7 Total Body Exercises That Burn Fat & Build Muscle

Try these seven total body exercises that burn fat fast! Maximize your workout with easy to do moves that will give you great results.

Albert Einstein said it best, “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.”

If you feel like your weight loss has come to a halt, it’s time to shake up your routine to jumpstart your fat-burning machine. There is not one type of exercise that is the best way to fat loss. To improve lean body mass you need to eat healthy and move your body.

As a certified personal trainer for the last 30 years, you can bet I’ve worked with many people who hit a wall. All of the sudden what was working before stops yielding the same results. Their usual workout routine doesn’t seem to be cutting it anymore. 

Bottom line, it’s time for a change. 

If you’re ready to change up your workout routine and see better results, keep reading to try my total body workout that will burn fat and build muscle!

Benefits of Changing Up Your Workout Routine

If you’ve hit a stagnant lull with your weight loss goals, it might be time to switch up your workout routine.

There are all sorts of awesome benefits that come with switching things up:

Muscle Adaptation

The body has an incredible ability to adapt to repetitive stimuli. If you stick to the same exercise routine for an extended period, your muscles become accustomed to the stress, and the effectiveness of the workout decreases. 

Changing up your routine challenges different muscle groups and prevents your body from plateauing.

Calorie Burn and Intensity

Different exercises engage various muscle groups and require varying levels of effort. By incorporating a variety of exercises, you can ensure that you’re targeting different areas of the body and working at different intensities. 

This helps maximize calorie burn during workouts, contributing to more effective weight loss. 

Prevention of Boredom

Doing the same exercises day in and day out can lead to boredom, both mentally and physically. This boredom might result in a lack of motivation to work out consistently. 

Changing your routine keeps things interesting and exciting, making it more likely that you’ll stick to your exercise regimen in the long run.

Injury Prevention

Repeating the same movements can lead to overuse injuries as specific muscle groups and joints are consistently stressed. 

By incorporating variety, you reduce the risk of overuse injuries and give certain muscle groups time to recover while engaging others.

Metabolic Boost

Different types of exercises, such as strength training, cardio, and flexibility exercises, have unique effects on your metabolism. A diverse routine can help optimize your metabolic rate by stimulating different energy systems within the body. 

This, in turn, can contribute to more efficient calorie burning and weight loss.

Plateau Breaking

Weight loss plateaus are common when the body adapts to a specific exercise routine. Changing things up shocks the body and can help break through plateaus, allowing for continued progress in your weight loss journey.

Mental Stimulation

Exercise isn’t just physical; it’s also a mental activity. Trying new exercises or activities challenges your coordination, balance, and cognitive functions. 

This mental stimulation can help keep your mind engaged and motivated, making your workouts more enjoyable.

7 Total Body Exercises That Burn Fat Fast

If you feel are ready for a change in your regular routine, I’ve got good news. I put together a quick high-intensity exercise routine below. Why high intensity exercise? 

Because it challenges your muscles and heart rate and boosts your body’s metabolism.  

This HIIT workout consists of seven total body fat-burning exercises that target the best muscle groups to workout together. It’s bound to help you bust through your weight loss plateau!

This workout is interval based meaning you will work hard for a period of time and then rest and then do it again. It’s intense and keeps a fast pace. 

If you need to modify in any way, feel free to slow down or skip the jumping. The number of calories burned will be result of your effort and intensity.  

If you’re looking to incorporate the exercises that burn fat below into a workout, be sure to check out our 45-minute total body workout video.

Go through these moves in order, working for 40 seconds for each exercise, resting 30 seconds before going to the next move. 

Repeat the sequence a second time through and you’ve just done a killer workout in 15-minutes!

Split Jumps

The split jump is an amazing lower body move that will sculpt all your leg and butt muscles. In addition, this move is a plyometric, which adds a big cardio element to torch more calories!

Be sure to bend BOTH knees as you land and keep your core pulled in tight. You’ll be feeling the burn on this one!

How To Do Split Jumps

• Stand tall with your feet hip-distance apart. Hands are in front of the chest hand on fist. Take a large step forward with one foot and lower your body toward the floor. Both legs should be bent at a 90-degree angle at the bottom of the lunge.
• Lower the back knee slightly and jump to switch the feet. While in the air front foot comes back and back foot comes to the front. Land in a bent knee lunge. Repeat.

Squat Thrusters

A squat with a shoulder press is an excellent move, but a squat thruster is better! This amazing exercise that burns fat takes it to the next level by incorporating the whole body.  

By adding a little power, or a small hop, as you press the weights up, the move suddenly leaves you breathless and fully aware that your entire body is working! You sculpt your rear and create beautiful shoulders while  burning a large amount of calories.

