The 7 Best Fat Burning Exercises for Men

by dualFIT

Most people associate fat burning with females but males need to burn fat, too!

Scientifically, it’s much easier for a man to burn fat so they don’t get as much attention when it comes to ways to burn fat but believe it or not, there are certain things that men should be doing to keep their body fat percentage at a minimum. Some men have more fat than others but in general, the same fat burning exercises work for all men.

A lot of the best fat burning exercises for men are compound movements. Compound exercises are those that include more than one muscle group to perform the move. The opposite of compound exercises are isolation exercises which focus solely on one muscle. Compound exercises burn more calories and build more muscle mass. When it comes to burning fat, you want to incorporate more compound exercises into your routine. They will help you burn fat faster! Once you have burned enough fat, you can move onto isolation exercises to start cutting those muscles.

So what are some of the best fat burning exercises for men? Check out these 7 exercises to add to your next workout!

 

FAT BURNING EXERCISE #1: JUMP ROPE

Take your cardio routines back to first grade when jump roping was an actual fun activity rather than an exercise. Jumping rope is a great cardiovascular exercise. It also incorporates all major muscle groups in the body. It’s an awesome calorie burner, calf builder, and arm toner. It is also a ton of fun. Jumping rope can be done with an actual jump rope or you can just mimic the motion of the jump rope by jumping up and down, lifting your feet off the floor and swirling your wrists in the motion to work the arms. You can add jump ropes to your warm up, in between sets during a weight training workout, at the end of your workout, or strictly as your cardio circuit. Jump for as long as you want! Of course, the longer…the more calories burned…the more fat lost!

FAT BURNING EXERCISE #2: MEDICINE BALL SIT UP

Take your basic abdominal sit up exercise to the next level by adding some resistance. Medicine balls make a great training tool to add to your workouts. Medicine balls come in a ton of different weights so make sure you use one that is right for you.

To do a medicine ball sit up:

• lie on the floor with your knees bent and your feet flat.
• Grab the medicine ball and hold it to your chest with both of your hands.
• Extend your arms straight over your head, holding the ball.
• Perform a sit up.
• Squeeze your abs when you get to the top then lower your body back down in a slow and controlled motion.
• Perform the desired number of repetitions!

 

FAT BURNING EXERCISE #2: CLEAN AND PRESS

This exercise focuses on both your strength and your speed, both of which are required to skyrocket your fat burning potential. It works a ton of different muscles at once making for a great calorie burner and muscle shaper.

To perform a clean press:

• Place a barbell on the floor, loaded with the appropriate amount of weight.
• Don’t go too heavy, don’t go too light.
• Stand so the bar is in front of you with your feet shoulder width apart.
• Bend down and grab the bar with an overhand grip.
• Keep your chest and head up, thighs parallel to the floor.
• Contract your shoulder blades, look straight ahead, and in an explosive manner lift the bar off the floor to chest level.
• *This is the clean part!* Now press the weight over your head making sure you do not arch your back. You want the barbell to be inline with your ears.
• *This is the press part!* In a controlled motion, slowly lower the weight back down to the starting position and repeat.

 

FAT BURNING EXERCISE #4: MEDICINE BALL MOUNTAIN CLIMBERS

Another great move that utilizes the medicine ball. Mountain climbers are a full body exercise that act as cardio and also a great abdominal workout.

To do this move:

• Place a medicine ball on the floor.
• The weight of the ball doesn’t matter…you won’t be lifting it.
• Get into push up position resting both of your hands on the ball.
• Tuck one knee into your bed toward your chest.
• In an explosive manner, bring that leg back to the starting position and jump the other leg in toward your chest.
• Switch back and forth as fast as you can keeping your chest and back up.

 

FAT BURNING EXERCISE #5: PRISONER SQUAT

One of the most overlooked, best fat burning exercises for men is the squat. You don’t need to add a ton of weight or get on a smith machine to make the most of the squat. All you need is your own body weight. The prisoner squat is a great move and should be done in all fat burning workouts!

To do a prisoner squat:

• Stand tall with your feet hip width apart and your hands behind your head.
• Keeping your back straight and chest up, squat down until your butt is only a few inches off the floor.
• A regular body weight squat doesn’t require you to go that lower but the prisoner squat does.
• Get as low as you possible can.
• Rise back up and repeat.

