The summer is almost upon us and it is high time to get exercising, losing weight and feeling and looking great. So what’s the best way to do it? See below to find out our 100% top recommendations on the exercises you need to be doing to lose weight.
New pair of jogging shorts. Old T-shirts washed and dry. Got your Spotify playlist at the ready. Your cheap gym membership was secured a good six months ago. Yeah, you’re ready to get exercising. First up, squats.
The squat seemed to have lost its mojo. It was so in, then it wasn’t. Well now it’s back with a vengeance, properly recognised as it should be as one of the all-time classics. You want leaner, more shapely thighs? Squats. You want better back condition and strength? Squats. You want a bum you can show off in a pair of tight-fitting swimming trunks at the local lido? Yeah, you got it: squats.
So burn those glutes with your feet at a shoulder’s width apart, chin up, and back arched. Sit properly into the lower position, focusing your energy into your behind and thighs. Don’t overdo it at first, or you won’t be able to walk properly for days afterwards. Instead, start with 15 squats for the first two days. Then go up to 25 for the following two days. Have a day off, then do two days of 25, then two of 35 and so on. Squats are a fantastic exercise that, done correctly and regularly, will positively impact all of your mid and lower body. Get to them!
Now let’s move up the body a little. Press-ups are another all-time classic exercise that are great for just about everything. Here are just a few of the things that we like about press-ups:
- You can do them anywhere
- They are great for multiple muscle groups, including biceps and triceps; shoulders; stomach; lower back
- There are lots of variations you can try out
- They don’t take up loads of time (because you’ll be knackered after about 5 minutes of doing them or less)
Elevate the legs (a chair or sofa will do), change up how far you spread your hands to target different areas of the pectorals, switch it up by going onto your knuckles. Do them in the morning when you get up; before you have a shower at night. One piece of advice: go all the way to failure. Give it a minute or two, then go again to failure. Repeat. Now that’s a great exercise that’ll get you losing fat as you boost your upper body shape and strength.
Finally, pure, good old-fashioned cardio. Get your heart pumping regularly with some running, cycling, swimming or competitive sport, and you’ll do wonders for your weight loss. Get down to the gym and hit the treadmill, or sprint up the hill on your way home. Bring on a healthy-feeling sweat three times a week. That’s the goal. Now go lose yourself some weight!