The holidays are just around the corner. Whether you’re a fan of sugar cookie martinis, homemade stuffing, cranberry sauce, or pumpkin pie, now is the best time to try to shed a few pounds. Not only will you look and feel your best for new outfits, family gatherings, and holiday events, but it’s also a great idea to usher in the peak season of holiday dinners and cocktail parties at good shape so you can enjoy every delicacy you want. To get into the holiday spirit, we’re here with the best bodyweight exercises for weight loss. Head to the gym, because it’s almost the season!
We spoke with Dr Mike BohlMD, MPH, ALM, Director of Medical Content and Education at Ro and certified personal trainer, providing excellent information on bodyweight exercises for weightloss. Also known as closed chain exercises, these are movements that are performed when the power generated by your body is exerted against an object that is stationary. A good example of this type of exercise is the pull-up, which is performed against a fixed bar. another type is Lizardsperformed against the ground.
Open chain exercises, however, are when the object you are resisting has movement. An example of this would be performing a bicep curl with a dumbbell. Dr. Bohl tells us about the benefit of bodyweight exercises (also known as closed chain), saying: “[Closed-chain exercises] they usually recruit a large number of muscles at the same time and require moving more than one joint at the same time. This exercises more muscles at the same time and burns more calories, since the body needs more energy to do so.”
What are the best bodyweight exercises to lose weight?
If you add some bodyweight exercises to your routine to lose excess weight, consider pull-ups, push-ups, lunges, squats, dips, pull-ups, and planks. When it comes to losing weight for the holidays, or any time of the year, Dr. Bohl says, “Closed-chain exercises may recruit more muscle and burn more calories than open-chain exercises, but weight loss in It actually has more to do with diet than exercise.
Dr. Bohl also recommends doing bodyweight exercises for an hour every day, but recommends reducing your calorie intake—that is, after a calorie deficit—if you expect to see significant weight loss. Depending on the exercise regimen you follow and the diet you follow, the time will vary before you see results. In general, Dr. Bohl says you need to burn 3,500 calories to burn one pound of fat.
alexa mellardo
Alexa is the Mind + Body Associate Editor for Eat This, Not That!, overseeing the M+B channel, and providing readers with engaging topics on fitness, wellness, and personal care. Read more about Alexa
