So we all know that taking the stairs will burn more calories. How about something more specific?
Incorporate these tips into your routine and results will be guaranteed. Warning! Some of these are so effective that you have to watch your food intake.
Wear heavy and warm clothes during your workout.
Sweat is your fat crying at its own funeral, so make it cry like a freshly dumped Sophomore on prom night. Wear sweatpants and hoodies while weight lifting. Beginners should avoid doing high intensity intervals to avoid getting a heat headache. But overall, working out a bit warm can lead to better sculpting results, better performance for highly technical moves and less creepers staring at your hot body in the gym. Skip the plastic and trash bag suits! This is unhealthy overkill and a totally outdated.
Jump rope between sets
Just for a minute. After you have finished a set or, better, before moving on to the next exercise, jump rope for a minute or two. Crossovers, single leg, double-unders, high knees; switch it up and get that heart rate back up. This is one of the most effective tips. After just one week of JR intervals in my program, I was burning so many calories and getting so hungry that all of my fingers started to look like tiny, delicious sausages.
10-20 minutes of interval cardio at the end of training
Yes, you are tired and done with your workout and you just want to go home. But the people who want abs stay and to the extra 10%. At this point, your body is in a depleted phase. It has used so many calories lifting and sweating and moving already. Doing cardio intervals at this time dips down into those deep energy stores: Fat. And please, keep it interesting, 2-4 min fast walk, 1 min sprint for 10-20 minutes.
Compete
Find your Swollmate and try to do better than them. A lifting buddy makes a big difference in you personal motivation. Make up games and challenges and bet over who buys dinner. Play a game or sport once a week. Sign up for an active challenge: Triathlon, 10k, mud run, powerlifting competition, whatever gets your goat. It is a proven fact that people perform better when others are watching. Let the proud lion inside you roar and put on a show.
Stand at work
Sitting is a disease. It is especially bad if you workout in the morning and then go to work and sit. Your muscles then cool down in this position. This will lead to tight chest and neck, stooped shoulders and tight hip flexors – all enemies of free movement. Get a stand up desk to alleviate back problems and build strength. It may take some getting used to but after about 3 weeks your body will thank you. Spend 45 min standing and 15 sitting.
Lift more weight
I say this and everyone thinks immediately of The Rock and Schwarzenegger. Trust me, you are at least three years of regular heavy lifting for mass and special dieting away from this physique – MINIMUM. If it was that easy to get big, there would be more hot men in the world. RELAX. The only side effects of lifting heavy are: the ability to eat more and not gain fat, enhance your natural curves, build strength, confidence and determination of IRON. Plus the extra muscle will burn more calories at rest.
Bouts of exercise during the day
This is another pro tip. It take calories to raise your heart rate as well as lower it. That is why HIIT is so effective. Every hour at work, get up and move. I spent all 4 years of my university doing lunges and handstands every hour through the library. Bring a jump rope to work and jump for 2-3 minutes. Take a walk. This will also make you think better. If you spend your break scrolling through Instagram or texting friends, you are just moving from work screen to work screen. Your brain can never relax from all that projected light. So get up, move your body, relax your mind and invigorate yourself.
For the ADVANCED…
Fasted workouts
Put it where you want it. Eat a big meal at night and train first thing in the morning – no breakfast or just some coconut oil in your coffee. This is that same idea behind cardio at the end of your workout. You dig deep into the energy (fat) stores. Stay in control of your workout and your body. Know what your limits are and listen to your body if it is not feeling good. It may take you time to get used to it but it works wonders for your body. Plus, after the workout, your body will be ready to absorb as much nutrients as possible from your meal. Be sure to include plenty of sources of vitamins!
Ice baths
Holy cow, talk about high heart rate. I asked a friend of mine who just went through SEAL training how he shredded down so fast. ‘Shivering in the ocean’ was his response. Not only do you prevent loads of inflammation, injuries and speed up recovery time, but your body TORCHES calories trying to keep itself warm. This is recommended ONLY for the competitive athlete. As an average gym-goer, the agony, risk and cost of sitting in ice for 10 to 15 minutes just isn’t worth it. But the good news is Tim Ferris swears you can replicate this process by putting and ice pack on your neck for 10-15 minutes a day.