3 fat- burning exercises

3 FATBURNING
EXERCISES
A S T E P - B Y- S T E P W O R K O U T F O R A F I T T E R , N E W Y O U
OUR EXPERT
Emily Cole
Personal Trainer,
Virgin Active
W
hen a woman comes into the
gym and tells me she wants to
burn fat, I tell her it’s okay to do
cardio work – but research tells
us that for successful fat-loss, she’ll need to add
some resistance to her workout: she’ll need to
include some weight-training in there as well.
This doesn’t mean lifting heavy bars or
dumbbells. I’ve built this workout around the
sled, the kettlebell and the ropes – kit that won’t
build unsightly muscle but will make you
noticeably leaner and better toned because it’ll
burn that fat. We’ll definitely be doing some high
intensity training too, short, sharp bursts with
short rests in between that make the most of
your visits to the gym. There’s no magic wand
STICK WITH IT
AND YOU’LL SEE
GREAT RESULTS
– but stick with it and you’ll see great results in
an incredibly short time and get a really good
calorie deficit in a fairly brief session. Stop things
getting dull by working in some of the variations
in the graphics on these pages, and try to make
time to do a minimum of three days a week with
these workouts: I’ve seen amazing results with
three-day-a-week training. One last tip: don’t
keep stepping on the scales – the dress you pull
on, the top button of your trousers and the
bathroom mirror will tell you that it’s working!
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FAT-BURNING
FITNESS
OR TRY…
Freshen things up with
these prowler alternatives
1
GET IN THERE
You’ll be working very
similar muscles here but it
feels as if you’re pushing
towards the new-look you!
In this start position, the
hands are still doing the
gripping and the shoulders
aren’t touching the bars:
you’ll just feel as if you’re
more a part of the sled.
2
R P USH
PROWLEIt’s
shuttle time. Hold
01
the tall grips (not too high
or you’ll push downwards,
not forwards) and push
the sled 10 metres across
the track. Stack on heavier
weights for slower, powerbased movements; lighter
ones for short sprints.
Take big steps, driving
from the glutes and
hamstrings, not the quads
(the front of your legs).
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... AND PUSH!
Take a nice, big stride
forward. Feel the burn
behind your legs, not in
front. Keep your back
straight and your core
tightened. And it’s still only
your palms pushing the
sled, not your shoulders.
REPETITIONS
Do 6 shuttles with light
weights, 2-4 with heavier.
Then rest for a minute.
Now turn, grip the lower
bar (it’ll be harder to push)
and go back to where you
started. Or just pull the
bars out and swap over.
MORE
OR TRY THIS...
Just use the low bar. It’ll feel
a lot harder, so now those
quads are really coming into
play as well. When you’ve
mastered this one, try
mixing it up with the
high- bar shuttles for variety.
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02
AND TRY…
Freshen things up with these
battle rope alternatives
OPE S
BATTLE R
Get a grip. These fairly
heavy ropes can give you
a seriously good, and good
fun, workout. You’ll use
the abdominal and back
muscles, and upper body,
in a slight squat position
that engages your leg
muscles. And you’ll get
your heart rate up with a
really good cardio session.
Your arms will alternate,
creating a wave with the
ropes as they go up and
down repeatedly.
SLAM!
These double
slams have you
keeping the ropes
in your hands at
the same level:
up with the hands,
then slam them
down as hard
as you can.
REPETITIONS
Do the waves continuously
for 20 seconds, rest for 10
seconds, then repeat. It
looks easy but after 20
seconds, you’ll be ready!
JUMP!
You’ll use your upper body
even more with these star
jumps. As your feet jump
apart, the arms go out too;
as your feet come back
together, the arms come
back to your sides.
TWIST!
With your hands to one
side, work the upper body
and your oblique and
abdominal muscles by
transferring the ropes
from one side to the other.
A real good workout!
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FAT-BURNING
FITNESS
THE 3
STAGES
Concentrate on
your technique for
safety as well as
good results
1
GET HIGH...
Don’t start further
back than this,
and don’t allow
your return swing
to go back further,
either. If it’s
tough, just do
2 and 3, below.
03
L
KETTLEBE
2
L S W I NG
Put the kettlebell on.
This works the core,
glutes and hamstrings:
perfect for the rear!
Don’t use your arms and
shoulders (relax them),
the momentum here
comes from a ‘pop’ of the
hips. Drop the bell down
through your legs, driving
the hips through to get it
back up (and no leaning
back). Check our graphics,
right, and at first, just get
back up to shoulder height
till you’re confident about
the technique.
GO OUT...
Keep a really straight back
as you let the kettlebell
descend: no arching please.
Always follow it with your
eyes, to ensure you keep
your spine long. The knees
are soft, but legs are straight.
3
REPETITIONS
Swing for 30 seconds, then
rest for 15 seconds, and
repeat four times.
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... AND DOWN
It isn’t a squat, it’s more like
you’re bowing, pushing
those hips back, then
snapping them through to
return back up. Thrusting
those hips, not using the
arms, gives you momentum.
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