This Simple Workout Uses Light Weights to Boost Your Metabolism

This Simple Workout Uses Light Weights to Boost Your Metabolism

This workout uses light weights to burn fat, tone your body from head to toe, and boost your metabolism!

Weight training is proven to not only build strength and increase bone density, but to increase your calorie burn at rest, giving you a faster metabolism. Lifting lighter weights for higher repetitions recruits your slow-twitch muscle fibers, which helps to increase muscular endurance and burn fat for hours after you finish your workout.

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Remember: Muscle burns fat, so the more muscle you have, the faster your metabolism will be.

Grab a pair of lightweight dumbbells and get ready for a serious metabolism boost with this total body workout!

• Use 5 lb dumbbells
• Repeat each circuit 2X
• Cool down with 5 minutes of stretching

Circuit 1

Sumo Squat Press | 15 reps

This exercise builds strength in the booty, thighs, core, and shoulders.

Step 1: To begin, hold a dumbbell in each hand and stand with your feet slightly wider than hips- width distance. Stand with your heels in and toes pointing out at 45° angles. Bend your elbows so that you are holding the dumbbells at your shoulders, keeping the palms facing in towards your face.

Step 2: Squat down while keeping the weight in your heels and your chest up. As you stand back up, press the dumbbells up towards the sky and squeeze your glutes.

Tip: Make sure to keep the knees in line with the toes and the core engaged the entire time.

Plank Row | 15 reps per side

This exercise works the entire body, focusing mainly on the back, biceps, shoulders, and core.

Step 1: Start in a high plank push-up position with your hands gripping the dumbbells. Walk your feet out wider than hips-width distance and pull your navel in towards your spine. Shift your weight onto your left hand and row the right elbow up towards the ceiling as you inhale.

Step 2: Exhale and slowly lower the dumbbell back to the ground into the starting position. Now shift the weight onto your right hand and begin to row your left elbow up towards the ceiling on an inhale. Exhale and slowly lower the dumbbell back to the high plank.

High Knees | 45 sec

Get ready for a cardio blast that works your belly and thighs!

Step 1: Begin by standing, feet together, with a dumbbell in each hand. Bend your elbows to 90 degrees, engage your core, and begin to jog in place. As you jog in place, use your abs to lift your knees high.

Circuit 2

Curtsy Lunges with Shoulder Raises | 24 reps, alt sides

This exercise builds a well-rounded booty and strengthens the shoulders and the core.

Step 1: Begin standing, feet hips-width distance, with a dumbbell in each hand. With your right leg, take a big step back to “curtsy” behind your left leg. Stand back up and lift your arms straight out for a lateral shoulder raise, keeping a slight bend in the elbows. Lower your arms back down to your sides to the starting position.

Step 2: Next, step your left foot back to “curtsy” behind your right leg. Stand back up and perform your shoulder raise. Lower your hands back to the starting position. Continue alternating side to side.

Chest Fly Reverse Crunches | 15 reps

Tone up the front side of the upper body with this dynamic chest and ab exercise.

Step 1: Start by lying on your back with a dumbbell in each hand. Extend your feet up towards the ceiling and straighten out your legs. Holding the weights, straighten your arms above your chest bringing the weights together to touch. Pull your navel in towards your spine and think about keeping the lower back pressing into the ground.

Step 2: Keeping that engagement through your core, inhale and lower your feet halfway down towards the floor. At the same time, take the arms straight out to the side, lowering the weights out towards the floor. Exhale to lift everything back up towards the ceiling to the starting position.

Tip: To modify, keep a 90°angle at your knees, tapping the heels to the floor as your lower your legs.

Weighted Squat Jumps | 15 reps

This weighted plyometric exercise will get the heart rate pumping and the booty burning!

Step 1: Begin standing with your feet hips-width distance, holding the dumbbells in each hand down alongside your body.

Step 2: Sit back into a squat and then using explosive power, jump up as high as you can. Land lightly back into your squat.

Circuit 3

Single Leg Deadlifts with Curls | 12 reps per side

This balancing exercise will tone up the glutes, hamstrings, and work into the biceps.

Step 1: Start by standing with your feet together and a dumbbell in each hand. Shift the weight onto your right leg and straighten the left leg behind you. Tap the left toes to the floor. Squeeze the shoulder blades together and keep the core tight as you inhale and simultaneously lower your chest and lift your left leg.

Step 2: Pause once your chest and leg are parallel to the floor, then exhale and slowly stand back up to perform a biceps curl. Lower your hands back down by your sides to the starting position.

Overhead Triceps Extensions | 15 reps

Create long lean arms with this high rep triceps exercise.

Step 1: Stand with one foot in front of the other and hold a dumbbell in each hand. Bring the arms straight overhead and hold the dumbbells together.

Step 2: Keeping the dumbbells pressing together, start to bend the elbows to lower the weights behind your head. Exhale to straighten the arms back out.

Tip: Make sure to keep the upper arms in by your ears for the entire exercise.

Speed Skaters | 45 seconds

For our last cardio burst, we will burn some serious fat as we strengthen the gluteus medius and the core with this plyometric exercise.

Step 1: Hold a dumbbell in each hand and place them together at your chest. Shift the weight onto your right leg, bend the knee like you are going into a squat, and tap the left toes towards the floor behind you.

Step 2: Leap laterally to land on the left leg, bend the knee into a squat and tap the right toes to floor behind you. Continue hopping side to side for 45 seconds.

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