You probably know that exercise is crucial for overall health and losing weight.
Many people associate any exercise as being good for weight loss. However, there are proven types of exercise that actually help to increase your metabolism, burn more calories and lose weight quicker.
This article will show the 23 best exercises to lose weight at home without needing any special equipment, gym or personal trainer.
The Best Type of Exercise to Lose Weight
There are so many different types of exercise that you can do to lose weight that it can be impossible to know where to start.
Many people will think of running, swimming, cycling or other time-consuming endurance activities as the best ways to lose weight.
However, science has proven these are not necessarily the best ways to lose weight quickly.
One study actually proved that High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT aka interval training) burns 25-30% more calories than weight training, running and cycling.
Interval training consists of short bursts of activity with rest.
The best thing is, you can get the benefits within 15 minutes of exercise!
It takes much less time to burn the same amount of calories as running, plus you don’t need any special equipment as you may need for weight training or other exercises such as weight training, cycling or swimming.
Therefore, mixing HIIT training with the stress-reducing (and calorie-burning) yoga for weight loss routines is a foolproof way to lose weight quickly.
How to Use These Exercises
There are many variations and ways you can use these exercises to lose weight at home.
At Well Fit Fam we recommend trying 2 different methods and seeing what you prefer. Keep the workout between 10-30 minutes to keep your energy levels up.
- Tabata type HIIT training (20 seconds work, 10 seconds rest)
- Interval circuit training (50 seconds of exercise, 10 seconds rest aka 1-minute per exercise)
A great Tabata routine is to choose 9 exercises from the list below.
Split them into 3 sets of 3 exercises. Each set has 3 rounds with 20 seconds of exercise with 10 seconds of rest.
For example:
- Ski jumps (20 seconds, 10 seconds rest)
- Plank up-downs (20 seconds, 10 seconds rest)
- Burpees (20 seconds, 10 seconds rest)
Repeat that 3 times for one complete set then take a 1-minute rest.
Then do the same with 6 more exercises. This will make a 15 minute HIIT routine and make sure you never get bored with doing the same exercise. Check this out for an example.
If you’d rather keep it more simple then pick your exercises and perform them for one minute before moving onto the next. So if you only have 10 minutes, choose 10 exercises and perform them for 1 minute each.
23 Exercises to Lose Weight at Home
Be sure to check out the video for each exercise before trying them and use the Well-Fit tips to make sure you perform the exercise safely to avoid injuries.
If you find any too hard or too easy lookout for the tips to adapt the exercise and make it work for you.
Remember, it’s not supposed to be really easy, the aim is to increase your heart rate with short bursts of high intensity.
Use the rest wisely to get your breath back and try to keep moving so you’re ready for the next exercise.
Without any further ado here are the 23 best exercises to lose weight at home.
1. Ski Jumps
Well-Fit tips:
- Keep your chest up
- Do a mini squat and look at your toes. You should be able to still see them in front of your knees
- Imagine you are going to sit down on the toilet when lowering down (not sitting on your heels)
- Pull your belly button into your spine to keep your core engaged
How to make it easier: Slow down & jump lower
How to make it more challenging: Add a box or chair to jump over for a challenge
2. Plank Up Downs
Well-Fit tips:
- Keeping your body in a plank is far more important than speed
- Use a mat or towel underneath so it doesn’t hurt your elbows too much!
How to make it easier: Place your knees on the floor
How to make it more challenging: Move quicker
3. Burpees
Well-Fit tips:
- Keep your core engaged by pulling your belly button in towards your spine
- Start slow and make sure you have good form
How to make it easier: Walk your feet back and forward or lie your body on the floor instead of the plank position
How to make it more challenging: Add in a push-up & a jump
4. Plank Hot Hands
Well-Fit tips:
- Plank variations are one of the best exercises to lose weight at home that you can do
- Keep that core engaged and pull your belly button towards your spine
- Try to keep your body as still as possible (this will work your lats)
How to make it easier: Place your knees on the floor
How to make it more challenging: Hands wider on the floor
5. Mountain Climbers
Well-Fit tips:
- Keep your bum down to engage your stomach
- Look at the floor in between your hands to keep your body inline
- Shoulders over your wrist
How to make it easier: Walk your feet in and slow down
6. Squat Jumps
Well-Fit tips:
- Imagine you are sitting on a toilet when lowering down
- Keep your knees above your toes (make sure they do not go in front of your toes)
- Keep your chest up and open
- Get your legs at a right angle or hips lower than your knees
How to make it easier: Remove the jump
7. Wood Chopper
Well-Fit tips:
- Keep your feet facing forwards
- Practice the motion of your legs first to get the technique
- Keep back straight (lead from your chest, rather than rounding your lower back)
8. Tuck Jumps
Well-Fit tips:
- Keep your knees behind your toes
- Keep your chest up and open
- Possibly one of the best exercises to lose weight at home & get your heart rate up quickly
How to make it easier: Go slow and focus on form
How to make it more challenging: Aim to get your knees above your hips on the jumps
9. Jumping Jacks
Well-Fit tips:
- Reach your arms together overhead
- Engage your core and pull your belly button into your spine
- Another one of the best exercises to lose weight at home & get your heart rate up
How to make it easier: Slow down
How to make it more challenging: Add in a squat & jump higher
10. Lunge
Well-Fit tips:
- Keep your chest open and facing forwards
