Did a cheat meal morph into an entire weekend or week of cheat meals? Or is it a new goal of yours to achieve fat loss by working out more effectively?
Whatever the case might be, we have some amazing workouts to help you do that. All you need is 20 minutes of free time to feel that burn!
It is not that hard to lose weight as the weeks go by, especially when your workouts make sure to promote fat loss. When it comes to exercising, most of us want the highest number of calories burned in the shortest period of time.
Some of us have difficulty finding the time for a workout, while others are simply not fans of exercising at all.
However, working out effectively for 20 minutes a day is more than enough to keep our bodies active and healthy.
As we all know, consistency is key, and keeping our muscles strong is more than possible within such a short amount of time. The best part is that we will show you how to burn up to 500 calories by working out only for 20 minutes!
To make matters even better, these workouts do not have to be boring, uncomfortable, or unappealing.
That is why we have put together a list of the top five boredom-free and fat-burning workouts for you to lose a pound every week by reducing 500 calories per day!
Sand Running
Soft sand running is many people’s favorite workout for losing weight quickly.
Running on the sand is far more difficult than running on a treadmill because your feet dip in the sand with each heel strike, requiring you to use more force to do it again.
As a matter of fact, when running on sand an average person is burning about 30% more calories than they would if they were running on a treadmill.
Furthermore, going barefoot requires your minor stabilizing muscle fibers to engage more, thus strengthening them which can assist in preventing common foot injuries runners can experience down the road.
If you are not a fan of running and aren’t used to it, you can start with fast walking on the sand until you feel you are able to do intermittent jogging and eventually do a full 20 minutes of jogging.
It is recommended you target 20 minutes of either walking or jogging to ensure you are getting your heart rate up and working your muscles. If you have more time and want to go for longer, feel free to do so.
Alternatively, consider doing six to ten sprints on the sand to raise your heartbeat and burn more calories in a shorter amount of time. For example, try performing 30-second sessions.
Another option is to combine running and jogging or walking. Begin with a 30-second run followed by a one-minute jog or walk. After a couple of weeks, decrease your jog/walk time to 30 seconds and adjust your running times accordingly to make sure that you are always progressing.
Rope Jumping
Almost every sprinter on the planet spends time jumping rope — and for good reason.
Jumping rope is a terrific fat-burning method, and research has shown that even when you are casually skipping rope and not sweating profusely, you may burn up to 600 calories in an hour!
This form of workout improves speed, endurance, and bone strength. Jumping rope is also good for your hand-eye coordination, which will benefit you in many of your other daily activities.
For starters, try doing ten 30-second jumping sessions spread out over 20 minutes and move on from there by building on the reps and minutes you are jumping or by increasing the jumping speed.
HIIT (High-Intensity Interval Training)
The term “HIIT” aptly describes the exercise. Short bursts of intensive activity are alternated with low-impact recovery intervals in High-Intensity Interval Training.
A 10 to 20-minute High-Intensity Interval Training workout is an excellent and time-efficient option to exercise, regardless of whether you want to increase your racing numbers, see some muscle definition, work on your cardio endurance, or shed some extra pounds.
There are various types of vigorous exercises that serve well for HIIT. From sprinting on a treadmill or even on the sand (see the first suggestion in this article) to plyometrics or full-body dumbbell or bodyweight workouts, everything goes!
HIIT reduces the monotony that might result from doing the same weightlifting exercises over and over again or jogging at a steady pace for an extended length of time.
Moreover, it is an amazing way to build muscle and improve your cardio state as well as burn 500 calories in 20 minutes or less.
Burpees
Burpees are included because of the full body workout they deliver as well as the excellent calorie burn. As we know, the workouts we despise are frequently the best ones for us, and this tough bodyweight workout should not be overlooked.
Burpees can strengthen our entire body as, in order to perform them, we have to engage not only our arms and legs but also our core.
They also increase our overall stamina and agility while elevating our heart rate and building our muscles, both of which are the keys to burning extra fat and improving our look and the way we feel about our bodies.
Most people will not want to do burpees for 20 minutes (and we cannot blame you for that) but this is a true fat-burning workout that should be included in your regimen if losing fat is what you are trying to achieve.
And, if you add some music and do burpees to the rhythm, it can actually be fun. And you will feel rewarded in the end by those post-workout endorphins!
Tabata Training
Even though Tabata training is a form of HIIT workout, we wanted to include it individually due to the effectiveness and great workout you can get in 20 minutes.
Tabata training is structured so you perform 20 seconds of very intense work followed by 10 seconds of rest. You mix a number of different exercises together to target different areas each time you do the workouts.
The high-intensity exercises guarantee that you get a significant cardiovascular boost in such a short length of time.
Tabata exercises increase cardiovascular fitness as they’re proven to enhance VO2 max (the quantity of oxygen you can take while working out) and general cardiovascular stamina, especially when compared to moderate-intensity sessions.
As you can imagine, Tabata exercises are extremely beneficial for losing fat. Tabata workouts burn tons of calories as a HIIT workout and can easily allow you to burn 500 calories.
However, the speed and intensity of the exercises chosen for your Tabata session will make all the difference, as burpees and star jumping jacks will burn significantly more calories than slow-paced bodyweight squats. So, choose the most challenging exercises and feel that burn!
The Bottom Line
Working out has many benefits, from relieving stress and improving your overall physical performance to promoting excellent health, and burning more calories and burning fat.
Calculating the average number of calories burnt when exercising is dependent upon each person’s weight, height, muscle mass, fat mass, and so many other factors.
However, these workouts listed above can efficiently burn up to 500 calories in 20 minutes, given that you spend those 20 minutes working out at max effort!
Hi, my name is TJ Daniels. I am a certified personal trainer dedicated to health and fitness for the past 20+ years. We have found that consistency is the key to wellness and our company is founded on this philosophy. If you would like to learn more, please see our About Us page or Contact Us with questions, feedback, suggestions for future content, or collaboration opportunities. Let’s enjoy this journey together!
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