Fat-Burning Body-Weight Workout

The four-move body-weight workout for maximizing fat loss.

Building muscle, increasing strength, and burning fat isn’t just a product of countless hours of lifting heavy weight. Body-weight workouts can be just as effective, and even place less strain on the body’s joints. Men’s Fitness met with Equinox Tier 4 coach Josh Stolz for a demonstration of a four-move fat-burning workout suitable for highly trained athletes or the casual gym-goer.
THE WORKOUT INSTRUCTIONS:
Complete four rounds of the following four exercises with 60–120 seconds’ rest in between rounds.
THE EXERCISES:

 1. lateral stepup: 6 repetitions per side

 

 

 

 

 

 2. archer pushup: 6 repetitions per side

 

 

 

3. ice skater lunges (explosive): 10 repetitions per side

 

 

 

 

 4. pushup pike with feet on a box: 6 repetitions

 

 

 

 

THE WORKOUT BENEFITS:
This workout targets the entire body with two upper-body movements and two lower-body movements to provide muscular balance. Performing the exercises with high intensity and at a rapid pace will boost cardiovascular endurance and maximize fat-burning and caloric expenditure. This workout is ideal for anyone looking to lose weight or develop a general base of strength without the strain of heavy weightlifting.
EXERCISE-SPECIFIC BENEFITS:
The lateral stepup is a lower-body exercise that increases strength and power in the quads, hamstrings, and glutes. As a unilateral exercise, muscular balance is achieved on both sides of the body.
The archer pushup is an upper-body exercise that increases strength and power in the chest, shoulders, and triceps. Performing the exercise in a side-to-side, “archer-like” motion will improve balance on both sides of the body.
Tip: Maintain a neutral spine and brace your core throughout the entire movement. Position your “lower” hand farther up or down to increase or decrease the difficulty.
The ice skater lunge is a lower-body exercise that increases muscular strength, power, and endurance in the quads, hamstrings, and glutes. Performing the exercise rapidly will also improve cardiovascular endurance.
The pushup pike with feet on a box is a combination exercise that increases muscular strength and endurance in the upper body, specifically the shoulders and triceps. The pike position also actively engages and strengthens the core.
Tip: Consciously remember to keep your core braced to prevent any rounding or slouching during the entire exercise. Perform a decline pushup if the pike is too challenging.