The 11 best exercises for weight loss

Exercises to lose weight at home

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Here come the best weight loss exercises for the living room!

It can be really grueling. Especially if you're like me and have a hard time parting with old clothes. When I rummage through my closet and rediscover an old pair of pants, I'm happy to wear them out the next day.

And bam. In the morning the shock: Somehow it pinches and twinges.

The pants pinch. Or even worse: There is an insurmountable distance between the button and the buttonhole.

Yes, you could have saved yourself the tiramisu. You didn't have to have one or two cookies either. And you could have saved yourself the trouble of secretly snacking on the roast.

But it happened. We can no longer change it. Now we have to get rid of the excess pounds.

To be able to lose a few kilos healthily and in the long term, you don't need as much as you think.

Weight loss exercises

We have collected the best exercises to lose weight and give you the best everyday tips.

What makes exercises for weight loss so special

Suitable exercises for slimming help you specifically to increase strength and endurance. This ensures that you burn more calories and build muscle.

Weight loss exercises are characterized by the fact that they work several muscle groups at once. The more muscles you activate during the workout, the more energy you burn during and after the workout.

You don't need equipment or a gym to do this. You can do most weight loss exercises at home in your living room.

I recommend you to wear sports clothes and a non-slip training mat.

Everything else you need to get slim, you already have: your body.

The best exercises for weight loss

When you should start with the fitness exercises? Well NOW! At this moment, the pounds are still very fresh and can be trained off with lots of motivation.

By the way, especially after the holidays, it is often partly stored water and an overloaded intestine.

If you start today, you will get rid of the pounds quickly. As a reward you can treat yourself to new leggings :) A little motivation must already be in it!

With these weight loss exercises, you can trade in your pounds for sexy muscles. Let's get started right now! No more excuses!

Burpees

Exercises to lose weight: Burpees

With this exercise you can lose weight quickly and train your entire body. Attention: Very very difficult for beginners.

  • Start in an upright standing position. Squat down and place the hands on the floor.
  • Jump into the plank position by pushing the legs backwards with momentum.
  • Do a push-up.
  • Press back to the starting position and pull the legs to the chest. So that you are again in the squat position.
  • Make a jump in the air and stretch your body through it.
  • When you land, you start again from the beginning.

As a beginner, you can forgo the push-ups and instead lie on the floor and then press back up with momentum.

Air boxes

Exercises for weight loss - air boxes

Body tension is required for this weight loss exercise! It looks quite easy. But if you really tighten your muscles, you will quickly realize that this is one of the most effective exercises for losing weight.

  • Start in an upright position. Bend your knees slightly.
  • Take a step forward with your right leg.
  • Hold both arms at shoulder height.
  • Make explosive movements with your arms forward. And box in the air.
  • For 60 seconds, alternate between right and left arm. Then change legs and do it again for 60 seconds.

This exercise is part of our series "Endurance training in the living room". It is a great way to build strength and endurance.

Mountain Climber

Exercises to lose weight - Mountain Climber

Strengthen endurance and build muscle that promises the Mountain Climber. Because of this combination, this is one of the exercises for weight loss that are particularly effective.

  • Put your arms under your shoulders.
  • The legs are extended and the back is straight.
  • Now alternately pull the right and left leg to the elbow.
  • Make sure that you tighten your abdomen so that you do not form a hollow back.

Planks

Exercise to lose weight

The classic among all bodyweight exercises. Planks should not be missing here either. They strengthen your entire body. From the legs to the upper body, everything is included.

  • Lie down on your stomach.
  • Straighten them up and put your elbows under your shoulders.
  • Lift your lower body off the mat.
  • Your body now forms a line from your legs to your back to your head.

Make sure you do it cleanly and don't let your stomach and back sag!

Dips

Fitness exercise for weight loss - Dips

For this exercise you need a chair, a table or your sofa. You will mainly strengthen your arms and shoulders. This is important because you need a strengthened upper body for many other exercises.

  • Place your arms on the table. The fingertips point towards you. Hold on tightly so that you don't slip.
  • The back is straight and the legs are bent.
  • Lower your butt until you have assumed the position in the photo.
  • Press up again until the arms are stretched. And then lower the buttocks again.

Make sure your upper body is upright!

Military Planks

Military Plank - exercise for weight loss

 

In this exercise you start in the normal plank position. The elbows are under your shoulders and the body forms a line.

  • First straighten up with your right arm.
  • Then you stretch the left one through.
  • Now you go down again with the right one. The left one follows suit.
  • Tighten your abdominal muscles so you can maintain core stability.
  • After 30 seconds, switch arms. Now start to stretch the left arm first.

Sit ups

Exercises for weight loss - sit ups

Another fitness classic, which of course should not be missing from the exercises for weight loss. With sit ups you train your abdominal muscles.