- Aim to get your back knee as close to the floor as possible
- Bend your front knee to 90 degrees angle
- Engage your core
How to make it easier: Slow down
How to make it more challenging: Jump between alternating legs
11. Plank Jacks
Well-Fit tips:
- Keep your bum down
- Pull your belly button into your spine
- Focus on one point on the floor just in front of your hands
How to make it easier: Step your feet out and in rather than jumping
12. Superman
Well-Fit tips:
- Keep your core engaged the whole time
- Point your fingers and toes to add the extension
- Focus on squeezing your glutes
- Move with control and hold for a second at the top
How to make it easier: Only lift your legs
How to make it more challenging: Use both legs and arms at the same time
13. Bird Dog
Well-Fit tips:
- Point your fingers and toes to get the full stretch
- Look at one spot on the floor to help with balance
- Pull your belly button in towards your spine
How to make it easier: Keep your hands on the floor
14. Single-Leg Glute Bridge
Well-Fit tips:
- Touch your heels with your fingers before you start (pull your feet in towards your glutes)
- Aim to reach your front knee forwards
- Squeeze your glutes at the top of the pose
How to make it easier: Keep both feet on the floor
How to make it more challenging: Hold the pose at the top for 3 seconds each time
15. Squats
Well-Fit tips:
- Always imagine you are about to sit on the toilet
- Keep your knees in line with or behind your toes (you should be able to see your toes when you are at your lowest point)
- Aim to bend your knees to a right angle or get your hips lower than your knees (this is actually much safer for your knees than stopping above that point)
- You may need to work on your hip flexibility for the best technique here (check out Yoga for flexibility)
How to make it easier: Place a chair or box behind you so you can sit on that each time you lower (this also helps for good form)
16. Double Jump
Well-Fit tips:
- Make sure your toes are inline or in front of your knees
- Engage your core
- Keep your chest open and facing forwards (and your back straight)
How to make it easier: Step your leg back rather than jumping
17. Push-Ups
Well-Fit tips:
- Keep your glutes down!
- Engage your core all the time and pull your belly button in towards your spine
How to make it easier: Place your knees on the floor
How to make it more challenging: Place your feet on a chair or box
18. Step-Ups
Well-Fit tips:
- Keep your chest facing forward (don’t rotate) and back straight
- Squeeze your core and glutes
How to make it easier: Lower the box or step
How to make it more challenging: Use a taller chair or jump between steps
19. Bear Crawls
Well-Fit tips:
- Keep your weight evenly distributed between your hands and feet
- Lift your hips higher than your shoulders
How to make it more challenging: Get much lower with your knees and elbows just off the floor (still keep your hips higher than your shoulders
20. Tricep Dips
Well-Fit tips:
- Open your chest
- Focus on flexing and extend your elbow
- If you’re not used to upper body workouts this is another one of the best exercises to lose weight at home
How to make it easier: Move your feet closer to the chair or box
How to make it more challenging: Extend your legs straight
21. Side Plank
Well-Fit tips:
- Aim to get your hips as high as possible
- Keep your body and chest facing forwards
How to make it easier: Place your knees on the floor
22. High Knees
Well-Fit tips:
- Squeeze your core throughout this exercise
- Lift your knees from your stomach rather than just using momentum
How to make it easier: Slow down or flick your heels rather than lifting your knees
23. Push-Ups With Rotation
Well-Fit tips:
- Get your balance at the top of the pushup
- Stack your arms on top of each other for better balance
- Keep your body in a plank position
- Engage your core
How to make it easier: Place your knees on the floor
How to make it more challenging: Add a jump with your hands
Exercises to Lose Weight at Home
So there you have the best exercises to lose weight at home without any need for equipment.
Doing short bursts of exercise 2-3 times a week is a great way to increase your metabolism and burn calories quickly.
Who said there’s never enough time for exercise?
10-30 minutes a few times a week is all you need.
Do you still want more? Check out the best ab exercises if you are looking to burn belly fat quickly or 7 steps to lose weight fast for the scientific approach.
Be sure to pin this page to save it for later so you can come back to it whenever you want to mix up your workout.
Hi
You have done a great job by listing out these 23 exercises which can be done at home. At first, I thought how the hell will I be doing this every day. But then at the end of your article, I came to know that I just have to spare 10-30 minutes a few times a week.
I am sure I can do that. And I will need to keep on coming back to your post to refer to the exercise videos. Wi9sh me luck.
By the way which will be the best exercise for me to start with?
Hey Nick, yep you are so right only 10-30 minutes is more than enough for these exercises.
It’s far better to put in short bursts of energy with some rest than casually do it for an hour! The example that you find at the top is one of the best group of exercises to start with. We try to group them with one plyometric (jump), one abs exercise and then one cardio/ more endurance type.
Enjoy your workouts!
Thanks for the post I think I was also wrong believing to burn out my calories I have to run a 100km lol not knowing I can actually be in my room and do some exercises to burn it off thanks so much for he post I ll make sure I do some ski jump,squat jump and some burpees everyday before I leave for work thanks so much
Glad it helped Rose! It’s can become so overwhelming thinking we have to do these super long endurance activities to lose weight when the little things each day makes far more difference!
Think finally get some clear concept about step by step process for losing some extra fat. Looks interesting lets see whats happen.
Keep us posted!