Most weight-loss regimens start with belly fat exercises. Surprisingly, hundreds of daily stomach-firing crunches—or spot reduction workouts—won't get you a six-pack faster than a well-rounded plan.
Michaels says this exercise targets your core, chest, shoulders, lats, triceps, and quads. Burpees' powerful plyometric action will pump your heart.
This moving plank exercise is another favorite of Michaels' since it strengthens your core in addition to a number of other muscle groups.
A favorite of celebrity trainer Ramona Braganza is the Turkish get-up, a kettlebell-based total-body workout that dates back 200 years. She claims that the total-body conditioning technique is truly effective despite being a bit complex.
The sprawl is like a burpee on steroids—a full-body workout that shapes and tones upper- and lower-body muscles, especially abs. “You touch your chest to the ground, push-up to plank, and continue the burpee,”
medicine ball slams are explosive, metabolic, and target many muscle groups. Initial power comes from obliques, hamstrings, quadriceps, biceps, and shoulders. Tiredness may make every muscle a secondary mover.
Anti-gravity overhead medicine ball slams improve your core. As you lift the ball upward, your heart rate rises, testing your endurance. Use a hefty weighted ball for this workout to maximize results.
We now know that brief, intense bursts of fast-paced cardio burn more fat than steady-state cardio. InBalance, a San Antonio fitness and wellness center founded by ACSM personal trainer Hope Pedraza, recommends pauses between muscle-group-building workouts.