How many calories do you really burn during a workout? Lets look at this example. You have a tank of gas and you need to burn a certain amount before you can tap into the reserves (which is stored body fat). It takes roughly 3 to 4 minutes for the oxygen in your blood stream to lower. In that moment is when the body is on the hunt for more oxygen. Everything will flow back through that system. Your body needs energy. Remember oxygen is part of your energy pathway.
To get more energy, the heart and mind have to start looking for more air. You have probably heard someone say that you’re eating your muscle tissue for energy when doing too much cardio or when you don’t allow enough rest after training for your muscles to fully recover. If you want to try to keep your body from breaking down too much, your overall rest and oxygen levels need to be closely monitored.
Top 5 Exercises To Burn Fat
Lets take a look at my top 5 exercises that have the highest output of energy which is the ability to recover after you have reached the muscle exhaustion stage.
#1. Modified Burpee
The burpee is by far my favorite exercise. Why? It takes more energy, stamina, and overall strength to do these. Just think about it. You’re using every single muscle in your body. I like to modify it by adding a dumbbell shoulder press instead of a jump. With the dumbbells, you can continue moving up in weight and avoid any issues with hitting a plateau.
#2. Walking Lunge with Shoulder Press
This exercise will not only take a lot of energy, but also balance. Anytime you’re dropping your elbow below the plane of your back or shoulder you have to be cautious since you start engaging your rotator cuff. If you hurt your shoulder, you are out of commission which means no more training. Keep your hips in line with your body creating a natural flow. Watch for your front knee going too far over your toe. Make sure your back leg is bending and going down as you lunge and try to balance your front and back leg with proper weight positioning.
#3. Battle Rope
This is the best little invention I have found. When done right it will engage almost every muscle in the body. There is a technique that will need to be learned with this exercise since it is easily performed incorrectly. Let’s call it the wave. Have you ever been to a sporting event and seen the crowd do a wave? That is the kind of the motion we want to do here. Make sure to push yourself and go to about 90% muscle exhaustion in a 1-2 minute window.
#4. Kettlebells
Some people like these the best and I like them a lot. You just have to be very aware of your technique at all times. The more swings you make, the more pressure you will feel on your lower back. Be concerned about any pain or discomfort in your lower back. Squeeze your abs into a position where they take the weight off your back. The kettlebells can do some serious work on your glutes. When done correctly it will engage almost every muscle in your body.
#5. Side Planks
This exercise is simple but delivers big time results! Are you looking for real core training? Your obliques are roughly 75% to 80% of your core. This plank exercise is on your side, in a straight line. Move your hips up and down and find out how many you can do on each side.
Learn how to structure your exercises and reps to get the most out of your workout. Your heart rate will go up with each of the exercises I have listed above. A sample workout routine could be starting with side planks. Then in between each set do burpees. In the beginning there will be a lot of wear and tear on your muscles so make sure you give them ample time to rest and recover. If you do 200 reps in a workout then you need to let that muscle group rest for two days and maybe even more. Your recovery time will also be measured by how hard you push yourself on each set, your hydration, sleep and nutrition.
Best Foods To Fuel Your Workout
One more thing to consider is fueling your body before and after a workout. The foods you eat before and after exercising will have an impact on your ability to burn calories. Proper nutrient balance on a consistent basis will give you the blood sugar levels you need to be successful. Have you ever felt you lost all of the energy during your workout? That comes from your eating patterns. Consuming slow digesting carbs, good fats, and protein is the key to keeping balanced. You might want to keep it simple and eat an apple if you don’t really know what to snack on. A more advanced meal might be a piece of chicken, avocado and slow cooked brown rice. But don’t eat so much that you get sick during your workout. I try to eat an hour or more before training. Proper nutrition is crucial before and after you train so make sure to optimize these meals and take advantage of these important windows of opportunity to fuel your body correctly!
