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THE TOP 5 EXERCISES THAT BURN MASSIVE CALORIES
If you are aiming to burn massive calories and lose weight, it is really important for you to spend some time on training your legs. Having strong leg muscles creates a wellbalanced look for your body. Most importantly, since the leg muscles are so large, training legs will help to increase the number of calories you burn on any particular day. When creating an exercise program to lose fat and tone up, there are some exercises that produce far better results than others. By including these exercises within your program, you will take your results to a much higher level. Here are some of the best exercises you can use to work the leg muscles and burn massive calories!
Squats Often considered the single most important exercise for any fat loss program, squats burn a significant amount of calories when they are performed. Firstly, squats are typically the exercise in which you will lift the greatest amount of weight through the movement. This helps to increase the metabolism significantly. Also, you’ll easily burn the most calories per minute whilst completing this exercise, as it uses so many different muscles groups at once! It’s definitely awkward to perform this exercise initially, so don’t expect to master the squat right away. Make a conscious effort to focus on your form. Then you can worry about adding weights and reps from there.
How to do squats Here are some step by step instructions on how to complete squats. Start with three sets of 10 squats and then feel free to add more reps (12, 15) as you get used to the exercise.
1. Stand with your head facing forward and your chest held up and out.
2. Place your feet shoulder-width apart
or slightly wider. To assist with keeping balance, extend your hands straight out in front of you
3. Sit back and down, as though you’re
sitting into an imaginary chair. Keep your head facing forward as your upper body bends forward slightly. Rather than allowing your back to round, let your lower back arch slightly as you descend.
4. Lower down so your thighs are as
parallel to the floor as possible, with your knees over your ankles. Ensure you are pressing your weight back into your heels.
5. Keep your body tight, and push through your heels to bring yourself back to the starting position.
6. Perform again. 1
Bulgarian Split Squats
Step Ups
Once you have mastered the ordinary squat, you can attempt Bulgarian split squats to really zero in on the quads and glute muscles. This is generally considered one of the most effective exercises for burning massive calories.
Another exercise that can be extremely effective if you’re using a high enough weight is step ups. If you’ve got good balance, using a barbell across your back is the best method for completing this exercise. However, the exercise can also be completed by holding a dumbbell in each hand.
How to do Bulgarian Split Squats 1. Stand in front of a bench, with one leg
and slowly begin to bend the standing leg body until your knee touches or comes very close to the floor.
To execute it, you are to step up and onto a bench leading with one leg, being sure the foot is firmly in place before shifting the weight upwards. Once you’re in the full standing position, then you can either switch legs and come back down (leading with the opposite foot this time), or lead down with the same leg and then reverse legs for the next rep.
3. Pause for a moment and then push
How to do Step Ups
up on the bench and dumbbells in both hands. While in this position, shift your weight slightly forward so your front leg does all the work.
2. Keep your front foot flat on the ground
yourself back up to the starting position with all of the force being generated through your front leg.
Note: To place more emphasis on the
quads whilst performing the exercise, begin with the standing leg closer to the bench. Alternatively, if you’d prefer to place more emphasis on the hamstrings and glutes, stand further away.
1. Find a step or bench, in which your knee will be at a 90 degree angle when you place your foot on it.
2. The weight benches or plyo boxes at the
gym work best, but a dining room chair can also work.
3. To begin, step up by leading with the
right foot, then the left, bringing both feet completely onto the bench.
4. Return to the starting position by
leading with the right foot to step down to the floor, then the left, until ending with both feet on the ground.
5. Complete 20 steps before leading with the left foot for another 20 steps.
6. For a harder variation, hold dumbbells in each hand and increase the weights as you gain strength.the floor, then the left, until ending with both feet on the ground.
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Walking Lunges
Dead Lifts
The next exercise that you should add to your lower body workout is walking lunges. These can be performed with a barbell or a set of dumbbells. They can be tailored to either have more emphasis on the quads or hamstrings, depending entirely on how much of a step you can take. You can also attempt reverse lunges (where you step behind your body rather than forward), for a slight change of stimulus to the muscle groups.
The final (and perhaps the most important) exercise to add to your lower body workout program is deadlifts. If this isn’t already part of your workout, it should be. Deadlifts will burn massive calories and they will also do wonders for your posture! Before lifting heavy weights though, it is important to first ensure you are doing the exercise with the correct technique. Just use a barbell without weights added or practice at home with a broom. In the first instance, just getting to the right position and holding it for 10 seconds with a broomstick can be a workout.
How to do Walking Lunges 1. Stand tall with your shoulders back and
down and abdominals engaged. Place your feet together. Your arms can be flat at your side, holding your hips or behind your head.
2. Breathing normally, step forward with
your right foot, bending both knees so that your front knee is aligned over your ankle and the back knee comes close to the floor. Your back heel is lifted off the floor.
3. Before your back knee touches the floor,
push up with your back left leg, forcing the weight of your body through your right heel, simultaneously bringing your left foot together with your right foot.
4. Without pausing, alternate legs, lunge
forward with your left foot, and then push up with your back right leg, forcing the weight of your body through your left heel, simultaneously bringing your right foot together with your left foot.ground.
5. Complete 20 steps before leading with the left foot for another 20 steps.
How to do Dead Lifts 1. Holding the barbell (or two dumbbells
at your side), keep your arms straight and knees slightly bent.
2. Slowly bend at your hip joint (not your
waist). Lower the weights as far down as possible without rounding your back. Make sure you keep your spine neutral with a natural low-back arch, with shoulders down. Look forward, not at the ground, to avoid rounding your back.
3. Keep the barbell close to your legs, almost touching them.
4. Squeeze your glutes to pull yourself
up at a quicker pace than it took to bend down (e.g take four seconds to bend down and two seconds to pill up). Don’t use your back and do not round your spine.
5. You should be using a weight where you can do three sets of 12 to 15 reps before fatiguing your muscles. Remember, you should still be doing the move with the correct technique on your last rep.
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FINAL THOUGHTS
BY MIXING IN THE ABOVE EXERCISES INTO YOUR LOWER BODY WORKOUT PROGRAM YOU CAN PREVENT YOURSELF FROM BECOMING BORED WITH THE EXERCISES AND BE SURE YOU AVOID A PLATEAU.
CONSIDER ALSO VARYING THE DIFFERENT REP RANGES AS YOU PROGRESS THROUGHOUT YOUR WORKOUT PROGRAM SO THAT YOU CAN ALSO FOCUS ON BOTH MAXIMUM STRENGTH AND SIZE
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THE TOP 5 EXERCISES THAT BURN MASSIVE CALORIES 4