These exercises will get your heart rate up, and the format of this workout will provide great cardiorespiratory training. The important part of boosting your metabolism outside of working out is making sure your body maintains and develops the lean muscle mass to raise your basal metabolic rate—the number of calories your body naturally burns in a day on its own, no matter what type of activity you perform.
This number rises as your muscle mass increases, which is why I included full-body strength moves to this fitness rotation to make sure you are training in a way that, over time, helps your body be a more efficient calorie-burning machine. Learn and watch the full workout below.
The Workout: Interval-Style Giant Set
40 seconds for each move and 20 seconds of rest
Repeat the set of five moves for five rounds
Rest one minute between each round of five exercises
Total time: 10 minutes
Equipment needed: Set of dumbbells
The Moves:
1. Squat and Squat Jump
2. Row and Mountain Climbers
3. Lunge, Curl, and Press with a Kick
4. Standing Knee Drive Crunch
5. Bent Row Burpees
The Move: Squat and Squat Jump
How to: This advanced exercise will keep your heart rate up and help develop the muscle in your body that keeps your basal metabolic rate higher throughout the day. Place two dumbbells on the floor and start with a wide squat stance. Shift your hips back and down to sit in your squat, and grab your dumbbells with a strong braced core and back. Push your feet into the ground and stand out of your squat, keeping your hips and chest rising together and squeezing your abs and glutes at the top of the movement. This will prevent you from using your lower back to lift the weight. Sit back down into your squat and release the weights onto the floor.
Complete a bodyweight squat jump or modify this movement by just completing a bodyweight squat without jumping. Squat back down to the dumbbells and keep this pattern going with a set of dumbbells that challenges you at your fitness level.
The Move: Row and Mountain Climbers
How to: This exercise combines the best strength and cardio moves to keep you in control of your body using your stabilizer muscles and your upper-body muscles while adding in a short burst of cardio. Start in a plank position with your hands on your dumbbells and your feet placed in a wide plank stance. Engage your core and your back muscles and row one dumbbell, driving your elbow up and back toward your spine. Place the dumbbell back on the floor and complete five mountain climbers.
To modify this move, complete five plank knee drivers. After your mountain climbers, complete the row with the opposite arm and complete your mountain climbers again. Maintain a strong, tight core throughout this whole exercise.
The Move: Lunge, Curl, and Press with a Kick
How to: This move hits the whole body with strength and power exercises. Complete a reverse lunge with your set of dumbbells at your sides. Pick a dumbbell weight you can use for bicep curls, and after you complete your lunge, move straight into a bicep curl and shoulder press. During your curl and press, perform one forward kick to add a stabilization element to the exercise. Return your foot back to the floor and lower the dumbbells back to your sides, then complete this move on the opposite side leg. Continue alternating for the duration of the work period. If you need to modify this movement, pause between each part of the exercise, and perform your forward kick after your bicep curl.
The Move: Standing Knee Drive Crunch
How to: This standing ab movement is ideal for the core and the upper body, and any rotational move is also great for digestion. Start with your feet wider than hip-width apart holding two light dumbbells right outside your ears. Shift your weight onto your right leg and drive your left knee up toward the sky. As you drive your knee, rotate your torso to turn your opposite elbow toward this knee, and engage your ab muscles to maintain control. Return your leg to the ground, rotate your torso back to the front, and complete the twist on the other side. This move is all about engaging the core and maintaining a tall posture as you rotate, so focus less on speed and more on staying tall and using your core to rotate.
Modify this movement by taking the dumbbells out and placing your hands behind your ears during your twist rotation.
The Move: Bent Row Burpees
How to: This power move will get your heart rate up and help you feel stronger in your core and your upper body. Start in a bent hinged position with your knees slightly bent and your dumbbells in your hands straight down from your shoulders. Squeeze your back muscles to complete a row with both arms, and lower the dumbbells back down. Bend forward to place the dumbbells on the ground and hop or step your feet back to a plank position.
To advance this move, you can add a push-up in this position. Jump or step your feet back up toward your hands and stand back up to your hinge position using your glutes and strong back muscles. Complete the two-arm row again, and move back into the plank position to continue the exercise for the remaining time.
A former Division 1 high jumper and record holder at West Virginia University, Sydney is a National Academy of Sports Medicine Personal Trainer and Fitness Nutrition Specialist in Charlotte, North Carolina. Sydney and her fiancé Dustin created the Royal Change digital media company and post a new, completely free workout every day. They have a quickly growing audience with over 53,000,000 views since they started their YouTube channel. Royal Change’s mission is to always provide high-quality fitness to everyone, everywhere, at any time.
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