5 Bodyweight Exercises That Burn Fat Faster Than Running

Running gets a lot of love when it comes to fat loss. It's simple, it's accessible, and yeah, it gets your heart rate up. But if your goal is to burn fat fast while building strength, balance, and serious endurance, there are better ways to move your body.

Here's the deal: Bodyweight exercises can torch calories, spike your heart rate, and engage more muscles in less time than steady-state jogging ever could. And since they build lean muscle mass along the way, they also boost your metabolism, helping you burn more fat even after your workout.

These five moves go beyond the fat-burning benefits of running. They're explosive. They're intense, challenging your coordination, balance, and core strength in ways pounding pavement never will. Use them as a high-intensity finisher, mix them into a fat-burning circuit, or build an entire workout around them. Just be ready to sweat.

Squat Jumps

Squat jumps crank up your lower-body power, torch calories with every explosive rep, and build lean muscle in your quads, glutes, and hamstrings. That means more strength and more fat burned over time.

How to Do It:

1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart.
2. Drop into a deep squat, keeping your chest tall and weight in your heels.
3. Explode upward, jumping as high as possible.
4. Land softly and lower right into your next squat.

Recommended Sets and Reps: 3 sets of 10 to 12 reps

Alternating Lunge Jumps

This one-two punch combines cardio with a leg sculpting effect. Lunge jumps hammer your quads, glutes, and calves while elevating your heart rate and pushing your balance to the limit.

How to Do It:

1. Start in a lunge position with your right foot forward.
2. Jump explosively and switch legs mid-air.
3. Land with your left foot forward in a lunge.
4. Repeat continuously, keeping your chest up and core tight.

Recommended Sets and Reps: 3 sets of 10 to 12 reps per side

Walking Lunges

Walking lunges build unilateral leg strength, balance, and core control. They also have a phenomenal cardio effect, especially when done for longer distances or times.

How to Do It:

1. Stand tall with your feet hip-width apart.
2. Step forward with your right foot and lower into a lunge.
3. Push through your whole right foot to drive up.
4. Step your left foot forward into the next lunge.
5. Keep alternating as you move across the floor.

Recommended Sets and Reps: 3 sets of 20 total steps (10 per leg)

Cross-Body Mountain Climbers

Cross-body Mountain Climbers amplify your fat-burning by turning core work into full-body cardio. You're hitting your abs, shoulders, and legs, all while keeping your heart rate sky-high.6254a4d1642c605c54bf1cab17d50f1e

How to Do It:

1. Start in a high plank with your hands under your shoulders.
2. Drive your right knee toward your left elbow.
3. Quickly switch, bringing your left knee to your right elbow.
4. Keep alternating with speed and control.

Recommended Sets and Reps: 3 sets of 30 to 45 seconds

Super Burpees

This leveled-up burpee variation adds extra explosiveness and muscle engagement. It's a full-body, fat-melting move that combines cardio, strength, and core in one brutal move.

How to Do It:

1. Stand tall with feet hip-width apart.
2. Squat down and place your hands on the floor.
3. Jump your feet back into a push-up position.
4. Perform a push-up.
5. Jump your feet forward under your chest.
6. Explode upward into a vertical jump.
7. Land and repeat immediately.

Recommended Sets and Reps: 3 sets of 8 to 10 reps

Sign up for our newsletter!