13 Full-Body Strength Exercises Trainers Recommend For Weight Loss
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Full-body strength-training exercises are key for weight loss, which is why we've gathered these trainer-recommended moves to choose from. But why are these exercises so critical for burning fat? "A lot of people think that the best way to shed fat is by doing lots of steady cardio. You can lose fat that way, but it's not the optimal type of training for fat loss," said Julia Buckley, a REPs Level 3-certified trainer in the UK. "Intense fast-paced cardio, power moves, and weightlifting sessions are much better. By adding muscle to your body, you will burn more fat all of the time."
That's because muscle mass actually boosts your metabolic rate, which helps you burn calories even when you're not working out. Targeting multiple muscle groups in one move, as you do with full-body exercises, burns more calories (and thus more fat) and does it efficiently to maximize your time at the gym, said Eric Bowling, an NASM-certified trainer at Ultimate Performance Los Angeles.
However, you won't lose weight just by doing these exercises alone. If weight loss is your goal, you need a consistent and effective workout routine that includes both cardio and strength training, as well as a healthy diet low on sugar and refined carbs and high on on veggies, protein, and fiber. Once you have that foundation of healthy diet and consistent exercise in place, plug these 13 moves into your routine to optimize fat-burning potential. Grab some weights and let's get started.
Dumbbell Split Squat
"For targeting lower body, dumbbell split squats are phenomenal," Bowling told POPSUGAR. He recommends using dumbbells instead of a barbell for safety reasons and to get the most out of the move's muscle-building, fat-burning potential.
- Stand with both feet together. Hold medium dumbbells at your sides.
- Take a step forward with your right foot like you're going into a lunge, allowing your left heel to come off the ground.
- Lower until your back knee almost hits the ground and your knees are both at about 90-degree angles. Keep your torso straight and core pulled in toward your spine.
- Drive through your feet to push back up to standing.
- This counts as one rep.
Barbell Hip Thrust
This is primarily a glute move, and "the glutes are a big muscle," Bowling explained. "When done properly, you will be recruiting a lot of muscle for stabilizing other joints as you try to target the glutes."
- Sitting on the floor with your legs extended, rest your back against a stable bench.
- Place a towel or shoulder cushion on the bar for comfort (optional). Roll the barbell over your thighs until the bar is directly above your hip joints.
- Brace your core. As you drive your heels into the ground, squeeze your glutes, lifting your hips up to full extension, meaning your hips are even with your knees.
- With control, lower back down to the ground.
- This counts as one rep.
Push-Up
Push-ups are "an essential functional strength move, engaging chest, triceps, shoulders and core muscles," said Chris Lee, NASM-certified trainer with HAU 2 FIT. This total-body bodyweight move uses your body as resistance to hit the the muscles in your upper body and core.
- Start in a plank position with your arms and legs straight, shoulders above your wrists. Keep your core pulled in toward your spine throughout the movement.
- Take a breath in, and as you exhale, bend your elbows out to the sides and lower your chest toward the ground. Stop as soon as your shoulders are in line with your elbows. You should lower your torso in one "piece," without slumping your chest toward the ground.
- Inhale to straighten your arms. This counts as one rep.
- You can also do this exercise with your knees on the floor or elevated against a sturdy couch or the wall.
Squat to Overhead Press
The squat to overhead press is a great compound exercise for fat loss "because of the number of muscle groups it targets all over the body," said Karma Stylz, an NCSF-certified trainer and dance instructor for FitXR. "The squat portion engages your hips, calves, hamstrings, and obliques, while the overhead press engages the chest, shoulders, arms, and upper back."
- Stand with your legs just slightly wider than hip-distance apart and your arms raised to shoulder height with elbows bent, holding weights by your ears. Engage your core by pulling it toward your spine.
- Looking straight ahead, bend at the hips and knees, ensuring that your knees remains in line with your toes. Keep your core pulled in towards your spine and your chest lifted.
- Drive through your heels to return to standing, while simultaneously pressing the dumbbells overhead.
- This counts as one rep.
Kettlebell Swing
"Kettlebell swings are a fantastic full-body, compound exercise for burning calories, building muscle, and elevating the metabolism," said NASM-certified trainer Vanessa Liu, thanks to the explosive swinging motion and the work you do in your back, abs, glutes, and hamstrings. Liu said kettlebell swings are her number-one exercise for "stimulating the most muscle in the shortest amount of time."
- Hold a kettlebell with both hands by the flat, top handle. Let your arms rest so the kettlebell hangs down between your legs.
- Place your legs slightly wider than hip-width apart. Your toes should point slightly outward.
- To begin, look straight ahead as you bend at the hips and knees, ensuring that your knees remains in line with your toes. As you bend, allow the momentum to swing the kettlebell back between your legs. Keep your core pulled in towards your spine, your back flat, and your chest lifted. Avoid dropping your shoulders with the weight.
- While keeping your arms straight, drive through your heels and squeeze your quads and glutes as you swing the kettlebell up.
- Extend your hips and legs to stand. This motion will drive the kettlebell up to just above shoulder height.
- Control the momentum while lowering the kettlebell as it returns to starting position.
- This counts as one rep.
Burpee
"If I was limited to doing only one move for the rest of my life, honestly, I think this would be my pick!" said Shayna Schmidt, NASM-certified personal trainer and cofounder of Livekick. "This often-dreaded move is a true full-body exercise, working most major muscle groups while also improving your cardiovascular fitness and testing your balance and coordination." If you can't stand burpees, Schmidt recommended slowing down and focusing on mastering every individual part of the move. You can also work up to the full exercise with beginner-friendly variations.
