entire body at the same time! If you do them correctly they can be a valuable piece of any weight loss workout routine. Here’s how to do jumping jacks correctly:
Many people think that there needs to be a complicated routine or fancy gym equipment to reach their weight loss and fitness potential, but in reality many of these classic simple moves can be done on a regular basis to help you reach your goals. By implementing these moves into your weekly routine, you will see lasting weight loss results while you get stronger and faster. Remember to eat a healthy, balanced diet and fuel yourself correctly before each workout. If you need tips for a healthy breakfast, click here for some easy, tasty ideas. Don’t forget to step on your SureFiz scale each day to track your progress and receive personalized guidance along your weight loss journey. SureFiz scale truly offers the secret sauce to weight loss, and we can help you reach your diet and weight loss goals.