The 10 Best Exercises For Weight Loss

When it comes to weight loss, exercise can play a big role. However, it's important to remember that healthy, sustainable weight loss requires a variety of factors, including diet.

In order to burn fat, you'll want to do exercises that leave you breathless and engage all of your major muscle groups. To help you on your way to a leaner physique, we asked experts for their top 10 fat-burning workouts.

1. Squats

Squats are a compound exercise, which recruits many muscles at once, and burns more calories than isolation exercises, like calf raises. They also help you build muscle mass, which burns more calories at rest than fat, so it’s important to incorporate them into your workouts if weight loss is your goal.

Don’t squat past parallel—this builds fake strength, puts you at risk for knee injuries and can lead to back pain. Instead, aim to break parallel when you can do it with good form.

Inhale at the top to keep your chest up and your upper-back from rounding. Look at a spot on the floor to keep your neck in line with your torso, too. This helps prevent a neck injury. Plus, it trains the muscle between your ears! This will help you stick to your healthy habits in the gym and other areas of life, too.

2. Deadlifts

Deadlifts are a great full-body strength exercise that works numerous muscles to burn calories and build lean muscle, which helps boost metabolism. This makes them one of the best exercises for weight loss.

When performed properly, the deadlift targets your whole posterior chain (backside) muscles including the erector spinae and quads as well as your hamstrings. Additionally, the biceps and forearms contract isometrically to hold the bar in place and add support.

It's important to warm up with a lighter load like dumbbells or kettlebells, then move into a full range of motion using the hip hinge. It's also key to make sure your back is locked in neutral (not hyper-lordosis) before pulling. Contract your chest and abs to stiffen your torso between reps to avoid rounding the back. Don't bounce the bar off the floor, as this takes work away from your muscles.

3. Push-ups

Push-ups are an equipment-free resistance exercise that build strength in a range of muscles. They can be modified to meet the needs of a wide variety of fitness levels, making them a versatile addition to any strength workout or bodyweight-based circuit training routine.

The primary muscle group targeted by push-ups is the chest, which consists of the pectoralis major and minor muscles. These muscles get stronger as the number of push-ups performed increases, and the exercise also strengthens one’s triceps and the front of the shoulder, called the anterior deltoid.

Beginners can start with easier push-up variations such as the wall or "table" push-ups. Then, as they become stronger, they can progress to standard push-ups. Some people find it difficult to perform a standard push-up due to their lack of upper body strength. This is where the knee push-up comes in; this lessens the load by supporting some of the body weight and makes the movement easier to perform.

4. Lunges

Lunges are a great bodyweight exercise that targets the large lower-body muscles. This strength-building move also helps correct muscle imbalances and improve balance and flexibility.

Moreover, lunges are a form of unilateral training, meaning you train one side of your body at a time. That’s important because it enables you to build functional strength, which translates better to everyday movements such as walking or climbing stairs.

Regular sets of lunges increase muscle mass to build body strength and tone your legs, buttocks, core muscles and abdomen. They also help you look leaner by improving your posture and enhancing your range of motion. For those with knee issues, try stationary or lateral lunges, which put less pressure on the knees. You can also try alternating lunges, which target the hip abductors. This variation is especially effective for strengthening the hips.

5. Squat jumps

The squat jump is a dynamic power exercise that puts your lower and upper body muscles to work. It requires the quads, glutes and hamstrings to generate the force needed to get you up into the air and then rebound off the ground.

Jumping squats are also great for strengthening your core. They engage the obliques and lower and middle back muscles, which help with spinal stabilization and torso rotation.

However, if you have injuries or medical conditions of the knees, ankles, hips or back, you should consult your doctor or physical therapist before adding jump squats to your routine. The exercise is high-impact and can put a lot of stress on the joints, particularly in beginners. To reduce this stress, start with low reps and a short duration of time (15 to 45 seconds) before focusing on height.

6. Medicine ball slams

Medicine ball slams are an excellent calorie-burning, full-body exercise that will also build muscle strength and power. This exercise will work all the major muscle groups of your body including the abs, deltoids (shoulders), triceps and biceps (arms), back, quads and hamstrings.

To perform this exercise, stand with feet shoulder-width apart holding a medicine ball in both hands at chest height. Bend knees and brace core to create a strong foundation, then explode upwards to slam the medicine ball down onto the floor between your feet. Quickly lift the medicine ball back up and repeat.

For beginners, starting with a lighter medicine ball is recommended to help prevent injury. Using a heavier ball will increase the amount of force and velocity needed to slam the ball into the floor, which could potentially lead to injury. So start with a lighter weight and build up from there as your strength and speed improve.

7. Tricep dips

Tricep dips target the triceps muscle, which is responsible for elbow extension movements. They also work the pectoral muscles (chest) and front deltoids, which are used for pushing exercises like bench presses. They are a great way to add thickness to your arms and help build strength for other arm movements, says trainer Oscar Searle from online fitness service Ponzu Fit.

To perform this exercise, find a low stable surface such as a bench or chair and place your hands on it, slightly narrower than shoulder width apart. Hinge at the elbows to lower your body until your shoulders are about parallel to the floor and then push through your palms to return to the starting position.

Alternatively, you can do bodyweight dips by standing on the edge of a table or on a chair with your legs crossed or bent. This option can be easier for those with lower back issues or who cannot support their full weight on their own.

8. Leg raises

When it comes to weight loss, there's no one exercise that burns calories more efficiently than another. However, a good mix of exercises and healthy eating helps to achieve your goal.

The leg raise is a core and abdominal exercise that targets the transverse abdominus muscles. It also strengthens the gluteus medius muscles in your buttocks, which can help alleviate and prevent injuries like back pain, sports hernias, sacroiliac joint dysfunction, and diastasis recti.

For an advanced version, try adding a weight, such as a dumbbell or sandbell, between your feet. It increases the challenge of this movement and helps to work the core and grip in new ways. You can also try bending your knees, if the straight leg version is too challenging. This variation will engage the same muscles but may put more strain on the wrists and forearms.

9. Leg curls

Leg curls help strengthen and tone the hamstring muscles. They’re an easy exercise to perform and don’t require any equipment. Start with a moderate weight to prioritize form over resistance and gradually increase your weight.

You can vary this workout by performing the lying leg curl on valslides or using the Nordic hamstring curl. These variations add an instability to the movement and will challenge your core muscles as well.

Isolation exercises like the leg curl often get overlooked by strength athletes, who prefer multi-joint movements like squats and deadlifts. However, isolating a muscle group can be beneficial for people with lower body imbalances as it helps prevent overcompensation by other muscles. This may be the case if your quads or glutes are stronger than your hamstrings, which could lead to injury. The leg curl is one of the best isolation exercises to address this issue.

10. Leg extensions

Leg extensions are a unique exercise that zeroes in on the quads. While they may seem simple, the movement is challenging and requires incredible stability from your hip flexors and core.

A seated leg extension machine is great for building quad mass and preparing your knees for squats. However, there are several alternatives that can provide a similar workout at home and without expensive equipment.

The cyclist squat or quad squat is a fantastic alternative that targets the same muscles as a leg extension, while also hitting your glutes, calves, and core. This exercise can be done with a barbell or bodyweight and is a great alternative to a leg curl, as well. Use a box or step-up platform that is high enough to create a 90-degree bend at the hip when you're performing each rep, to maximize the range of motion and increase time under tension.