Burn Fat and Lose Weight in 20 Minutes a Day

It’s a new year and I know a lot of people are committed to starting or re-energizing their fitness routines.  Most of us also have busy schedules, and sometimes fitting a 60 or 90 minute workout into the day just isn’t an option.

However, you don’t need an hour and a half; in fact you can get great results in just 20 minutes.  So I thought it was time to share a little-known secret called Cardio Strength Training. It’s extremely time efficient, physically taxing, fun and yields great results!

The key to fat loss is to build muscle and perform exercises that are highly metabolically taxing (anaerobic sprints, jumping rope, squat jumps, ball tosses, etc.). Traditional cardio exercises such as running and using the elliptical achieve neither and are often more time consuming, lasting upwards of 45-60 minutes. The combination of little-to-no rest in between exercises and the strength-focused exercises in a Cardio Strength Training program creates a high intensity session that’s metabolically taxing and very time efficient.

While you won’t burn more calories per workout compared to your typical run workout, you will increase your metabolism, which enables you to burn calories even when you’re not working out. In fact, you’ll continue to burn calories long after you’ve finished exercising, up to 36 hours post workout!

Another benefit of Cardio Strength Training is its versatility. Stick to a template of an upper body exercise, lower body, core, power, and one more upper or lower body exercise.  While you’re resting one muscle group, you’re working another.  This saves you time and prevents early fatigue.

Allot 7-10 minutes for foam rolling and a little dynamic warm up, and you have a complete total body strength training and cardio session all in one.

Here’s a simple, fun Cardio Strength Training workout to test out:

Dumbbell Goblet Squat

Place a dumbbell, bottom up, on your chest with your arms underneath and shoulders down and back. Sit back with your hips as far as you can and lower yourself mid thigh is level to your knee. As you stand up, think of spreading the ground apart underneath you and squeeze your glutes at the top. Repeat 10 times.

TRX Row

Lean back on a pair of TRX straps. Create a plank with your body heels on the ground toes up, glutes tight, and shoulders down. Pull yourself up while pulling your shoulder blades down and back as you move forward. Slowly let yourself down and repeat 10 times.

Med Ball Slam

Grab a soft medicine ball, hold it over your head and throw it against the ground as hard as you can. Stick your hips out as you slam the ball down and repeat 8-10 times.

Push Up

Position yourself so that you are able to complete the given reps that may be on the floor, a table, a bench, or even a wall at an angle. Start in the down position and think of griping the ground with your fingertips. Think of spreading the floor apart as you push up and slowly let yourself back down and repeat 8-10 times.

Single Arm Dumbbell Push Press

Use 1 dumbbell or kettlebell and place it in a rack position (elbow bent against your body, palm facing out) on the front of your shoulder. Take a hip width stance and thrust the weight off your shoulders. The weight should float off your shoulder and you should not have to press it until the last ¼ of the rep. Slowly bring it back into position and repeat.

Chris Abbott is a personal trainer and owner of Total Fitness and Health. For more information, visit my www.TotalfitnessandHealth.net “Like” personal trainer la on Facebook, or follow me @chris_abbott1.

Move Better. Feel Better. Look Better!