8 Fat Burning Exercises That Will Give You Kickass Abs

Did you know that everyone has abs? 

Everyone is born with the same 4 abdominal muscles in their torso, with their being one factor that can contribute to whether they are showing or not.

No, this factor isn’t having bigger muscles than Mr. Olympia. It’s your body fat percentage.

Of course, things such as your genetics, or the muscle percentage in your body play role in how prominent they are, but the only real thing you should concentrate on if you want a 6-pack is your body fat.

That’s why I’m going to give you my 8 favorite fat-burning exercises you can do to lose weight and have abs you want to show off.

Let’s get into it.

Can You Spot Reduce Belly Fat For Your Abs?

Spot reducing fat is not possible. 

Unfortunately, if you want your abs to show, then you are going to need to reduce the fat all over your body.

By implementing weight loss techniques into your lifestyle through your diet and working out correctly, you will shred that excess blubber off yourself quickly.

Following fad workouts or diets that claim they can help reduce belly fat and make your abs prominent is not the way to go, and are usually not very healthy.

If you want shredded abdominals, you are going to need to put in the work.

Related Post: How Long Does It Take To Get A Six pack?

Should I Do HIIT To Lose Weight?

High-Intensity Interval Training, or HIIT, is one of the toughest workouts things on the human body known to man.

Okay, that might be a little bit of an exaggeration, but believe me, it is a pretty tough workout routine.

The good thing is, it works.

While it isn’t the most necessary thing to lose weight, it can turn a normal workout into one that is intense and gets the heart pumping.

This is what makes it such a popular routine – it’s efficient, effective, and fun (for the few of us who enjoy putting our bodies through that kind of torture anyway).

To turn your workout into a HIIT routine is pretty simple.

It consists of a very brief, intense burst of an exercise, usually cardio such as sprints, or bodyweight exercises like pushups.

This is then usually followed by a rest period equal to your training period.

Do this for around 15-20 minutes and you have finished your workout. Easy, right?

Unfortunately, HIIT isn’t for everyone.

The intense training period can cause some people’s heart rate to go through the roof, resulting in them falling ill and being worse than when they started. 

There are plenty of pros and cons for HIIT training, and I go into them here, so you can decide whether it is the training method for you.

Is Cardio The Only Way To Lose Weight?

If you’re anything like me, you dread even hearing the C-word, let alone having to get out there and do it.

Luckily for us, cardio isn’t the only way to lose weight.

You burn calories through almost every exercise out there.

From bodyweight exercises to lifting weights, all require those pesky extra calories that come from your extra fat deposits.

Basically, if you are putting the effort into your workout, you are going to lose weight. 

My Top 8 Fat Burning Exercises

#1 – Running

Look, I’m just going to get this one out of the way.

You may not want to hear it, but cardio, or more specifically running, is one of the best ways to lose weight. 

A 210 lbs man running at 6 mph for 60 minutes can burn almost 1000 calories according to the calories burned HQ calorie calculator.

This is an insane amount if you are fit enough to do so, but even if you can just do a quarter of that, 15 minutes of exercise for 250 calories can make the difference.

Another great thing about running is it can be incorporated excellently into your HIIT workout.

Sprinting for 30 seconds, then resting for 30 seconds, repeated for 10 minutes, can be an effective method for burning calories and losing weight, while only losing a short amount of your day. 

Running may not be appropriate for everyone, so simply walking on an incline for a prolonged amount each day can help tip those scales the right way.

#2 – Kettlebell Swings

I will always find a way to sneak a kettlebell exercise in, but this is quite rightly so.

The kettlebell swing is one of the most dynamic exercises you will find at the gym, incorporating muscle groups such as the glutes, back, and core abdominal muscles.

This makes the kettlebell swing an effective exercise for burning calories, as well as building your muscle.

It’s a relatively simple exercise to master and can be performed anywhere you like, in the gym or at home.

You can shift it into your normal workout plan, or as the sole workout of a HIIT routine, it is truly up to you. 

What you can expect is intense exercise that will burn calories.

How To Do It

1. Stand shoulder-width apart with a kettlebell in between your feet.
2. Pick up the kettlebell with two hands in an overhand grip.
3. Keeping your back straight, slowly lower your body by hinging at the hips until the kettlebell is between your legs.
4. Engaging your core and shifting your weight to your heels, drive through with your glutes to swing the kettlebell upwards.
5. Keep your arms extended. Drive upwards until the weight is in line with your shoulders. 
6. Hold this position for a second, squeezing your back and glutes.
7. Control the weight back down until it is back between your legs.
8. Repeat for a specific interval of time, or until failure. Aim to do this for 4-5 sets.

#3 – Kettlebell Snatch

Another kettlebell exercise, this is the last one, I swear.

An adaption of the kettlebell swing has the added movement of a clean and overhead press to include those extra arm and shoulder muscles.

Adding the extra muscle groups can improve the intensity, helping to lose weight more efficiently. 

There’s a lot going on at once with exercise, so may take a bit more time to master, but it’s definitely worth it for those washboard abs.

