6 Best Fat-Burning Exercises for Those Who Hate Cardio

Cardio is widely regarded as an efficient way to burn fat. That's because cardio exercises help burn a lot of calories. However, not everyone enjoys doing cardio. As good as it's for you, it can exhaust you quickly. That comes as no surprise: imagine burning between 400 to 800 calories an hour.

What if we told you, you could swap out the conventional cardio exercises like running, cycling etc. for other movements that are dynamic enough to burn just as many calories with a few reps?

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Best Exercises to Burn Fat Instead of Cardio

Yes, cardio is exhausting, so here are six of the best functional movements to burn maximal calories and shed fat. These can be performed HIIT-style, with more reps and less rest breaks. Let's get started:

#1 Squat Jump

Here's how it's done:

• Stand straight with your feet hip-distance apart. Push your hips back; drive your knees forward, and squat towards the ground.
• Straighten up explosively, and jump straight up as high as you can.
• Land with soft knees, and squat into your next rep.
• Perform 12-15 reps.

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#2 Burpee

It's done as follows:

• Stand straight with your feet together. Drop your hands down to the floor outside your feet.
• Jump your legs back into a high plank position, and immediately drop your chest to the floor.
• Push yourself back up, and jump your legs forward between your hands. Jump back up straight into the air.
• Perform 12 to 15 reps.

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#3 Jumping Jack

Here's how it's done:

• Stand straight with your feet close together and arms straight down by your sides.
• Jump up, and widen your feet. Simultaneously, raise your arms up straight overhead to clap your hands on top.
• Bring your arms back down, and jump your feet back in.
• Perform 12 to 15 reps.

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#4 Lunge Jump

It's done as follows:

• Stand straight with your feet together.
• Jump up with your feet out, and land on the floor in a lunge stance.
• Jump straight up from there, and switch legs to land in the alternative lunge stance.
• Repeat this move, alternating sides, for 12 to 15 reps.

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#5 Box Jump

Here's how it's done:

• Stand close in front of the box.
• Dip down into a quarter squat, and use your arms to swing yourself into a jump. Land on the box with soft knees.
• Step off, or jump off the box before going into your next rep.
• Perform 12 to 15 reps.

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#6 Kettlebell Swing

It's done as follows:

• Stand straight with your feet slightly wider than hip-distance. Place the kettlebell a little ahead of yourself.
• Hinge forward, and grab the handle of the kettlebell.
• Hike it back between your thighs. Thrust your hips forward, and push your arms forward to swing the kettlebell forward.
• Hinge forward again as the kettlebell swings back down between your thighs.
• Perform 12 to 15 reps.

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Takeaway

The aforementioned exercises are great and can benefit you a lot in terms of muscle building and maintenance. You’ll also be toning your entire body in the process. Remember to eat well, and get plenty of rest too.