The 20-Minute Fat-Torching Workout

If you don’t have the luxury of spending hours in the gym, here’s some good news…You don’t have to.

Research shows that high-intensity intervals, of strength and cardio training, burn more fat in less time.

The following moves are extremely efficient. Compound exercises allow you to keep your heart rate revved, firm up and burn mega fat all at once. Intense workouts like this one will jack up your metabolism so that you’ll continue to burn calories for hours after your workout.

For maximum results, add cardio to this circuit, and make sure to follow a fat burning diet like the ketogenic diet.  Do two to four minutes of jogging, jumping jacks, jump ropes, or another cardio exercise between each of these moves.

Perform this circuit two to four times, resting one to two minutes in between.

Squat to Overhead Press

1. Begin in a standing position.  Holding two medium dumbbells at your shoulders, with your feet hip-width apart, squat and return to standing.
2. Once in standing position, extend your arms overhead and back to your shoulders.
3. Repeat this sequence for 10 to 15 reps.

Lunge with Bicep Curl

1. Holding light to medium dumbbells, extend your right leg, lunging forward.  Make sure your knee does not extend past your toe.  Simultaneously, keeping your arms close to your sides and elbows back by your ribcage, curl your arms up.
2. As you return to standing, pushing off your front heel and extend your arms back to your sides.
3. Do this 10 to 12 times, then repeat on the opposite leg (check out the 30 day thigh challenge for a complete thigh workout).

Static Wall Squat with Lateral Arm Raise

1. Lean against a wall in “chair” position with your knees bent, holding two light dumbbells at your sides.  Bring your thighs as parallel to the floor as you can.  Keeping your arms fully extended, slowly raise them to shoulder level.
2. Lower your arms slowly back to starting position.
3. Repeat 10 to 15 times.

Plie Squat with Triceps Extension

1. Stand with your feet hip-width apart and your toes pointed outward.  Hold two light to medium dumbbells behind your head with your arms bent and elbows up.  Lower into a plie squat position and return to standing.
2. Once in standing position, extend your arms up over your head, making sure to keep your upper arms still, not letting them drop in front of your face.  Bend your arms again to starting position.
3. Repeat this sequence 10 to 15x.

Plank to Push-up

1. Assume a plank position, keeping your abs tight and body straight and aligned.  Stay in this position for 10 seconds.
2. Staying in this position or moving to your knees (but keeping your hips down), perform 10 push-ups.
3. Return to plank position and repeat this sequence 2 to 3 times.

Try this 30 day ab challenge for optimal results!

One Legged Bent Over Row

1. Holding medium to heavy dumbbells, hinge forward at the waist, keeping your abs tight, shoulders back and back straight.  Let your arms extend to the floor.  Extend your left leg in the air behind you.
2. Maintaining this position, bring your arms up, raising your elbows as high as they will go, and keeping them close to your sides.  Pause for a second, and return to starting position.
3. Repeat for 10 reps, then do the same exercise with the opposite leg lifted.

Looking for more 20-minute workouts? Try this 20-minute HIIT workout on for size!

Model: Shelby Elmore, NASM-CPT
Photography: Darian Simon-Toliver