- Lower into a crouching squat with your hands on the floor.
- Do a squat thrust by jumping your feet back into a plank position, landing softly on your toes.
- Do one basic push-up, bending your elbows and then straightening back to plank.
- Jump your feet forward to your hands and come into a low squat.
- Drive through your heels to do an explosive jump straight up, getting as much height as you can. Land softly.
- This counts as one rep.
Up-Down Plank
This simple bodyweight move is great for fat loss, explained NASM-certified trainer Leon Turetsky, founder of Back Intelligence. "It challenges many upper-body muscles like chest, shoulders, and also works the core muscles," he told POPSUGAR.
- Begin in a high plank, hands under shoulders and heels above your toes. Pull your core in toward your spine.
- Lower your right elbow to the mat and then your left, coming into an elbow plank. Continue bracing your core throughout the movement.
- Put your right hand on the mat, and straighten your right elbow. Do the same on the left to return to a high plank.
- This counts as one rep.
Curtsy Lunge With Bicep Curl
"The curtsy lunge targets your inner thighs as well as your glute medius, a smaller butt muscle that helps stabilize hips to help improve your posture," said trainer Kathy Glabicky, ACE, founder of Tread Tabata. Combining it with bicep curls, which work muscles up and down your arms, ramps up the fat-burning potential of this move.
- Start standing with your feet hips-width apart, holding weights at your sides.
- Step your right leg diagonally behind you and to the left so your thighs cross, simultaneously bending both knees as if you were curtsying. Make sure your front knee is aligned with your front ankle. Both knees should form roughly 90-degree angles.
- As you lower into the lunge, lift the weights to your shoulders in a bicep curl. Pull your core toward your spine throughout the movement and avoid hunching your back.
- Drive through your left foot and push off of your right toe to return to standing, lowering the weights to your sides.
- Repeat on the other side.
- This counts as one rep.
Goblet Squat
Strength and mobility coach Matt Pippin recommended simple full-body movements, like the goblet squat. Reducing the complexity, he told POPSUGAR, lets you keep up the pace of the movement and target as many muscles as possible, therefore increasing fat burn without risking injury.
- Stand with your feet wider than shoulder width with toes pointed slightly out. Hold one dumbbell at chest level with both hands.
- Keeping your back flat and your core pulled toward your spine, bend at the hips and knees, ensuring that your knees remains in line with your toes. Keep your core pulled in towards your spine and your chest lifted. Allow your to tap your knees.
- Drive through your heels to push yourself up back up to standing.
- This counts as one rep.
Deadlift
Deadlifts are a classic exercise for burning fat and working major muscle groups. Equinox trainer Sylvia Nasser describes this move as "dynamic and explosive," requiring core stability and coordination to engage muscles in your back, core, hamstrings, and glutes.
- Stand with your feet hips-width apart, holding a pair of medium-weight dumbbells in each hand with arms at your sides. Your knees should be slightly bent.
- Keeping your arms straight and knees slightly bent, slowly bend at your hip joint, not your waist, and lower the weights as far as possible without rounding your shoulders or back, which should remain straight. Looking forward, not at the ground, will help you avoid rounding your back. Keep your core pulled in and the weights close to, almost touching, your legs.
- Squeeze your glutes to slowly pull yourself up. Don't use your back or round your spine. This counts as one rep.
Reverse Lunge With Biceps Curl
Compound strength moves like reverse lunge with biceps curl "are effective for fat loss because they recruit all your major muscle groups," said Kristie Alicea, ACE-certified trainer and co-founder of ABC Fit Collective. By targeting the big muscles in your legs, butt, and back in this move, you'll burn more calories and help stimulate weight loss, Alicea explained.
- Begin with your feet together, holding dumbbells at your sides.
- Step your right foot back into a deep lunge as you bend your elbows, bringing weights to your shoulders for the bicep curl. Make sure your left knee is directly over your ankle, and bend your right knee so it almost touches the floor.
- Push through your left front foot as you step your right foot forward to return to the starting position, lowering weights back to your sides.
- Repeat on the opposite side, lunging your left foot back. This counts as one rep.
Deadlift With Back Row
Alicea also recommended this deadlift to row combination, which targets your hamstrings, glutes, core, and back muscles.
- Stand upright holding your dumbbells in each hand, with your palms facing in and your knees slightly bent.
- Keeping your arms straight and knees slightly bent, slowly bend forward from your hips (not your waist). Lower the weights to your shins without rounding your back.
- Keeping your back almost parallel to the floor and abs pulled in to your spine, bend your elbows toward the ceiling, squeezing your shoulder blades together and performing a back row.
- Maintain the position of your torso as you lower the weights back to your shins.
- Squeeze your glutes to return to standing, keeping your back straight.
- This counts as one rep.
Step-Up to Overhead Press
This step-up variation is effective because it targets your quads, glutes, and upper body muscles, said Liu. "Step-ups raise your heart rate significantly," she explained. "When you add the overhead press, it becomes an even more effective fat loss exercise since you not only elevate the heart rate, but you recruit a lot of muscle fibers at once."
- Stand in front of a sturdy chair, stool, or box and place your left foot in the center of the seat. Hold a dumbbell in each hand.
- Step up onto the chair and bring your right knee forward and up while simultaneously lifting your dumbbells to your shoulders, then pushing them overhead. (If you're struggling to stay balanced, keep your right foot on the seat.)
- Lower yourself back to the floor, with the foot landing quietly. Bring the dumbbells back to your sides.
- Switch legs and repeat to complete one rep.