Whether you’re on a budget, still skeeved out by communal gyms, or new to exercise, there’s a multitude of ways to break a sweat at home when weight loss is your goal—no equipment needed. But first things first: Is it realistic to lose weight through exercise alone? No matter what the infomercials (and influencers) tell you, the only way to reduce your body weight is to burn more calories than you consume, says Philadelphia-based weight-loss specialist Dr. Charlie Setlzer, MD. While exercise burns a number of calories, people tend to compensate for the calories they burn during exercise later on by eating more (“I earned it!”) or moving less (“I’m spent!”). But it gets worse: It’s an unfortunate truth that you can eat calories faster than you can burn them. “Walking a mile might burn 100 calories, but that’s just a small handful of cashews,” Dr. Seltzer says, to the sound of food-lovers everywhere deep-sighing. So let’s agree that the most efficient way to lose weight is to reduce your caloric intake. Where does exercise come into the equation here? Strength training, which can include no-equipment bodyweight exercises, increases muscle mass. “The more muscle you have, the higher your resting metabolic rate,” Dr. Seltzer says, referring to the calories your body burns to fuel activities such as breathing, digesting food, and thermogenesis, and yes, building muscle back after you’ve broken it down during exercise. And that last one burns extra calories well after you take a load off in a phenomenon that’s known as afterburn, according to Dr. Seltzer. If weight training isn’t your thing, interval training could be your golden ticket to dropping pounds: Alternating between short bursts of high-energy activities and periods of recovery can increase your metabolic rate for as many as 24 hours, Dr. Seltzer says. From an effort in/energy out perspective, let’s just say this is a bargain. So: Clock extra exercise while you keep your eating and daily activity levels consistent, and you can accelerate weight loss at best and improve your health at worst—all from the privacy of your own home. You ready?
How to lose weight through exercise
“Anything you do to expend calories can theoretically be a weight loss exercise,” Dr. Seltzer says. And if you’re looking for a rule of thumb? “Exercises that engage larger muscles, more muscle groups, or involve a lot of movement burn the most calories,” he says, citing jump squats and the sport you either love or hate, but typically have to leave your home for: running. “Challenging yourself is a weight-loss exercise.” Enter, That Fit Friend founder Jake Boly, a certified strength and conditioning specialist who knows a thing or two about pushing the body to the limit: “The goal is to alter your typical movements and make them more difficult so your body has to adapt,” he says. Challenging your balance, increasing your pace, or practicing an unfamiliar movement all up the ante. Before we go all CrossFit on you, let’s remember that small efforts can pay off in the long run. “Consistency and just a little effort will often be more fruitful than going all in and feeling absolutely wiped out after your first week or two,” Boly says, recommending that you choose a workout routine that feels hard, but sustainable. “Scale your workouts to fit into your lifestyle, and the weight-loss goals you’re after will fall into place,” he adds, promising that you’ll see your efforts pay off after a few weeks of consistent workouts.
10 no-equipment weight loss exercises you can do at home
Here are a handful of moves you can do without opening your front door. All you need is some square footage where you can flail about and the motivation to get moving. To practice these moves individually, do 3 sets of 8 reps, progressing to 3 sets of 10 reps, then 4 sets of 10 reps as you get stronger. You can also increase the intensity (and calorie burn) by increasing your pace and reducing the amount of time you pause between reps. To perform the exercises below as an interval-training workout, do repetitive reps of each for 15 seconds, taking a 30-second break before moving onto the next exercise, and complete three rounds. Progress to four rounds of 30 seconds of work with 20 seconds of rest.
1. Jumping jacks
Why It Works: It engages just about every muscle ground in the body and raises your heart rate, a good way to gauge whether you’re truly being challenged. Do the move:
2. Walking lunge
Why It Works: It will make almost every muscle your legs and glutes burn, which means your body will need to expend calories building these two muscle groups back up. Do the Move:
3. Mountain climber
Why It Works: It efficiently engages your chest, shoulders, core, and legs—the more muscle groups, the better when your goal is to expend calories. Do the Move:
4. Squat jump
Why It Works: It calls for explosive bursts of energy that fire up your quads, hamstrings, and glutes, big time. Do the move:
5. Vertical leg crunch
Why It Works: Holding your legs still in the air calls for an isometric hold that can challenge the strongest among us. Do the Move:
6. Rear-footed elevated split squat
Why It Works: Beyond engaging some of the biggest muscles in your body—the hamstrings, quads, and glutes—it challenges your balance, which calls for more effort and burns more calories. Do the Move:
- With a sturdy bench, bed, or chair about one step behind you, place the back of your right foot on the surface.2. Keeping your hips over your shoulders and front knee behind your toes, slowly bend the front knee until your thigh is nearly parallel with the ground.3. Pause for one second, then press into the front heel to return to starting position.4. Complete one set, then repeat on the opposite side.
7. Pushup
Why It Works: It stimulates the muscles in your chest, which are among your largest muscle groups. Do the Move:
8. Jump lunge
Why It Works: It engages the butt, quads, and hamstrings and raises your heart rate. Do the Move:
9. Superman
Why It Works: It stimulates your back muscles, which comprise one of the largest muscle groups in the body. Do the Move:
10. V-up
Why it works: It engages the entire core and calls for an explosive effort that ticks the box for “challenging.” Do the move: Next up: How Much Weight Can You Lose In a Week?
Sources
Jake Boly, strength coach and founder of That Fit FriendDr. Charlie Setlzer, MD, weight loss specialist
