Before you read this entire article, I want you to perform this workout.
Are you ready?
30 Jumping Jacks
5 Push Ups
25 High Knees
7 Burpees
10 Crunches
7 Squats
5 Push Ups
10 Crunches
5 Push Ups
7 Squats
30 Jumping Jacks
Do this workout and you’ll burn over 2 pounds a week.
Sound too good to be true? You bet.
Let’s talk about it.
I snagged this workout from a social media “influencer” who claims that this workout can make you lose 1kg (2.2 pounds) of weight per week. Said influencer has around 160k followers and at the time that I came across this post, it had over 10k likes.
Wow.
Here’s what they didn’t tell you.
-They didn’t tell you how many times you should perform this workout in a day or in a week.
-There was no indication of how many calories you can burn when you perform the workout. For the record, a less conditioned person will likely burn more calories during this workout and a more conditioned person will likely burn fewer calories.
-There was no instruction given for what kind of diet you should follow to help you lose the weight.
Is there anything particularly wrong or unsafe about this workout? Not necessarily, assuming you don’t have any pre-existing conditions or injuries preventing you from completing it.
Is there anything particularly magical about this combination of exercises or the rep scheme that makes it better at burning fat? Nope.
Dear readers, when it comes to exercise, always go for what you enjoy and can consistently stick with. If someone is trying to hand you a workout plan that claims “XX” amount of weight loss, be skeptical.
More importantly, what exactly are you losing? Weight or fat? Which one is more important to you?
The sad truth is that there are no magical fat burning workouts. If you want to magically burn fat, do the really boring stuff over and over (and over) again: stick with a movement plan consistently, lift weights, walk, drink your water, get a decent night’s sleep, find an deficit you can adhere to with your food intake, and be agonizingly patient.
(Photo courtesy of Element5 Digital)
