16 exercises to burn fat and build muscle

There are loads of different exercises that you can find all over the internet that can have a positive impact when it comes losing weight. But, some exercises are just more effective than others..

Here are 16 different exercises, which come with instructions, that you can do at home or at the gym and are incredible for burning stubborn fat and building defined muscles IF YOU DO THEM CORRECTLY AND CONSISTENTLY!

You can also find a video representation of these exercises online if needed.

The first 8 exercises are bodyweight exercises; the other 8 exercises are weighted.

1.) CRUNCHES

Crunches are good for building muscles in your abdominals that are underneath belly fat. It can also help burn belly fat but ideally you want to be losing fat throughout the body in order to see significant slimming from the waistline.

Instructions

- lye flat on your back with your feet touching the ground and your knees bent and your head above the ground

- place both of your arms at the back of your head

- use your core to lift yourself towards your knees while your feet remain flat on the ground. Repeat

2.) LEG RAISES

Leg raises not only strengthen the abdominal muscles but it also helps you lose weight from your lower abdomen. Leg raises isolate your abdomen muscle which helps with the toning of the stomach

Instructions

- lye on your back, with your head above the ground and your legs straight and touching each other

- keeping your head above the ground, raise your legs upwards until your butt slightly lifts off the ground

- bring your legs back down, just above the ground. Repeat

3.) TUCK JUMPS

Tuck jumps is a versatile exercise that's excellent for burning fat and calories. You exert a lot of energy from jump but also the crouch. It also strengthens the quads

Instructions

- crouch down into a 135 degree squatting position from a straight stance; place both your hands just above your knees as you're coming down

- explode back up into the air as you release your hands from your knees

- land back into the crouched position again. Repeat

4.) BURPEES

Burpees are very good for losing weight and building muscle. Burpees can have more of a positive effect on burning fat than most exercises and even some diets. You also get a long-lasting, fat-burning effect from burpees.

Instructions

- Crouch down into a frog position from a straight stance (a 'frog' position is a 45 degree squat but with your hands also touching ground) with both of your palms touching the ground in front of you

- extend both of your legs, at the same time, so that you are now in a push-up position

- bring your legs back into the frog position (with your hands remaining on the floor)

- From there, jump straight up into the air and land back into the frog position to repeat the move.

Your legs need to move at the same time so you are constantly jumping between each step of the exercise for maximum exertion

5.) MOUNTAIN CLIMBERS

Mountain climbers are great for building strength in the upper body. A minute worth of mountain climbers can have you lose up to 10 calories. It's also a really versatile exercise that targets the core, triceps, shoulders, quads and even hamstrings.

Instructions

- Start in a push-up position with both of your hands just above shoulder width apart

- move one of your knees forward, between your two hands, then move that leg back into its original position

- Now, move the other knee forward then move that leg back into its original position

- alternate this movement between each legs by skipping from leg to leg. Repeat

6.) HIGH KNEES

As simple as this exercise is, not only does this exercise help build muscle in the core, it's actually a more effective calorie burner than regular running! A minute of high knees can burn around the same amount of calories as mountain climbers; of course, this is if you are pushing yourself to the very max

Instructions

- From a straight stance, raise one of your knees as high as you can

- bring it back down then raise the other knee as high as you can

- alternate between each knee by hopping on them. Repeat

7.) SKIPPING

Skipping works the whole body so it's very effective for burning calories, it's even more effective than most long RUNS! 5-10 minutes, STRAIGHT, of skipping can be very, very effective for losing weight. Of course, be sure that you are including skipping with other exercises

Instructions

- stand straight with both hands holding the opposite ends of the skipping rope - your feet should be in front of the skipping rope

- with your hands firmly ripped to each end of the skipping rope, through the skipping rope 360 degrees back into its original position

- But, as the rope is about pass your feet, to go back into its original position, jump over the skipping rope and repeat the movement.

You can jump over the rope, then stop for a second and repeat, or you can continuously throw the rope in a 360 degree motion so that you are constantly jumping without any pauses, this will maximize the effects of this exercise

8.) SQUAT JUMPS

Jump squats are a truly effective, high-intensity exercise for burning calories. The exercise also helps strengthen the upper and lower body. It's another exercise that's more effective than running.

Instructions

- Crouch down into a 90 degree squatting position

- explode right back up into the air and land back into the 90 degree squatting position

A bonus tip would be to crouch down slowly but then to explode back up as fast as you can

Those are the first 8 exercises that are mainly bodyweight: t

the next set of exercises are weighted.

9.) ROWING

Rowing is a superb exercise for losing weight. It's also a very versatile exercise as it targets pretty much every muscle so, as much as it's a great exercise for burning calories and stubborn fat, it is also a superb muscle builder as well.

