5 Workouts that Boost Your Metabolism while Exercising

If you are health and fitness-focused, you have probably heard about metabolism. So what is metabolism? Metabolism refers to chemical reactions that take place in living cells in order to sustain life. There are two types of metabolism; catabolism and anabolism. There are different ways through which you can raise your metabolism. One way is incorporating foods that boost your metabolism into your diet, and the other is through participating in specific workouts that boost metabolism during your exercise routine. Exercise raises your metabolism by increasing the caloric demand on your system due to the extra energy required to do it. This article gives insights on some of the workouts to employ to give your body the metabolic boost it needs.

Burpees

To perform burpees, four-step movements are required. That is a squat, followed by a thrust, followed by a plank and finally a jump. Burpees put a strain in the muscles and increase the demand for energy. If done correctly, they may boost metabolism and burn calories even hours after doing them. Therefore, burpees are very beneficial for weight loss and body weight maintenance.

2. Squats and squat variations

The basic squat workout involves moving from a standing position, lowering your hips slowly so that the knees are in a bent position, then going back up to the standing position. This basic workout has been modified over the years to tens of variations, such as the goblet squat that involves the use of a dumbbell. Squats raise the metabolism by increasing the amount of energy required for the hip and leg muscle movements. Typically, the more complex your squat variation is, the greater the metabolic boost! Therefore, consider trying other complex variations of the squat within your limits, of course.

3. Planks

A plank is a core workout, resembling a pushup, with the only difference being that one is required to hold the position, statically, for a while. The plank works the quads, glutes, calves, the rectus abdominus, transverse abdominus, internal and external obliques, and shoulder muscles. Imagine one workout covering all these muscles! So obviously, the plank significantly boosts your metabolic rate and will help you achieve your health and fitness goals when done consistently and correctly.

4. Reverse Lunges

Any fitness guru will tell you that the reverse lunge is one of the best leg exercises in existence. Since the movements are opposite to those that one usually makes, more energy is bound to be used, therefore increasing metabolism.

5. Cardiovascular Workouts

Cardio exercises are a range of workouts that involve increasing the respiratory and heart rate, thus substantially increasing the flow of oxygen in the blood. They include jogging on the spot, aerobics, Zumba, and skipping rope. These workouts are known to increase the body’s caloric burn and essentially metabolism.

Boosting your body’s metabolism is an important part of losing weight, maintaining weight, keeping fit, and staying healthy. This should be done in the safest and healthiest way possible.