Circuit Training

Circuit training is based on a combination of exercises that target different areas of your body, mixing resistance training with cardiovascular exercise to increase your metabolism, burn fat and build muscle. The key to this program is to not rest for too long between exercises, to keep your heart rate up. But, since different muscle groups are worked at different times, you don’t have to worry about overworking one area. With a mix of pushups, pull-ups, bicep and tricep curls and extensions, you’ll get an excellent arm workout, while quick spurts of jogging or cycling will add a cardio component. Leg extensions and curls will work your lower half, and sit-ups and crunches will take care of your core. Each exercise should be done for just one to three minutes, with the routine totaling 20 minutes.

Jump Rope

Jump rope isn’t just for kids on the playground, it’s also an excellent way to burn calories – around 400 for 20 minutes – and work your whole body. By mixing up the types of jumps you do, you’ll work different muscle groups, and adding core exercises to the routine will tone your stomach and give you time to rest between jumps. Basic double legs jumps to start with will increase your heart rate and loosen your muscles, and then holding a plank position for about a minute will work your core and let your body recover before the next series of single leg jumps. The routine ends with another block of double leg jumps and arm and leg extensions to cool down.

Treadmill Incline Workout

You can burn around 300 calories in 20 minutes with a simple treadmill routine that relies on speed and incline changes. Starting at a moderate speed and low incline, you can spend a couple of minutes just moving your body to warm up before increasing the speed and incline. Doing this will ramp up your calorie burn, but the key is to also intersperse lower speeds and incline. Just before the 20 minutes is up, raise the incline and speed for one last burst of intense cardio before your cool down. This type of interval training burns more calories than using a treadmill without an incline and may also improve endurance.

Simple At-Home Workout

Relying on basic moves that work different areas of your body, this cardio routine provides a total body workout that will boost your metabolism and help you drop excess weight. It combines lunges, squats, bridges, planks, mountain climbers and burpees, along with a few yoga and Pilates moves. Each exercise is done for a short amount of time, about one minute or 10 reps, with no rest time in between so your heart rate – and calorie burn – stay up.