What Single Exercises And Workouts Burn The Most Calories?

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One of the common questions any fitness professional is asked is “What is the best way to burn the most fat?”.

There are a few ways to look at this question:

Which individual exercises burn the most calories while they are being performed?
What type of training (i.e. Strength Training, Running, Boxing, Circuit Training etc) burns the most calories in a session?
Which type of training will achieve the greatest overall fat loss?

Let me break each of these questions:

Individual Exercises

When it comes to individual exercises, I believe there are key traits that you should be looking for:

It should recruit the largest number of muscles possible (so compound movements over isolation ones)
It should require you to overcome (lift, pull, push) some level of resistance or weight.
It should be a movement that you can repeat for at least 20sec without rest.
It should be ballistic, powerful or explosive.

A couple of my favourite examples of these are:

Barbell Thrusters
Sandbag Hang Cleans
8-Point Push-ups (aka 8-Point Body Builders), and my personal favourite …
Ballistic Trap-bar Deadlifts (Feet should leave the floor at the top of the movement)

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#Genetics. . Over the past 25yrs as a coach & trainer I have had hundreds of individuals recount stories of choosing a trainer based purely on the way they look themselves as opposed to the results they have achieved for others, only to discover (after spending considerable hours and dollars) that the trainer was unable to achieve the same level of results for their clients. . What you need to take into account when finding a trainer is that a big part of how they look may be due to their specific genetics. . A fellow coach once described it as being similar to asking a model to show you how to do your make up. Sure you might look better after the mini-makeover, but you're never going to look like the model instructing you unless you happen to have similar genetic traits. . Recently I read an article quoting Sydney based "fitness influencers" the @BaseBodyBabes . As they so rightly pointed out, many of the trainers you see on social media spend hours a day working out, often 6 - 7 days a week, and every photo they post of themselves has been taken under optimum conditions, by professional photographers. So even if genetics is not a factor, it may be unlikely that you can invest anywhere near the same amount of time and money into achieving the same results. . The bottom line is, you should choose a coach or trainer based on the results they achieve for others. . That's not to say that a coach shouldn't always lead by example. They too strive to achieve their own aesthetic & athletic goals, they just might happen to be different from your own. Not everyone can have legs like mine. 😉🤣 . @8weekstowow . @transformation.coach . @menshealthau . @underarmourau . . #coach #transformationcoach #celebritytransformationcoach #trainer #personaltrainer #celebritytrainer #mhtraininghacks #chiefstraininghacks

Type Of Workout

When it comes to choosing the type of exercise, again there are a number of factors that will ensure its effectiveness:

Intensity – Just how hard does the activity push you?
Duration – It’s no good doing an activity that is so intense that you can only maintain it for a few minutes
Does it involve some sort of resistance?
Does it utilise multiple muscle groups

If you implement each of these elements into any type of training you can burn a bucket load of calories. For example, rather than going for a long, medium intensity run, change it up by hitting the track for a HIIRT™ session (High Intensity Interval Run Training):

2 x 1600m (400m walk recovery in between)
4 x 800m (200m walk recovery)
6 x 400m (100m walk recovery)

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. . #MONDAY✖️MOTIVATION. . Multi-Platinum Singer/ Songwriter (& @MensHealthAu cover alumni) @GuySebastian knows how important it is to get your training week off to a flying start 💪🏼. . If your looking to build a serious set of guns, just like Guy's, while shredding fat, give this DARC based workout a go👇🏼. . ROUND ONE ▪️EZ-Bar Curls . ▪️EZ-Bar Skull Crushers. ▪️EZ-Bar Upright Row. ▫️Box Jumps x 4 sets Tabata. . ROUND TWO ▪️EZ-Bar Reverse Curls. ▪️EZ-Bar Overhead Tricep Extension. ▪️EZ-Bar Supinated Overhead Press. ▫️Box Step-ups x 4 sets Tabata. . FINISHER ▪️Max Aussie Pull-ups. ▪️Max Close Grip Push-ups. ▫️High Knee Sprints x 4 sets Tabata. . 🔺Strength exercises x 6 - 10reps. . @transformation.coach . @8weekstowow . @underarmourau . @bodyscience . . . . #chiefstraininghacks #mhtraininghacks #celebritytransformationcoach #celebritytransformation #celebritytrainer #celebrityfitness

Overall Fat Loss

As most MH readers would know, a lot of the transformation coaching I do is focussed on achieving extreme levels of fat loss for our celebrity clients in just eight weeks. It’s for that exact reason that I created the DARC™ protocol.

DARC (Dynamic Aerobic Resisted Conditioning) is a hybrid training method that takes into account all of the elements I’ve listed above, to ensure that every session burns as many calories as possible. In addition, it has also been designed to ensure that your metabolism is raised for hours after the workout is over by achieving high levels of EPOC (Excessive Post-exercise Oxygen Consumption) or Afterburn.

The other important factor that the DARC protocol takes into account is the fact that by increasing the body’s lean muscle mass, you are ensuring that you are burning more calories just living.

Here’s an example of a DARC session that has been designed to increase lean muscle, and strength in the Shoulders, Biceps & Triceps, while burning serious fat:

CIRCUIT ONE: Repeat the circuit 4 times in total

Dumbbell Arnold Press: 8 – 12reps
Lateral Raises: 8 – 12reps
Dumbbell Curls: 8 – 12reps
Ballistic Trap-bar Deadlifts: Max reps in 20sec, then 10sec recovery. Repeat for 6 sets.

CIRCUIT TWO: Repeat the circuit 4 times in total

Barbell Upright Row: 8 – 12reps
Front Raises: 8 – 12reps
Tricep Push-downs: 8 – 12reps
Jumping Jacks: Max reps in 20sec, then 10sec recovery. Repeat for 4 sets.