Make no mistake – the precursor to fat loss is intensity. You want to see that abdominal fat melting and making room for the chiseled six-pack to shine through? Low-intensity activities like jogging and yoga won’t get you there and you know it, that’s why you keep your workouts as brutal as possible.
But if you want to take fat burning to a whole new level, we have a few ideas about it. Nope, we’re not going to enlighten you with a shortcut – actually, we want you to speed up even more! In order to get rid of the deepest and most stubborn pockets of body fat, you need high-intensity workout finishers that will induce high metabolic costs and activate hormone-sensitive lipase, resulting in a ton of fat getting burned to provide more energy for the already exhausted body.
At the end of an intense workout, your glycogen is depleted and your body is pushed to use stored fat as a primary fuel source, and a good workout finisher is the way to activate this process.
When you’re done with your regular training routine, don’t stop there. Instead, tap into your last reserves of willpower, push your body to its limits and empty your tank to the last drop – this is guaranteed to separate your physique from that of an average gym-goer.
You’ll hate finishers while you’re doing them for sure, but you’ll feel rather blissful later as you watch your muscles grow! Increase the efficiency of your workout with these ultimate workout finishers:
1. The Full Body Flush
The full body flush may seem simple and easy, but pair it with a great number of intense reps with proper form and you’ll get a solid burn in every major muscle.
Perform each of the following exercises with 25+ reps and do them in a consecutive order until exhaustion.
– Inverted Row
– Push-ups
– Single Leg Step-up (power the movement through the heel to place stress on the glutes)
– Burpees (including a full push-up in each)
2. Plyometrics
Also known as “jump training”, plyometrics is a workout technique that uses maximum power in short intervals of time to strengthen your muscles. This combination of stretching and contracting your muscles into quick, explosive movements can increase your power faster than any other exercise, resulting with an improved performance in your weight training as well. To avoid injury, make sure you warm up properly before you start and stretch well afterwards.
– Box jumps #1:
Squat down, then explode up to a box or a bench, landing softly. Perform 6 reps with 60 seconds rest.
– Box jumps #2:
Stand on the top of a bench that’s at least 20 inches high. Drop down to the ground on your toes, then explode back up onto the bench.
3. The Warrior Conditioning Circuit
Use this circuit to increase your power, endurance and efficiency of movement, while building the body of a professional athlete!
Perform the following exercises as fast as possible in a consecutive order with 2 sets of 15+ reps:
– Medicine ball slam
– Med ball push-up
– Plyometric chin-up: start performing a regular chin-up but as you’re coming up, bring your knees up as well. At the top of the exercise, “jump”, releasing the hands from the bar, then grab hold of it again as you descend.
– Box jump: start by standing on the top of a bench, then drop down and jump up back onto the bench in an explosive manner.
4. The HIIT Finishers
Burn fat like crazy by including high intensity interval routine at the end of your workout. This will increase your metabolic rate for up to 24 hours after the training. Keep the blood pumping by performing one of the following two routines:
Routine #1: 3 sets, performed as fast as possible
– High Knee Stationary Sprint: 20 seconds of sprinting followed by 20 seconds of rest.
– Heavy Bag Punches: perform 40 reps (20 reps per arm), followed by 20 seconds of rest.
– Bench Toe Touches: place one foot on a bench while keeping the other on the ground, then switch the position of the legs and keep on alternating as fast as possible. Perform 40 reps (20 reps per leg), followed by 20 seconds of rest.
– Plyometric push-ups: perform 20 reps, followed by 20 seconds of rest.
Routine #2: 3 sets, performed as fast as possible
– Medicine Ball Touches: place your body in a push-position over a medicine ball, then explode up and touch the top of the ball. Perform 12 reps.
– Box Jumps: start by standing on top of a bench, then jump down and explode back up. Perform 15 reps.
– Skipping: 30 second sprint, then rest for 15 seconds.
– Heavy Bag Punches: 20 reps (10 per arm), then rest for 60 seconds.
5. The Metabolic Cardio Cocktail
Hungry for more intensity while everybody else is packing their bags? Make the most of your workout and push your metabolism into overdrive with this super-intense cardio circuit. Perform it as many times as possible over the course of 10 minutes:
– Treadmill hill sprint: 15 seconds
– Suspension push-ups: 15 reps
– Split lunge jumps: 20 reps (10 per side, alternating)
– Pull-ups: 5 reps
– Treadmill hill sprint: 15 seconds
– Rope skipping: 50 hops
– Tuck jumps: 5 reps
– Suspension mountain climbers: 30 reps (15 per side)
– Jumping jacks: 20 reps
– Overhead medicine ball slams: 10 reps
Add this finisher to your workout routine twice per week.
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