The alarm clock goes off an hour earlier than you’d like to wake up and you shuffle your way to the gym. You exercise hard, but you then you sit at a desk all day and don’t see any results.
What if you could burn fat all day, long after you’ve hung up your sneakers?
With strength training, you can, says Caroline M. Apovian, MD. In a discussion for the health website Sharecare, the metabolism expert says weight training burns more fat than any other exercise.
“Strength training is absolutely the best way to build muscle, rev up your metabolism, and boost daily calorie expenditure,” she says.
If you don’t have access to barbells and dumbbells, don’t worry; you can still build strength train at home. Here are some exercises that help you build the muscle to boost your metabolism all day long.
Crunches
Lie down on a mat, with your back flat and feet flat on the ground. Keep your hand on the back of your head and lift yourself up halfway, keeping half of your torso off the ground and then go down. As you go up inhale and as you go down exhale. This can be done in sets.
Push-ups
When you’re on the ground, make sure your hands are wider than the width of your shoulder. Your feet should be shoulder-width apart. Your butt shouldn’t be in the air but aligned with the rest of your body and your head should be looking up. When you lift the arms, your body should be straight. It keeps your body stable and supports your weight. At the top of your push up, your arms should be straight and supporting your weight.
For an easier variation, put your knees on the ground instead of your toes.
Plank
Keep your stomach tight and body aligned as you would in a push-up position. On the ground, keep both arms and toes when holding your weight. You can form a fist with your hands, keeping it flat on the ground. Make sure your arm makes a 90-degree angle. When you are in this position remember to inhale and exhale. You can hold it for 10 seconds and then release. Do two or three sets.
Reverse crunch
Lie flat on the mat. When lifting the body, keep your hands behind your head and lift your torso halfway. Make sure your shoulder is off the ground. The difference here compared to regular crunches is you must either cross your feet or make a 90-degree angle and lift them off the floor. Lift your legs and torso at the same time and inhale and exhale.
Squats
Keep your feet, flat on the ground, shoulder width apart, you can also make the width of your feet wider for stability. When moving up and down make sure your thighs stay in a neutral position, avoid making it contract and expand. When bending your knees keep your hips back, inhale when you go down and exhale when you go up.
Sources:
https://www.sharecare.com/health/exercise-weight-loss/can-weight-training-weight-loss
https://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/features/get-more-burn-from-your-workout#1
https://www.issaonline.edu/blog/index.cfm/2016/is-cardio-really-the-secret-to-fat-loss
https://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/proper-push-up/
