The Nation's Health

Health Tips: The Best Fat-Burning Workout for a Packed Gym

The best fat-burning workout for a packed gym It's January, and you're ready to ramp up your results this year…but the gym is so packed that you can't even get to your favorite equipment. No worries-we've got your back. When it comes to getting in amazing shape in the shortest amount of time, you can't beat metabolic resistance training (MRT), a type of workout that maximizes caloric expenditure while also increasing your metabolic rate. The basic principles of MRT involve working in a circuit with little to no rest in between moves. Studies have shown that MRT can help boost your calorie burn both during and up to 38 hours after your workout is over! Do this simple, small-space friendly routine at the gym or at home up to four non-consecutive days per week for best results. How it works: Perform each set of moves in a circuit (back to back with little to no rest in between). Rest 60 to 90 seconds in between in each circuit, repeating the circuit 3 times total. You will need: Free weightsSide lunge press Side lunge press 1. Side lunge front v-raise: Stand with feet together, holding dumbbell in right hand. Step right foot out and lower into a side lunge, reaching hands to the floor on either side of right foot [A].Push off right leg and bring feet together as right arm presses dumbbell overhead with palm facing in. Repeat, lowering right arm down as right foot steps back out into side lunge [B]. Repeat on opposite side. Single-leg squat row Single-leg squat row 2. Single-leg squat row: Stand on left leg, holding dumbbell with left hand, right leg bent and right foot lifted slightly off the floor behind body. Bend left knee and squat down, hinging forward at hips and reaching arms down towards the floor, keeping spine straight [A].Bend left elbow behind body and pull dumbbell into side of torso [B]. Extend left arm and return to starting position. Do 12 reps; repeat on opposite side. If you have trouble balancing, try this move in a split stance instead, with the back foot lightly tapped on the floor for stability.Diamond pushup Diamond pushup 3. Diamond pushup: Begin in plank position with feet slightly wider than hip width and hands together directly under chest, forming a diamond shape [shown]. Keeping abs drawn into spine, bend elbows and lower chest as close to the floor as possible without sagging through hips (elbows stay close to sides). Return to start. Modify on knees if needed. RELATED: The 30 Greatest Flat-Belly Tips of All Time Cross chop Cross chop 4. Cross chop: Stand with feet wider than hip width, holding dumbbell. Bend elbows and raise dumbbell to right shoulder (as if winding up to hit a baseball with a bat), rotating torso to the right, lifting left heel off the floor in preparation for the chop [A].Engage abs and quickly lower dumbbell down and across to left knee, rotating torso to the left and lifting right heel to lower into a left lunge [B]. Immediately return to start. Do 12 reps; repeat on opposite side.

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