BY EBENEZER SAMUEL, CSCS
The quest to burn calories is endless. And your workouts play only a small role in that calorie-burning process. Truth is, you’ll get your best calorie-burn on a daily basis from increasing your total step count and staying active when you’re not working out.
But you can still extract value from classic “calorie-burning” exercises. Moves like this help you push through large ranges of motion, and oftentimes, they push you to showcase power, an underrated marker of longevity. So learning to identify calorie-burning moves is tremendously useful – especially since these moves often don’t require much equipment.
WHAT’S IN A CALORIE BURNING MOVE?
Calorie-burning moves will generally exhibit one or all of these characteristics.
- You’ll either cover great distance or change heights frequently. This is why burpees rocket your heart rate, actually: Your body must work to go from a prone position to a jumping position.
- You’ll utilize a variety of muscles. Isolation moves like curls and rear delt flies need not apply here. The more muscles you’re using, the more you’ll force the body to burn calories.
- You’ll get to move fast. Explosiveness is a trait you’ll often find in calorie-burning moves. It’s not essential to them, but it’s a fringe benefit, especially compared to the slower movements of most classic strength exercises.
Here are three I love. Insert them into your workouts near the end once a week for 2-3 sets.
SINGLE-ARM WEIGHTED BURPEE
Burpees have a bad rap (and I’ve dissed them as much as anyone). But smart variations dosed correctly will challenge athleticism and coordination, and skyrocket your heart rate, too. The single-arm burpee takes a ton of core work, too. Think 3 sets of 8 to 10 reps per side.
SNATCH TO SQUAT PRESS
This simple combo move has you moving with serious power, and it blends a pulling action (the snatch) with a push (the squat to press). That combination taxes shoulders, chest, lats, rhomboids and more. Do 2 sets of 8 to 10 reps.
HALF-FULL GOBLET SQUAT
This one evolves a classic goblet squat with that small half-rep to deliver a touch of inefficiency and also force your quads and glutes to work double-time in the hardest part of the squat (the bottom). Do 2-3 sets of 8 to 10 reps and don’t be afraid to go heavy on these.