Our 5 Fat Burning Workouts

Our 5 Fat Burning Workouts

30 March 2016

We have no doubt that you will be flush with motivation at one of our acclaimed weight loss retreats and will walk away with good habits to last a lifetime, but it's also true that many of those leaving fitness boot camps struggle to keep the pounds off once they leave.

What, then, are some of the most effective fat-burning workouts to keep in your armoury long after you have ceased to be put through your paces by our fitness professionals?  

1. Lunge

Lunges may come in all manner of forms, but there's nothing wrong with the conventional forward lunge when you want to shift those calories, not least given the multiple muscles - quads, glutes and hamstrings - that it works at once.

A forward lunge can be performed by standing tall with your feet hip-width apart, placing your hands on your hips and taking a controlled step forward with your right leg. Lower your body while keeping your spine tall, until a 90-degree angle is formed by your front leg and back leg.

After pausing, you can then bring your right leg back to its original position before doing the other side by stepping your left leg forward. This process should be repeated 10 times on each side, for a total of three sets.

2. Squat

You can't do much better than squats when it comes to losing weight, given their effectiveness at engaging your core and entire lower body.

Again, it's done by first standing with your feet hip-width apart, with your arms at your sides. You then start to lower your legs and raise your arms in front of you, retaining your back straightness while lowering your body until your thighs are parallel to the floor.

Your knees should always be aligned with your toes during this workout, which should be ended by returning to a standing position.    

3. Double jump

By adding a jump and a lunge to your traditional squat routine, you'll work so much more fat off your bum, legs and abs, having felt a real increase in your heart rate. 

You can do it by lowering into a deep squat and rising as if to jump, landing in a lunge position with your right leg back. The resultant momentum should then enable you to jump back to a squat. Continue this process for 45 seconds, switching between legs, for a total of two sets.

4. Mountain climber

You don't have to use a resistance band for this one, but it's nonetheless another great workout for waving those calories goodbye, with an especially noticeable effect on hamstrings, obliques and your butt.

Start by looping the centre of the band around the leg of your sofa or another stable post, before putting yourself in a plank position on the floor, facing away from the post and with your feet placed in handles like stirrups.

Alternate between bringing your right and left knee in towards your chest, keeping the toes of your bent leg out of contact with the floor. Keep doing this for a minute before taking a 20 second break, doing three sets in total.

5. Jump rope

Yes, this isn't an activity just for the school playground, also having real benefits in terms of shedding weight and toning your body. Do it regularly for a minute at a time, completing three sets, and we almost guarantee that you will see great long-term results.

You do need to make sure the jump rope is a good length - holding it in your hands and checking that the handles are aligned with your shoulders - before putting your feet together and holding each end of the jump rope, with your elbows in towards your ribs.

Keep your feet together when you swing and hop over the jump rope, only jumping with each swing of the rope, instead of trying to do so in-between as well.

Are you looking for more gender-specific advice on how to keep shedding weight away from one of our fitness boot camps or weight loss retreats? If so, take a look at the latest articles on burning fat at the Men's Health website, or read this piece by Women's Fitness on how to lose fat as a member of the fairer sex.