Top 10 Exercises to Lose Weight From Home 

Searching for the best exercises to lose weight from home? Here’s your top 10 round-up! 

If your aim is to lose weight from home, you’ll need the best exercises in your arsenal. These 10 amazing exercises not only help you lose weight, they double as strength moves to build lean muscle while, at the same time, elevating your heart rate. 

And guess what? We’ve strung these moves together to create a 7-Day Workout Challenge. Head here to start the challenge or keep reading to learn how to complete each exercise successfully! 

Jumping Jacks

Jumping jacks will fire up your glutes and quads. They also burns a crazy amount of calories. Get ready to set your entire lower body on fire. 

How to perform jumping jacks: 

1. Start in an upright position with your hands by your side and feet together.
2. Keeping your torso upright, jump your feet out wide while swinging your arms high above your head. Land lightly on your feet, keeping your weight in your front foot with heels slightly elevated. 
3. Engage your core and jump your feet back together and bring your arms to your side. That’s one rep. Continue without pausing until time expires or reps are completed. 

Speed Skaters

Our bodies are mainly used to moving in the frontal plane (towards the front). Adding a lateral dimension to your training will work your body in a new and unique way while targeting under-used muscles in your lower body. 

How to perform speed skaters: 

1. Start in a slight squat, both feet together.
2. Transfer your weight to your right leg. Then, push off your right leg, jumping as far as you can laterally to the left. Land softly on your left leg and bring your right leg behind it into a curtsy lunge.
3. Tap the right toe to the ground and immediately jump to the right to repeat on the opposite side. Stay low and keep your legs bent at all times. Repeat until time expires or reps are completed. 

Air Squats

Air squats work your entire lower body for an intense metabolism boost. To get an even bigger boost, add weights. 

How to perform air squats:

1. Keep your feet shoulder-width apart and toes pointed straight ahead.
2. When squatting, hinge at the hips and move back and down. 
3. Your lumbar curve should be maintained and your heels should stay flat on the floor the entire time.
4. Your hips should descend to a 90-degree angle with your knees before returning to the starting position. Repeat until time expires or reps are completed. 

Mountain Climbers

Mountain climbers hit your entire body while keeping your heart rate in the fat-burning zone, making them one of the most effective bodyweight exercises around to lose weight. 

How to perform mountain climbers: 

1. Get into a plank position, making sure to distribute your weight evenly between your hands and your toes.
2. Your hands should be directly under your shoulders, back flat, abs engaged and head in alignment.
3. Pull your right knee into your chest as far as you can. Then, switch legs—pulling the left knee into your chest and bringing the right leg out.
4. Keep your hips down and run your knees in and out as fast as you can. Alternate inhaling and exhaling with each leg change until time expires or reps are completed. 

Lunges

The classic forward lunge is highly effective for weight loss since it works multiple muscle groups at once. The more muscle groups you target through exercise, the more calories you’ll burn. 

How to perform front lunges:

1. Stand tall with feet hip-width apart. Place hands on hips or hold weights by your sides to start.
2. Take a big, controlled step forward with the right leg while keeping your spine tall. Lower your body until the front and back leg form a 90-degree angle.
3. Pause at the bottom of the movement and then push from your right heel and return to the start position. 
4. Step your left leg forward to repeat on the other side. Keep alternating legs until time expires or reps are completed. 

High Knees

High knees engage your core, strengthen all the muscles in your legs, get your heart rate pumping and improve your speed and coordination. This easy-to-perform exercise can be done at home without any fancy equipment. 

How to perform high knees: 

1. Stand with your feet hip-width apart. Lift up your left knee to your chest.
2. Switch legs to lift your right knee to your chest. Arms move in opposition of leg movement (e.g., when you drive your left knee up, your right arm should swing forward). 
3. Continue the movement, alternating legs and moving at a sprinting pace until time expires or reps are completed. 

Butt Kicks

Butt kicks fire up your heart and boost your metabolism, which is a great way to burn fat fast! 

How to perform butt kicks:

1. Start by standing with your feet about hip-distance apart, with your arms at your side. Your legs and arms should be doing opposite motions.
2. Quickly drive your right heel to your butt by contracting your hamstring muscle.
3. Place the ball of your right foot back on the ground, and drive your left heel to your butt. Repeat until time expires or reps are completed. 

Side Lunges

Working in the sagittal plane (side-to-side) adds a new dimension to your training and will fire intricate muscles that may be underused.

How to perform side lunges:

1. Start with your feet shoulder-width apart, toes pointed straight forward. 
2. Step out with your right foot as wide as possible. Engage through the right heel as you drop your hips back and down while keeping your left leg straight, stretching the groin on the left leg and keeping both soles of the feet on the ground and toes pointed straight ahead.
3. Make sure your right knee is tracking over your right foot throughout the entire movement.
4. Punch your right heel into the floor to push yourself back to the full standing start position. Then repeat the motion on the left side. Keep alternating legs until time expires or reps are completed. 

Squat Jumps

Because you use your entire body in the jump, this exercise requires lots of oxygen in order to recover from the movement, making it a killer weight-loss move and a great addition to any workout program. 

How to perform squat jumps:

1. Stand with your feet slightly wider than shoulder-width apart and your toes slightly turned out.
2. Engage your core and keep your chest lifted and back flat as you shift your weight into your heels. 
3. Push your hips back and bend your knees to lower into a squat. 
4. Jump as high as you can while keeping your back straight and chest lifted.
5. Land with soft knees and repeat until time expires or reps are completed or reps are completed. 

Burpees

Burpees are a total-body movement that target all of your major muscle groups at once. Feel the burn as you build loads of lean muscle. 

How to perform burpees: 

1. Start in a standing position. Keeping your chest up, quickly drop into a squat and place both hands on the ground. As you touch the ground, your hands should be shoulder-width apart and slightly in front of your knees.
2. Pop your feet back into a push-up position and either drop your chest to the floor (full burpee) or omit the full push-up (half burpee).
3. Bring your chest off the floor (full burpee) or from the push-up position with locked elbows (half burpee, as shown), thrust your feet forward. Then, jump as high as you can. Land with soft feet and immediately lower down into another squat to repeat. Keep repeating until time expires or reps are completed. 

Final Thoughts

Instead of focusing on losing weight, place emphasis on forming long-term habits that will help you stay on track to achieve your goals. While exercise is a major factor in weight loss, nutrition is equally important. For more information, check out some of our helpful articles on how to lose weight in a healthy and sustainable way.

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With Gymondo, you’ll find a holistic approach to health and fitness, where exercise and nutrition merge to support your weight loss journey. Sign up now for your free 7-day trial with us and kickstart your weight loss success!