This is important so that you can better build up tension during other exercises. And trained abdominal muscles do not hurt anyway :)

  • Lie on your back. Put your arms on the back of your head.
  • Angle the legs.
  • Slowly lift the upper body off the mat.
  • Work with your abdominal muscles. Getting momentum does not count! :)

If you catch yourself fibbing and get momentum. Then take your hands off the back of your head. Place your arms at right angles next to your head. The palms face the ceiling. Now try sit ups again. The arms move at the same pace as the upper body. So cheating is impossible :)

Lunge and raise the knees

Lunge with knee up as strength training for runners

This exercise looks quite simple. It only gets hard with the number of repetitions. A great workout for legs, butt and balance.

  • You start with a lunge. The front knee must not protrude over the toes.
  • Bring the right knee to the floor. Make sure that your back is straight.
  • Stand up while pressing the right leg into the air. Pull the knee to hip height.
  • After that, put the leg down again.
  • Do the repetitions with the right leg first. Only then switch to the left leg.

Crunch (beetle)

Crunch exercises for weight loss

This exercise will help you lose weight fast by directly targeting the straight and oblique abdominal muscles.

  • Lie on your back and stretch your legs straight. Lift them off the mat.
  • The fingers are on the back of the head and the elbows to the right and left.
  • Alternately bring the right elbow and left knee together. And the left elbow and the right knee.

Squats

Squat exercise for weight loss

With this strength exercise you strengthen especially buttocks and legs. It is a prerequisite for many other exercises that can help you lose weight quickly.

  • Stand with your feet slightly more than shoulder width apart. The toes point forward.
  • Lower serve buttocks as if you wanted to sit down.
  • Go as deep as possible until your thighs are parallel to the floor. Or in other words: until your buttocks are at the level of your knees.
  • Bend the upper body slightly forward.
  • When you have reached the lowest point, slowly straighten up again. Do not stretch your legs all the way, but keep the tension.

If that's too easy for you, pick up a kettlebell or medicine ball.

High jump from a standing position

Exercises to lose weight at home

And finally, we really crank up the circulation. Attention: Be considerate of your neighbors. They might not be very pleased with exercises to lose weight with jumps.

  • You start normally in an upright position.
  • Squat down and jump into the air.
  • While doing this, pull your legs as close to your chest as possible and jump as high as you can.
  • When you land, you immediately start the next jump.

The main tips to get rid of kilos

You've probably heard it many times before. But there are things you should keep in mind every day.

Losing weight is basically easy. You need to eat fewer calories than you need. This is called a calorie deficit.

You can achieve this goal in two ways. Either you reduce your calorie intake. Or you increase your calorie consumption.

A healthy diet automatically ensures that you eat fewer and healthier calories. If you stay away from kebabs, curry sausages and the like, you're doing your body a favor.

Weight loss exercises and a fixed sports program will help you burn more calories.

You can reach your goal with a mix. That is, a healthy diet and exercise.

By the way, nutrition accounts for about 70% of your athletic success. So if you work hard at weight loss exercises and then have a kebab, you'll have a very hard time.

So if you start with weight loss exercises, then eliminate industrially processed foods, sugar, fast food and convenience products from your diet. Instead, focus on fresh foods, lots of vegetables and fruit. Drink plenty of water.

Why exercises for weight loss work

Getting rid of kilos with sports works great. Especially if you want to lose weight in a healthy, long-term and effective way. Schedule a little time for fitness every day. It doesn't have to be a big workout every day. But at least 30 minutes of exercise per day should be possible.

And it's easy to do by incorporating more of it into your daily routine.

Even small changes can make a very big difference.

  • If you have to travel short distances, take the bike or walk.
  • If you take the public transportation and have enough time, get off one stop earlier.
  • Avoid escalators and elevators. Take the stairs.
  • Go for a walk around the block during lunch break.
  • Take at least one walk every day after work.

That sounds like a lot of small stuff. You won't be able to burn huge amounts of calories. But you've already taken the first step.

Strength training for weight loss

If you want to get rid of kilos effectively and quickly, weight loss exercises should be on your agenda.

Why weight loss exercises work

  1. You burn calories during the workout
  2. Regular exercise to lose weight builds muscle. When you have muscles, you burn more calories at rest
  3. After the workout you radiate self-confidence and that motivates you to keep going
  4. If you go about it with a plan and regularity, you'll get there easier

If you really have too many kilos on your hips, then you should do more endurance sports than cardio training. Cycling, running and swimming burn a lot of calories. Often more than with the same time strength training.

However, you benefit from weight loss exercises after the fact. Strength training has an afterburn effect that is up to 15 percent higher. This occurs when you lie on the sofa after the workout.

Endurance training for weight loss

If you want to lose weight, go jogging. Or don't you? Yes, that's true up to a point. But the easiest way to get really fit is with a mix of strength and endurance training.

Cardio training has the advantage that it provides you with a lot of good mood. The happiness hormones just shoot out of you after a good run. You have to grin all over your face despite your red head and panting. That feels good.

In addition, endurance training strengthens your cardiovascular system.

Our conclusion

Exercises to lose weight always work when you change your diet at the same time. Sport alone is usually not enough to compensate for unhealthy eating habits. When it comes to training, a mix of endurance sports and strength exercises has proven successful. The more additional exercise you incorporate into your daily routine, the more success you will have in losing weight faster.

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