The best exercises to lose weight at home

It is quite possible to train at home to lose weight. So you can train at any time, without wasting time. Moreover, to lose weight at home, no need for equipment. There are plenty of effective bodyweight exercises that can help you burn the most calories. Discover our 6 best exercises to lose weight at home.

Exercise 1: Burpees

Burpees are essential when you want to lose weight at home. Able to be easily performed in your living room, burpees are challenging from a cardio standpoint but accessible from beginner to expert.

Concretely, the exercise consists of standing up, lying face down on the ground before getting up to perform an extension jump. This sequence counts as 1 repetition.

If you want to lose weight in a minimum of time, we advise you to focus on this type of multi-joint exercise. To lose weight, you must have in mind to burn as many calories as possible. However, you have to find exercises that allow you to solicit several muscle groups in a single movement, which is the case with burpees.

On the execution side, burpees come in 3 levels of difficulty.

For beginners, we advise you to move from the standing position to the “push-up” position with your arms stretched out on the ground, without performing an extension jump. Thus, you do not put the chest on the ground, which makes the exercise easier.

For the intermediates, you will perform burpees in the rules of the art, nevertheless removing the extension jump at the end of the movement.

For experts, the exercise of burpees in its classic version is already exhausting enough.

Be careful, a common mistake is to perform a real pump at the bottom of the movement to get up. But, no need. Once on the ground, raise your bust, bring your legs under your chest to straighten up. It is therefore the action of the legs that will make it easier to return to standing.

Exercise 2: Squat jump (jump squat)

Classic squats can be used to warm up or build muscle. However, when it comes to losing weight, make way for the squat jump.

Literally, it is a question of carrying out a squat (flexion-extension of the legs) followed by a jump in extension. This sequence must be carried out several times and in a fluid manner.

Here, avoid landing on your heels. The idea is to cushion the jump on tiptoe. Ideally you should make a minimum of noise at the reception, a sign that the cushioning is optimal, allowing you to greatly preserve your joints.

For beginners, especially during the first sessions, you can perform a 1/2 squat (reduced amplitude squat) followed by a brief jump in extension. Thus, the feet will come off the ground slightly.

For intermediates, the squat jump in its classic version can be used. In fact, you will do a full squat, having your thighs parallel to the ground with a dynamic extension jump.

For experts, it is possible to replace this extension jump with a group jump. Thus, you will have to perform a squat followed by an explosive jump allowing you to bring your knees close to your chest.

Exercise 3: Jump lunges (lunge jump)

Jumping lunges will be more technically demanding because they will appeal to your balance. The exercise consists of standing in a standing position, with one leg in front, one leg behind. From this position, you will have to perform a lunge (flexion-extension) then a vertical jump to perform a leg scissor. At the landing, you again perform a lunge, a jump and a leg scissor. What differs from the jump squat is therefore the spacing of the legs which will make it possible to target the posterior muscle chain more intensely.

If you are a beginner, hold on to a fixed support in front of you such as a chair or a broomstick.

For experts, jumping lunges can be done with dumbbells on each hand. This overload will increase the difficulty and the calories expended.

Exercice 4 : Jumping jack

In parks, group classes or fitness shows on TV, you’ve probably seen athletes perform jumping jacks. This exercise, known worldwide and accessible to all, has largely proven its worth. The army also uses the jumping jack to keep its troops in good physical condition.

Stand with your feet together and your arms along your body. The exercise consists of spreading your legs while jumping, while spreading your arms to bring them back above your head. It is therefore a question of making a jump on the spot sometimes by spreading arms and legs, sometimes by bringing them close to the body.

For beginners, squeeze and spread only your legs. The arms can stay close to the body. This variant is also useful for people with coordination and synchronization problems.

After a few weeks, you can try your hand at the classic version of jumping jacks.

With several months of practice, it’s up to you to test the exercise called “star jumps”. Initially, kneel in a semi-crouched position. Perform an explosive jump to find yourself in an X, legs and arms stretched.

Exercice 5 : Mountain climbers

Despite beliefs, doing only sets of abs will not make you lose belly fat. A study (1) dating from 2015 showed that exercises targeting only the abdominal muscles did not provide any benefit on the loss of local fat mass. In other words, if you want to lose weight and lose belly fat, you don’t need to do hundreds of crunch series. More global exercises, like mountain climbers, will be more effective in slimming down your figure.

Mountain climbers have the advantage of burning calories while mobilizing your abs. The exercise is relatively simple. Place yourself on the ground with your muscarinic receptors hands flat and your feet on your tiptoes. The mountain climber consists of continuously bending one leg while having the other stretched. This quick, alternating back and forth motion of the knees toward the chest will help you lose weight at home.

To break the routine, you can bend both legs at the same time, making the exercise much more difficult, or bring the legs back in an oblique movement to work your abdominals in a different way.

Exercise 6: Push-ups

Push-ups aren’t just for men. Women can also benefit from it to burn calories and gain upper body strength. Of course, there are different variants depending on your level of practice.

Push-ups can be performed on your knees, with your feet or hands elevated, in a classic way but also explosively with slammed push-ups for example.

In addition to assisting in slimming, push-ups (especially if you keep your elbows close to your body) will work the triceps muscles, which are a preferential fat storage area for many people.