Exercise is a vital part of any good weight loss plan. We probably don’t have to tell you twice that getting up and moving as much as possible is essential to a healthy lifestyle. One of the major steps is finding a physical activity you can regularly commit to. And, contrary to what you may think, working out doesn’t have to be that hard. You don’t even need to go to the gym to see substantial weight loss and muscle build. There are easy at-home exercises that can do wonders for your weight loss goals by boosting your metabolism.
To learn more about how you can boost your metabolism with your workouts, we spoke with Vivian Yu, a personal trainer and nutritionist of One Body Personal Training, Dana Ellis Hunnes, a registered and author of Recipe For Survival, Claire La Breche, a fitness trainer at Jazzercise, Inc., Erica Ziel, a fitness trainer and owner of Core Athletica Inc. and Knocked-UpFitness, and Sara Haley, a fitness trainer and choreographer. They told us that incorporating push-ups, squats, and HIIT workouts (like burpees!) into your routine could be a total game-changer for building muscle and boosting your metabolism. Learn more below!
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1. Push-Ups
Push-ups are an incredible exercise that works out every part of your body, helping to tone all your muscles. They’re La Breche’s “all-time favorite, super-efficient exercise.” This is because, she says, push-ups use your own body weight as resistance while you work out your core muscles (abs, glutes, back), your arms, and your chest. Push-ups get your heart rate up and build muscle. They’re a win-win!
“Building lean muscle is the best way to keep your metabolism working throughout the day, so not just while you work out, but even while sitting at your desk, in the car, or while you sleep,” Le Breche explains. “I love pushups because you can gain strength in such a tangible way by doing them daily—feeling successful means you’ll keep doing them!”
To do a push-up, “start with a plank position—you want your hands on the floor stacked below your elbows, right below your shoulders with your weight forward so you feel your abs tighten up.” She continues, “Slowly bend your arms to lower yourself down, and then extend your arms to push back up to your starting position. You want your elbows to make an A shape as they bend, rather than pointing straight out to make a T.” And, if you find it hard to do a full push-up at first, you can try doing a modified one by using your knees to steady you. You would then push up with your torso and hands.
2. Squats
Ziel also shares how squats can be a good at-home workout to build muscle and boost your metabolism for weight loss. “Squats are a favorite because they work all your leg muscles, plus your deep core (including your pelvic floor),” Ziel notes. “Not only is it great to have stronger legs, but squats are also such an important functional move that women need to do more of and do them daily. I love teaching my clients how to do squat pulses to get their muscles active and engaged, then follow-up those squat pulses with a full range of motion squats.” And, when they’re practiced in the correct form, squats can help improve your balance and even your posture.
She explains how to do a squat, “In a wide squat position, begin by inhaling as you hold. Exhale as you stand up about halfway. Inhale as you lower back down. Exhale and continue with slow, controlled, smaller [range-of-motion] squats for 10-15 reps. Continue into a full range of motion squats. Inhale as you lower down into your squat, only going as low as you can without tucking your bum. Exhale as you stand, thinking about growing tall all the way through the top of your head.” You’ll want to repeat full range of motion squats for ten to fifteen reps to see real muscle building.
“Be sure to avoid tucking your butt. Instead, you want to feel the spreading of your sit-bones (think butt bones) as you lower into a deep squat,” Ziel warns. And, once you have a beginner squat down, you can add a kettlebell or dumbbell to increase your muscle build. She recommends talking with your doctor or a personal trainer before attempting lifting with weights.
3. HIIT Workouts
Another great exercise that can help boost your metabolism is high-intensity interval training, or HIIT. “These workouts alternate periods of high-intensity activity with periods of rest or low-intensity activity,” Yu explains, adding that “HIIT workouts are great for boosting your metabolism because they are very intense and require a lot of energy to complete.” Hunnes agrees and says that this type of exercise also “increases your heart rate a lot during exercise, giving you that high burn during your workouts, but it keeps your body temperature higher after workouts increasing the post-workout calorie burn (aka metabolic rate).” Noted!
HIIT workouts tone your whole body and burn a lot of calories. Haley recommends the burpee as a HIIT exercise because it “uses so many muscle groups.” She continues, “In a beginner burpee, you squat down (using your legs and butt) and put your hands in front of your feet. [You] walk your feet out to a plank position (using your core muscles and shoulders), walk your feet back into the squat, and stand up. You can advance the burpee and use even more muscle groups—squat down, walk or jump your feet out to plank, do a push-up (now working chest and triceps too), or walk or jump the feet back to the squat and stand up or do a jump squat.” This exercise truly works the whole body!
“To build more muscle, you’ll want to pick up more weight. You could turn your body-weight-only burpee into what is often called a Man-Maker (which I like to call a Woman-Maker). Begin with medium-sized weights in your hands and squat down like the beginning of a burpee. You can put your hands on the floor or keep them on your weights as you go out to plank (I recommend keeping them in your hands if you can),” Haley explains. “From your plank, row one arm back at a time (now working your back, too). If you need to modify, widen the stance of your plank or put your knees on the floor. Perform your push-up. Then, walk your feet back into the squat with your hands on the floor. As you stand up, perform a bicep curl (now working your biceps too) with a standing squat. Finish with a shoulder press above your head. Repeat.” Overall, HIIT exercises, like burpees, are ideal for weight loss and building muscle. If you’re looking for more HIIT exercises, check out the best exercises to tone up your whole body.
The Bottom Line
Ultimately, there are many aspects that into our body’s ability to burn calories, shed pounds, and build muscle. Anything from genetics to hormone levels can affect our bodies as we age. However, we do have a little bit of control over our metabolism. There are metabolism-boosting foods that we can eat and exercises we can try to step up our workout game with push-ups, squats, and HIIT. Thankfully, you can do all of these beginner workouts from the comfort of your home! While they may be hard work at first, prioritizing these exercises will definitely pay off in the end!