 

FAT BURNING EXERCISE #6: HANGING LEG RAISE

A really great move to target all of your abdominal muscles. This move also improves your back strength and your grip strength.

To perform the hanging leg raise:

• Hang from a pull up with a neutral grip.
• Contract your abs and raise your knees up until they touch your chest.
• Do not allow your body to swing.
• Reverse the motion by bringing your legs back down to the starting position.
• Repeat!

 

FAT BURNING EXERCISE #7: SPRINT

Another very overlooked move. Simple yet extremely effective! Sprint on the treadmill, at the track, on your street, or down a hall way…Anywhere you are, start sprinting!

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Why Women Lose Body Fat more Slowly than Men

by CatheDotCom

Are women at an unfair advantage when it comes to losing body fat? It would certainly seem to be the case. When a man and a woman go on a weight loss diet, men typically lose faster than women do. This can be a source of frustration for a couple who try to lose weight together. Do women really lose body fat more slowly than men, and, if so, why?

 

Men versus Women: Weight Loss and Fat Loss Differences

First, the facts. Women have, on average, 8 to 10% more body fat than men. Plus, men have a resting metabolic rate between 4 and 10% higher than women of the same size and weight. Why might this be?

The most obvious explanation for weight loss discrepancies between men and women is men have more metabolically-active muscle tissue. Due to differences in lean body mass, men burn up to 20% more calories at rest than women do. Unfair, but true. Of course, you can “even things up” a bit by resistance training and building more lean body mass. Building more muscle is one of the best ways to boost a sluggish metabolism and burn more calories even when you’re sleeping.

Fat Distribution is Different between Men and Women Too

You’ve probably noticed that men are more likely to put on weight centrally, in their waist and tummy, compared to women who store it in the hips and thighs before menopause. They also have higher levels of visceral fat, the type that increases the risk for health problems like heart disease and type 2-diabetes. After menopause as hormonal fluctuations take place, women store fat in more of a “male pattern,” around their waist, but before menopause, fat storage between the two sexes is quite different.

Pre-menopausally, women typically have the easiest time losing fat from their arms and trunk region and the most difficulty shedding lower body fat, especially from their thighs. A study published in the Journal of Applied Physiology found that women who took part in a six month aerobic and resistance training program lost the greatest amount of body fat from their arms while losing little or no fat in their lower body.

What about differences in muscle development from resistance training? The women in this study gained more lean body mass in their lower body compared to their arms after completing six months of resistance training. Females have a hard time losing fat in their thighs but not their arms but are better able to build muscle in their lower body than in their arms.

Women Are Better Able to Use Fat as a Fuel During Exercise

Interestingly, women burn a greater ratio of fat to carbohydrates during exercise and are better able to mobilize stored fat during exercise than men. The opposite seems to be true in a non-exercising state. Women are more efficient at holding onto fat at rest. In fact, research shows that after exercise is over and women return to a resting state, they oxidize fewer fatty acids than men. Why might this be? Experts believe that differences in hormonal makeup between men and women account for these differences.

Diet Differences

Contrary to popular belief that women are the bigger emotional eaters, both men and women take part in this habit. The difference is in the type of “comfort foods” they choose when they nibble. Women gravitate towards sugary foods while men reach for foods higher in protein like steak, hamburgers or pizza. The latter is less likely to lead to an increase in body fat than foods that are high in simple carbs.

Overcoming the “Unfair Advantage”

Women have to work a little harder than men to lose body fat but it can be done. The best approach is to focus on high-intensity interval training for cardio to create a hormonal environment that favors fat breakdown AND to resistance train using weight that’s challenging enough to break down muscle fibers and increase lean body mass. This is exactly the type of workout you will get from my XTrain videos.

As research shows, women have to lift hard to increase lean body mass, especially in the upper body. In the same way, losing body fat in the lower body is more challenging for women than men. High-intensity cardiovascular exercise trumps moderate-intensity, steady state cardio for increasing fat loss.

The Bottom Line?

Men and women don’t lose body fat at the same rate or in the same distribution. This means women need to boost the intensity of their exercise training to maximize the results they get.

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