As you press upward from the squat, but sure to use your heels to keep weight IN YOUR BUTT and out of your knees.

How To Do Squat Thrusters

• Start standing with feet hip distance apart and lower into a squat position by bending the knees. Keep the spine straight, chest lifted, and knees behind toes. The elbows are bent and dumbbells are at shoulder height.
• Using the lower body, thrust up to standing and press the dumbbells overhead extending the arms long. Then lower back to starting position.

Forward Lunge With Bicep Curl

Lunges are one of the best moves you can do when you want to lift your butt and tone your thighs. Forward lunges give you a bit more of a push in the heart rate zones, which is created by the movement. 

Then, by adding in a bicep curl, not only do your legs and heart work harder, but your arms get sculpted too. Bonus!

How To Do A Forward Lunge With Bicep Curl

• Stand tall with your feet hip distance apart. Take a large step forward with one foot and lower your body toward the floor.  Both legs should be bent at a 90-degree angle at the bottom of the lunge.
• Bring weights in towards shoulders to complete bicep curl then push off front foot and return to start.
• Repeat on the other side.

Burpees

Ah, the burpee. How has this move survived for so many years? It works. 

No, I mean really, think about it—you jump into a plank for strong, sculpted abs and arms, you move quickly back to standing and then jump in the air and send your heart rate flying! 

They truly work every muscle in your body, so even if they aren’t your favorite circuit training exercise, know you’re getting the most bang for your buck (or your burpee!) when you perform them.

How To Do A Burpee

Good form is key. The basic movement is performed in four steps and known as a “four-count burpee”:

•  Start in standing position and drop down into a squat (count 1)
•  Jump (or walk for low impact) both feet back at the same time into a plank position. In a plank position, your hands are below shoulders, body long and abs tight. Make sure your low back is not sagging. (count 2) 
• Jump (or walk for low impact) both feet together between your hands. (count 3)
• Release hands from the ground as you explode into the air with a jump as high as you can, reaching arms up. (Skip the jump if you want to keep it low impact.) (count 4)

Push-Up Jacks

Push-ups are the ultimate upper body exercise. You should do them a couple times a week to not only get stronger but sculpt lean, toned arm muscles. 

Adding a jumping jack move with your feet takes the push-up to an entirely new level.

Besides your arms and shoulders, your core now also gets an amazing workout and the cardio element adds to the calorie burn.

How To Do Push-Up Jacks

• Begin in a plank position with your shoulders over your wrists, your feet together, and your body in a straight line.
• Lower to a pushup while jumping feet to a wide position.  Keep abs tight and back straight.
• Jump your feet back together as you straighten your arms to return to start.

Surrenders

The surrender is a tried and true example of exercises that burn fat. It works the entire body and will get your heart rate soaring.

Start kneeling and then simply stand up one foot at a time and press weights over your head. Not complicated at all! Just a huge move with huge results that utilizes the entire body.

How To Do Surrenders

• Start kneeling holding dumbbells at your sides.
• Step forward with one foot and stand all the way up while press the weights overhead.
• Kneel down one knee at a time returning the weights to your sides.  Repeat starting with the opposite leg.

Core Body Hops

Last but not least, core body hops are a move that works your six-pack and burn calories to boot.

Hopping your lower body up and over so that your feet jump from one side to another stems from great core control. You’ll know you need to use more core if your feet make too much noise when they land. 

This should be a fairly quiet exercise.

Once you’ve done each exercise, go back to the first one and try doing the whole routine one more time, creating a 15-minute routine that will blast fat and leave you feeling fit!

Tips For Maximizing Your Full-Body Workout Potential

• Listen to your body. High Intensity Interval Training is not for beginners. Of course you can modify this routine to match your fitness level but always listen to your own body.
• Challenge yourself. When doing this type of workout, make sure you are working at a challenging intensity. If you are not pushing yourself, you will not see results. Make sure you are sweating and breathing hard by the end of your workout.
• Use heavy weights when possible. Resistance training is about working your muscles to fatigue. Don’t be afraid of using something heavier but do be aware of using good form.. 
• Mix cardio and strength. The best fat-burning workouts include a mix of cardiovascular and strength training exercises. Both are important for burning fat and getting in shape.
• Stay hydrated. Make sure you are staying hydrated throughout your workout. It’s a good idea to drink plenty of water to help your body to function at its best.
• Eat a healthy diet. What you put into your body will have a direct impact on how well it functions. To lose weight you have to be in a calorie deficit. Even if you are crushing your workouts, if you are overeating and making bad choices, process will plateau.  

Following these tips, you can be confident that you are on your way to busting through a plateau and changing your body composition with these seven exercises that burn fat and build muscle!