Did you know you have the power to change your entire metabolism? To speed it up or slow it down. It’s all related to what you eat and how you exercise.
While resistance training increases your lean muscle mass (which fires up your metabolism for up to 72 hours after your workout) intense cardio training can burn up to 1000 calories during an aerobic routine.
By combining both elements, you rev up your metabolism to a whole new level. The best part, you can do this in the comfort of your home.
Top 5 Exercises That Increase Your Metabolism
Exercise #1 ~ Overhead Squat
The squat uses the most muscles in your body, the muscles in your legs. The more muscle you use, the more lean muscle you create and the higher your metabolism will be.
But it isn’t the squat alone that makes this exercise extraordinary. The arm raise activates even more muscle. It uses your back; it contracts the tummy, and works the back of your arms.
This makes the overhead squat one of the most powerful metabolism boosting exercises out there. It elevates the ordinary squat to extraordinary metabolism boosting proportions.
How to do an overhead squat:
- Place a chair behind you, for intermediate and advanced remove the chair
- Stand up with your arms by your sides. Feet shoulder width apart.
- Sink your bottom towards the chair. Make sure your knee stays over your ankles to protect your knee joint.
- As you bend, pull your arms up so they’re straight out over your head. Sit for a second.
- Now stand up straight again.
- Move your arms back to the sides of your body.
- Keep your chest up and back straight as you sit again.
Exercise #2 ~ HIIT Run
High intensity interval training (HIIT) is the most effective fat burning, metabolism increasing exercise for the busy go-getter.
It begins with a burst of cardio followed by a timed rest.
Running on the spot is an easy way to do HIIT. It requires zero equipment and it can be done before you jump in the shower and head off to your day.
How to do HIIT Run Series:
• Beginners march in place for 1 minute, intermediate run in place for 1 minute, advanced bring your knees up towards your chest.
• Knees bend up towards your chest.
• Stay tall in the spine and contract your tummy as the leg comes up.
• Rest for 1 minute. Walk around slowly to keep the blood flowing.
• Repeat 5 times. (10 minutes).
• Don’t forget to cool down and stretch afterwards.
Exercise #3 ~ Burpee
The burpee is a full body cardio and resistance exercise that asks almost every muscle in your body to work.
If you’re new to this exercise there’s no need to go fast. Beginners can take it slow and still see a rapid rise in heart rate.
Be sure to calculate your safe heart rate zone and stick with it even if you think you can do more. This way you’ll fire up the metabolism in a safe and effective way.
Special Burpee for Enhanced Toning: If you suffer from the well-known “bat wing” the loose skin under your arms, then shred it away by doing a variation of the standard burpee called the tricep burpee .
Just as metabolism boosting as the standard burpee, this exercise asks you to keep your arms close to your body, forcing the back of your arms to work twice as hard.
Exercise #4 ~ Isolated lunge
As the years go by, your metabolism slows down. One of the main culprits is a type of muscle fibre known as fast twitch muscle fibre.
Since muscles increase your metabolism you have to make sure you constantly work them.
But the fast twitch muscle fibre is only activated when the most common working muscles, slow twitch fibres, get tired and need help.
Regular workouts tend to exercise the slow twitch muscles only. That’s why as you age, you can’t understand why your metabolism slows down even if you exercise. This is where the isolated lunge becomes your best friend.
The isolated lunge asks you to maintain a contracted muscle for an extended period of time. This fatigues your slow twitch muscles and allows your fast twitch muscles to work. The longer you hold the lunge the greater you’ll increase your metabolism today and for the rest of your life.
- Stand up and hold one dumbbell on each hand along the sides of your body, palms facing your body.
- Place a foot back and bend your knees in order to bring down your body until your knees form 90 degree angles and raise yourself back up after a short pause. Hold the pause longer for a more challenging exercise.
- Keep your upper body steady throughout.
Exercise #5 ~Plank with knee tucks
A plank can be one of the best tummy toning exercises you can do. After all, much like the isolated lunge you must hold the exercise for an extended period of time, encouraging your fast twitch muscles to activate.
Add knee tucks for full body muscle activation and an increase in heart rate and you’ve changed a simple plank into an extraordinary metabolism enhancing exercise, with a flat stomach to boot.
Plank with knee tuck Beginner Alternative: Knee tucks can be difficult if your brand new to fitness. If you find the knee tucks a bit too hard , try the Scissor plank instead.
In between each scissor place your knees on the floor if you find it difficult to stay up. Once you can do this exercise for a minute, try the plank with knee tucks again.
How to do a Plank with Knee tuck Intermediate:
- Get into a push-up position. Hands under shoulders on the floor.
- Now pull your left leg up, almost trying to touch your chest.
- As you put your left leg back to the starting position, now pull your right leg up to your chest.
5 Exercises – Dramatic Results, I Promise!
Do these extraordinary metabolism boosting exercises three times a week for maximum results. You can even try doing all 5 exercises back-to-back and notice how it revs up your metabolism right away.
Some people feel starving just one hour after the routine, a sure sign that your metabolism is firing up.
Did you feel hungry after your workout? Stay tuned for my next post on what to eat after a workout…you don’t want to miss it!
About Alicia Jones
As a fitness and health professional for 9 years and the owner of the Mobile Fitness Company Destination Fit, Alicia inspires others to find their unique healthy lifestyle through fitness and nutrition, whether it’s the busy mom who barely has time for herself, or the beginner who just wants to take it slow, Alicia believes everyone has unique needs that change their exercise habits. When she’s not training her clients, or writing healthy tips, she’s baking secretly healthy cupcakes and delicious vegetable meals. She’s an organic foodie, who occasionally indulges in cheat days. She runs, she uses her own body to work out and most of all to keep things balanced, when she’s tired, she takes a nap. To visit her blog go to http://www.destinationfittraining.ca/our-blog/ follow her on facebook: https://www.facebook.com/destinationfit.ca
That looks hard-core! lol.. When I have this baby in just two months, I am going to be ALL OVER getting my body back!! I’ll have to keep this workout in mind!
Anyhoo, I found your blog through a fellow blogger, and just thought I would stop by and say hi! It would totally make my day if you did the same… or better yet, keep in touch!! <3 – http://www.domesticgeekgirl.com
Hi! I like this article. Sorry if this is a dumb question, but for the exercises other than the hiit running, you didn’t mention how many to do. Do you just do as many as you can?
Hi Linda!
Thank you so much for pointing that out! Your absolutely right the reps aren’t there! Eeek
For the best results count how many you can do for each exercise in one minute! Then, on your next attempt try to beat the number, even if it’s by 1 ! Remember it’s always quality versus quantity, so choose perfect form over more repetitions every time 😀