How To Do It

1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and the kettlebell on the floor in front.
2. Grab the kettlebell with an overhand grip in one hand, and stand up tall.
3. Lower your body by hinging at the hips, similar to setting up a kettlebell swing.
4. Engage your core, plant your feet and drive through with your glutes to swing the weight upwards, toward your shoulder.
5. Swivel your wrist around, so you are now holding the kettlebell in an underhand grip. This is the rack position.
6. As soon as you are in this position, drive the bell toward the ceiling until your arm fully extends.
7. As soon as you reach the top of the exercise, lower back to the rack position and control the weight down until it is between your legs again. We do not want to stop at any point as we are aiming to keep the intensity high and lose weight.
8. Repeat this exercise for a minute, or until failure, for best results.

#4 – Plank

The plank is a bodyweight exercise, and one of the best at that.

The likelihood is you have tried this position, and I can guarantee it was tough.

Trying to hold out for even a minute is a battle of will and power.

This exercise is an effective weight loss technique, requiring almost all the muscles in your body to keep yourself upright.

Did you know that the record for the longest plank is 9 hours and 30 minutes, crazy right?

How To Do It

1. Fairly simple, setup by finding a flat surface, which is fairly comfortable.
2. Start in the pushup position, with your legs out right behind you and hands on the floor.
3. Move your weight from your hands to your lower arms by placing your elbows on the ground.
4. Engage your core and hold for as long as possible.
5. Repeat for around 5 times, holding as long as possible to burn as many calories as possible.

#5 – Burpees

Another intense bodyweight exercise, this one truly feels like it borders between weight training and cardio, requiring constant movement and a lot of muscle groups to work in tandem.

It requires balance from your core abdominal muscles, strength from your chest for the pushup, and finally your legs in the jump.

All of these components of the exercise combine to burn a ton of calories and ultimately lose weight.

How To Do It

1. Start by standing up tall with your back straight.
2. As quick as you can, squat down to the ground and place your palms on the floor.
3. Kick your legs out behind you, so you are in the pushup position.
4. Perform a pushup, making sure your chest reaches the floor.
5. Kick your legs back into your body, like a mountain hiker.
6. Drive through your glutes and jump upward, extending your legs.
7. Land as softly as you can, as soon as your feet touch the ground, repeat the exercise.

#6 – Squat Jumps

Jumping exercises, or in particular, compound movements followed by a jump, are some of the most intense exercises that initiate weight loss. 

The squat puts your legs under stress, requiring your body to exert calories to push yourself upwards.

Finding the power to then jump upwards shifts this compound exercise into a high-impact exercise, losing a lot more weight.

This can be multiplied exponentially if you can add extra weight to your back.

How To Do It

1. Start with your legs shoulder-width apart, your torso upright, and your core engaged.
2. Keeping your back straight, bend your knees to start squatting down. Get your bottom as low to the ground as possible, preferably to where your thighs are horizontal to the ground.
3. As you reach the bottom of the exercise, drive through your heels and glutes upward with as much power as possible.
4. Keep driving through so your feet leave the ground, jumping with your legs extended.
5. Land as softly as you can, as soon as your feet reach the ground, repeat the exercise.

#7 – Sled Push And Pull

The pull-push sled is an excellent piece of equipment for strength and conditioning, aiding muscle building, increasing fitness, and of course, losing weight.

Both the push and pull exercises will require your leg and abdominal muscles, with the former exercise requiring a lot more of your upper body muscle groups. 

The goal of this exercise is to perform the heaviest sled push and pull, as quickly as you can.

This puts the multitude of muscle groups involved under the harshest routine possible, burning a lot more calories than normal running, or normal strength exercises.

The only downside to this exercise is you need a weighted sled.

These can be quite expensive and not very accessible to most.

How To Do It

1. Load the sled with a weight suitable to you.
2. Grab the handles with both hands, bend over hinging at your hips, and keep your back straight.
3. Drive through your glutes to push the sled for a set distance.
4. To pull the sled back, grab the rope tied to the sled handle.
5. Pull the slack out of the rope, engage your core and keep your torso upright.
6. Walk the sled back as quickly as you can to the original position.
7. Repeat this 6-8 times, attempting to beat your previous time on each set.

#8 – Jump Rope

My final exercise on my list of the top fat-burning exercises is the jump rope.

A simple exercise, this bit of cardio is used as a conditioning tool in many sports, due to its ability to aid with coordination, fitness, speed, and many other key aspects of a sporting career.

We will be using this exercise for its calorie-burning aspect.

Jump rope can be intense, requiring your core muscles for balance, and other muscle groups to help jump and keep the rope moving.

You can burn approximately 300 calories in one 15-minute session of jumping rope, which is an incredible amount.

This is only an estimate, though, and can vary based on your weight and skipping speed.

Conclusion

Burning fat to expose those hidden abs can be grueling and sometimes seem impossible.

You’re eating less and working harder, and it can feel like the world is against you.

Fortunately, with these exercises in your arsenal, you can work out a few times a week, burning calories efficiently without the need to starve yourself or workout for hours and hours on end.

Have you had success in burning fat and getting dominant washboard abs?

What exercises would you include in a workout to do this as efficiently and quickly as possible?

Let me know in the comments below.

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