Instructions

- Using a rowing machine, simply pull against the resistance

- Follow the weight as it goes back towards the rowing machine. Repeat

Keep your butt on the seat and try to keep it as still as possible, this technique will result in the best form and maximize the difficulty

10.) SPLIT SQUATS

Split squats are good for burning fat due to the energy exerted that is required for one, full rep in comparison to many other exercises. It is also a great muscle builder for the quads.

Instructions

- From a straight stance, lunge one leg backwards (This will also cause the leg to lunge also)

- In a skipping motion, move the leg that was backwards into a forward lunge (while the other leg goes into a backwards lunge

The dumbells should be held, straight, beside you

11.) KETTEBEL SWINGS

Kettebell swings are an excellent burner but also great for building defined muscles. You get a very good exertion of energy through the constant swinging motion and you activate virtually all muscles.

Instructions

- Stand straight, with both hands holding the kettebell and your arms straight

- squat down into a 45 degree squat - you want your arms to remain straight but you don't want the kettebell to touch the ground

- swing the kettebell upwards, until it reaches a 180 degree above your head, while you go from the squatting position to a straight stance

- swing the kettebell back down, as you crouch back down into the original 135 degree squatting position. Repeat

12.) GLUTE BRIDGE WITH CHEST PRESS

This is a useful exercise for strengthening the core. You are also getting a good burn in your lower body with the exertion that is required to keep your glutes from the ground despite the weight that you will be lifting.

Instructions

- Lye on the ground, with your back flat on the ground and your knees bent so that your feet are also flat on the floor. Keep your head above the ground but look u

- Hold each dumbell in a bench press position, as if you are about to perform a bench press

- lift your butt as high as you can without your upper back leaving the floor

- Remain in this position as you push each dumbell upwards and bring them back down beside you. Repeat this while you remain with your butt off the ground

Push the weight faster and pull it down slow

13.) JUMPING JACKS (but with weights)

The benefits of jumping jacks for losing weight is evident as it's an exercise that can help you burn fat all over your body. But what about adding weights to this routine? Not only will you increase the physical exertion required to perform each rep, from the resistance, but you're also building muscle around your body, especially your shoulders.

Instructions

- Start in a straight stance with your arms beside you

- simultaneously raise both of your arms and spread your legs so that you form a 'star' pose, using your arms and legs. You want to transition into the 'star' by jumping from the straight stance into the 'star' position (this is why this exercise is also known as 'star-jumps')

- From the star position, jump back into the straight stance and back into the star position again. Repeat

- You want to be doing this with weights to maximize the effects. However, you do not want to use a very heavy weight to the point where you can't do the star-jump properly. So you want to find the right balance

14.) WEIGHTED SQUATS

The up-and-down motion of the squat makes it one of the most effective fat burning exercises. But, when you add weights to this workout, particularly if you hold the weights above your shoulders, not only are you building muscles from your shoulders, you're also strengthening and defining your back, your quads, your hamstrings and your core, as well as a good cardio burn from the full range of motion.

Instructions

- Stand straight with a dumbell in each hand, above each shoulder

- Keeping the dumbells above your shoulders, at ALL times, lower yourself into a 90 degree squatting position (ideally, a little more than 90 degrees) and lift yourself back up, using your quads, into the original straight stance

15.) RENEGADE ROW

Renegade rows are a quality, muscle building and core strengthening workout. Here, you are stimulating the back, the shoulders and even the legs. Also, remaining in this planked position, whilst your lifting each dumbell from the ground, is just as difficult as lifting the weights itself - you are really testing your core with this exercise. Do this with heavy weight for maximum effect.

Instructions

- Start in a push up position, with you hands just above shoulder width apart, but instead of having your palms flat on the ground, you want to be holding a dumbell on each hand instead

- Raise one dumbell as high as you can, or at least until your triceps are above your shoulders, keep the other dumbell on the ground

- lower the dumbell, that was raised, back to the ground

- As that dumbell is being lowered, raise the other dumbell as high as the first one raised and lower it back down too

- alternate between each dumbell

You will end up slightly tilting your body in order to switch from dumbell-to-dumbell, this is normal and fine

16.) WEIGHTED RUSSIAN TWISTS

Russian twists target the hips as well as toning many muscles around the abdomen, a brilliant exercise for burning fat when done in many repetitions. Adding weights, to this exercise, enhances the benefits. Be sure to avoid a swinging motion but rather a a controlled full range of motion to make sure you are working those oblique's and overall core.

Instructions

- Sit, up, on the ground with your knees bent and your feet just above the ground

- Hold a (dumbell) plate, with both of your hands, just in front of your stomach

- Use your hips to twist yourself, from side to side, with the plate still firmly gripped by your both of your hands

Keep you legs in the bent position, above the ground - your our legs are not meant to tilt.

There you have it, the 16 different exercises for losing weight with instructions on how to do them! be sure to perform these exercises with a full range of motion, the correct mind-muscle connection and time under tension and, of course, remember to stay consistent