MOVING IN ANY way burns calories but as we see on a daily basis, sometimes a busy life calls for a workout that packs more of a punch.
We have rounded up the top five exercises that you can add to your gym programme to help you burn the maximum amount of calories in the minimum amount of time.
All of these exercises are high intensity, require you to get your heart rate way up and work large muscle groups to ensure that you are moving to maximum effect.
Battle ropes
Want to sculpt your arms, shoulders and back while scorching calories? Then get acquainted with the battle ropes.
These black, heavy ropes combine elements of cardiovascular exercise with resistance training so your muscles get a workout as well as your heart and lungs.
Like all other exercises, how hard you work dictates how many calories you burn.
That being said you can lose up to 10 calories per minute by working with the battle ropes, and your almost guaranteed to finish a battle rope workout sweating, shaking and panting from exertion.
How to use them? The battle ropes will be attached to a pivot so you can perform a multitude of movements with them including slams, waves, jumps and swings.
Add 30 seconds of battle ropes to the end of your workout routine or use them to get the heart pumping when polishing off your session.
Burpees
Burpees make everything burn: your muscles, your lungs and most importantly, a heap of calories.
Burpees improve agility, balance, coordination and overall total body strength. A 180 pound person burns 1.43 calories per burpee.
So if you can manage 10 in a minute, you’re into double digits after only a minute of work.
How to do it? The exercise entails going from the push-up position to a jump and back to the push-up position again.
Kettlebell swing
This is an explosive cardio exercise that will send your heart rate sky high as well as work the big, powerful muscles around your glutes and quads.
Studies show that you can lose up to 20 calories per minute swinging kettlebells, while at the same time sculpting your back, shoulders, arms, core and glutes.
It’s not a movement we are used to so we’re not super-efficient at it, which in turn means your body has to work twice as hard to control the bell’s shifting centre of gravity.
How to do it? Stand with feet hip-width apart, holding a kettlebell at your centre line.
Slightly bend knees, shift hips back, and bring torso almost parallel with the floor. To come back to standing, engage your glutes and whip your hips forward. I call it the tip and whip.
The kettlebell should naturally swing up because your hips are powerfully driving forward (not forcing it up with arm strength).
Make sure to keep core engaged the entire time and never round your back.
Tabata jump squats
A Tabata is a form of high-intensity interval training that has been adopted by those who just don’t want to spend hours in the gym. The training protocol alternates between 20 second intervals of maximal effort with 10 seconds of rest.
The Tabata jump squat drill, which totals four minutes, not only incinerates calories during your workout, but also burns calories after your workout.
A study has shown that participants who did eight rounds of all-out jump squats for 20 seconds, with a 10 second break between each round, burnt 13.4 calories per minute.
Participants in that particular study also doubled their post exercise metabolic rate for the 30 minutes preceding their workout.
How to do it? Stand with feet hip-width apart, toes parallel to one another. Engage your glutes and core, and send your hips back as you sink into a squat.
From the bottom of your squat, use all of your strength to explode up, getting both feet off the ground. Land lightly on your toes, and immediately sink into your next squat. Repeat.
Jump rope
Think of the skipping rope as your portable cardio machine. Jumping rope at moderate pace – 100 to 120 jumps per minute – can torch up to 13.5 calories per minute.
Not only does jumping rope challenge your balance and coordination, it also works more muscle groups than you would do if you went for a jog. Channel your inner rocky and get skipping.
How to do it? If you haven’t jumped rope since primary school, it can be humbling.
Firstly ensure that you adjust the length of the rope so the handles reach your armpits. Start off slow and build pace.
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