Burn Calories Fast With This Intense Weights Workout

Three people in a row doing pull-ups
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If you’re prepared to train hard and smart, any type of workout will help you lose weight – but if you’re hitting the gym with the sole aim of burning as many calories as you can as fast as possible, this full-on session from Lawrence Price, personal trainer for fitness app Fiit (one of the best workout apps), will undoubtedly get the job done. And then some.

For more full-body workouts to burn calories by the bucketload, try these fat-loss workouts and this metcon workout.

Warm-up

After you’ve got your body moving through some dynamic stretches (we have a top-notch gym warm-up routine for you to follow), Price emphasises the need to prepare your body for the deadlifts in particular, since you’ll be doing a lot of those in the workout itself.

“Take some time to fully prep your body for quality deadlifts with hip hinge movements, hamstring and glute drills, and trunk activation drills,” says Price.

Then, before you do begin the workout, ensure your body is ready to go by completing two sets of 10 deadlifts with a light weight, looking out for any discomfort in your lower back.

Section 1

Complete four rounds of the following.

Deadlift

Deadlift

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Reps 6 Rest 1min

From a standing position bend at the knees to reach down and grasp a barbell with your hands shoulder-width apart. Keeping your back straight, your chin up and your gaze forwards, drive your hips forwards to lift the bar explosively using your legs. Once the bar reaches mid-thigh level pull your shoulders back, then lower the bar back slowly back to the start.

2 Wide-grip pull-up

Pull-up

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Reps 8

You can do these unassisted or use a dipping station or resistance band to help you out if you’re unsure whether you can complete four rounds of eight pull-ups unaided. Grasp the bar using an overhand grip with your hands wider than shoulder-width apart. Pull your body up until your chin is above the bar, then lower under control.

Wall ball

Wall ball

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Reps 12 Rest 2min

Stand facing a wall holding a medicine ball at chest height in both hands. Drop into a squat, then push back up and throw the ball against the wall a few feet above your head. Catch the ball in both hands and lower straight into another squat.

Section 2

There are two parts to this section and how well you perform in the first directly affects how much work you’ll have to do in the second. That’s because the time it takes you to burn 100 calories on the SkiErg is the time you’ll spend doing rounds of renegade rows.

1 SkiErg

Ski-erg

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Burn 100 calories as quickly as you can on the SkiErg machine and record your time. If your gym doesn’t have a SkiErg, you can use a rower instead.

Dumbbell renegade row EMOM

Dumbbell renegade row

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Time Time taken to burn 100 calories on the SkiErg Reps 6 each side

Your workout finishes with rounds of renegade rows, starting your sets every minute on the minute, with the total time determined by how long you spent on the SkiErg. Get into a press-up position with a dumbbell in each hand. Lift one dumbbell up to your chest, supporting your body with the other arm, then lower it back to the floor. Complete all the reps on one side, then switch. Work fast – the quicker you complete the 12 total reps the longer you can rest before starting up again.

Nick Harris-Fry
Senior writer

Nick Harris-Fry is a journalist who has been covering health and fitness since 2015. Nick is an avid runner, covering 70-110km a week, which gives him ample opportunity to test a wide range of running shoes and running gear. He is also the chief tester for fitness trackers and running watches, treadmills and exercise bikes, and workout headphones.