Turbulence Training | Bodyweight Cardio For Burning Fat

You know that I love bodyweight workouts. In fact today after getting blown away by the wind at the Great Sand Dunes I needed a workout. I did a short workout of jumping rope, tabata intervals of Kettlebell Snatches with 20kg and Bulgarian Spins, then some one-leg burpees (thanks to Vlada from Facebook for the info on the one-leg version) and another bout with the jump rope.

We carry all the equipment we need for some awesome cardio fat burning workouts – our own bodyweight. Why not put it to good use. Craig Ballantyne has been a great source of ideas, movements, and workouts. I love reading all I can find from him. I was glad to get this guest post from Craig on his bodyweight prorams.

So here is the guest post from Craig Ballantyne on bodyweight cardio exercise for fat burning.

Bodyweight – The Workout That’s Always With You

You’re surrounded by nothing. Stuck in a house or hotel, miles from the furthest gym.

Perhaps visiting the in-laws, or a seminar in Independence, Ohio (trust me, I’ve been there), but you still want to do a fat burning workout. [I checked out Independence, OH on Wikipedia to learn that the city occupies 9.6 square miles. I can feel Craig’s plight. -Troy]

You can’t even go for a walk because its a) raining, b) snowing, c) there are no sidewalks (hello Independence, Ohio).

So what can you do?

Bodyweight Cardio Fat Burning Workout

A bodyweight cardio fat burning workout to the rescue. Some other trainers might call it metabolic conditioning, and sure, you can do similar workouts with kettlebells or even dumbbells, but those implements can’t help you now because you are stuck in the middle of nowhere with now way out.

The only “equipment” you have is your own body, but all they taught you in gym class was how to do crunches, pushups, and flexed arm hangs. And you aren’t doing that from the doorframe here in the doubletree. [They never taught me Push Up Variations in gym Class. Just boring standard pushups. -Troy]

Bodyweight Exercise Research

Fortunately, I’ve spent my entire adult life researching wild workouts, exotic exercises, and bodyweight movements. My bodyweight exercise obsession all started back in college, when I came home for a Christmas break in my freshman year, and had no ride to the gym, or even the money to afford a day pass.

So instead, I went through all of my old issues of Men’s Health magazine and put together a list of every body weight exercise I could find. Eventually, I stumbled across a workout that wasn’t full of crunches, situps, and plain old pushups. I somehow managed, at the age of 19, to figure out a bodyweight circuit that was tough, worked the entire body, and didn’t require equipment.

Fast forward fifteen years later, and I’m still on the hunt for more bodyweight workouts. You’ve probably used one of my bodyweight challenges from Men’s Health magazine, or found one of my workout videos on youtube.

Bodyweight Workout and Video

This fat burning workout video below is probably my most famous, the no-equipment 5 rounds of 5 minutes bodyweight workout program. You don’t need anything – other than your own bodyweight – to get an amazing full body workout, anytime, anywhere.

Start with the general bodyweight warm-up circuit to get the body going. Then do each exercise for 1 minute and then move to the next exercise without rest. Rest 1 minute at the end of each round before moving to the next round.

Round #1

• Jumping Jacks
• Bodyweight Squats
• T-Pushups (alternating sides)
• Vertical Jumps (or Jumping Squats)
• Prisoner Lunges (or Forward Lunges)

Round #2

• Push ups
• Prisoner Squats
• Squat Thrusts
• Duck Unders
• Burpee

Round #3

• Seal Jump
• Spiderman Climb
• Get Up
• Side-Step
• Run in Place

Round #4

• Split Shuffle
• Side to Side Jump
• Side Plank (30 seconds per side)
• Total Body Extension
• Run in Place

Round #5

• Seal Jump
• Close-Grip Pushup
• Lateral Lunge
• Mountain Climber
• Side-Step

Here is the video. Check out Craig as he explains the workout.

You don’t need to be outside to do this bodyweight cardio fat burning workout, but hey, it doesn’t hurt to be out in the sunshine, getting a glorious sweat on with this intense bodyweight workout.

A minute of bodyweight exercises doesn’t sound like much, but seriously, when you get down to the brass tacks, it sure is a heck of a challenge. I’d love to know what you think of this workout and other ones like it. I have dozens of interval-type workouts that don’t require you to sit on a stationary bike or use a treadmill. And you absolutely have no need to ever suffer the ‘dishonor’ of slow boring cardio ever again.

Thanks to bodyweight exercises (plus kettlebells, dumbbells, TRX exercises, etc.), there are far too many fun workouts out there that can help you burn fat without the need for expensive, overcrowded gym memberships.

That said, you can also do a tremendous workout in a hotel room (even in Independence, Ohio), in your in-laws living room, your backyard, the park, or even your office (but you’ll want to shut the door, of course).

Bodyweight cardio fat burning workouts to the rescue.

For over 101 bodyweight exercises plus more bodyweight cardio and a 6-month bodyweight workout plan, get the Ultimate Bodyweight Exercise deal here.

You’ll be able to burn fat with bodyweight exercises anywhere,

   Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS

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Let me know how you’ve used bodyweight workouts. They are incredibly versatile and are with you on any business trip, vacation, or when you are stuck at home. They have allowed me to keep my home gym (or more precisely garage gym) effective without a ton of equipment. Give it a shot and try Bodyweight Cardio to Burn Fat.