With the weather finally turning to a warmer spring in most parts of the country & even changing into hot summer-like conditions in some places, it’s impossible to avoid overhearing someone make a comment about “getting ready for bikini season”. This has never been a phrase that concerned me at all. If I could institute a “nothing less than tankini only season”, I would. But that’s just me–a swimsuit should be just that, an article of clothing that allows you to enjoy the pool or beach, etc. It’s too much pressure to be so fit you can prance around for show in a bikini! But I will say that getting into a bathing suit at all this summer with any amount of confidence would be wonderful. In case you’ve put that on your goal list, here is a list of the top 10 fat burning & muscle toning exercises you can do just about anywhere to help you strip down happily this summer…

“Top 10 Best Fat Burning Exercises – Fat Burning Workouts at Home” from Fitness Blender

“Don’t feel like going to the gym? With these 10 best fat burning exercises, you don’t even need a gym membership – or even any equipment, for that matter.

The best fat burning workouts are always going to be those that consist of exercises that engage multiple large muscle groups. You can easily take a simple, conventional toning move and turn it into a fat burning exercise that gives you the most bang for your buck for every moment that you spend on your workout.

For example, consider the bicep curl. It is an extremely effective basic strength training or toning exercise, however, 3 sets of this exercise is not exactly going to crank up your calorie burning furnace or even burn off that cheeseburger and microbrew you had for dinner last night. Instead of isolating just the bicep, you could combine the move with a lunge to significantly boost the caloric burn, and simultaneously tone your lower body.

Apply the above concept to the exercises that make up your routines and they become dynamic, fat burning workouts. Here are the best fat burning exercises that put this principle to work.

Top 10 Best Fat Burning Exercises

1 Burpees – This at home cardio move tones your core, upper body and legs all at once- it’s a triple threat exercise that everyone tends to dread for good reason; they are hard! But they also work.

2 Jumping Lunges – Lunges are a fantastic thigh toning exercise; add in the momentum required to jump up in between lunges and the move turns into an incredible fat burning exercise.

3 Pilates Leg Pulls – Tone your core, glutes, and thighs with this one simple Pilates move. Because all of the large muscle groups involved, you burn a high number of calories while you are toning.

4 Jackknife Crunches – Jackknife Crunches are an advanced abdominal exercise that engage both the upper and lower abs for maximal toning in the least amount of time. They are especially beneficial because lower abs can be hard to target without equipment.

5 Lunges with Reverse Leg Raise – This fat burning exercise tones the glutes, thighs, obliques, and lower back, all while building coordination and balance.

6 Jumping Squats – Do this exercise for a minute or two straight and you wont have any doubts about how challenging it is. This plyometric exercise is also great for building explosive speed.

7 Push Ups – Push ups are a total body exercise that are easily modified and can be made to be very challenging, even for the most avid exerciser. If a regular push up feels too easy for you, try the Single Leg Push Up.

8 Side Planks with Leg Raises – While this exercise most specifically targets the outer thighs, obliques, and deltoids, it requires the strength and coordination of the entire body to hold up the base Pilates pose of this fat burning workout.

9 Mountain Climbers – Mountain Climbers can feel like a punishment, but they truly are one of the best overall toning and fat burning exercises out there that don’t require a bit of equipment.

10 Jumping Jacks – This simple at home cardio exercise is an excellent way to get your heart rate up quickly. Add it in between strength training exercises to keep your caloric burn high.”

Okay, I am going to start at the end of this list right now with some old-school jumping jacks. At least I remember how to do those ones! 🙂