Fat Burning Workouts For Athletes

As a former collegiate athlete, I was always looking for an edge on my competition. In order to be the best, you have to train like the best. Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant didn’t rise to the top by doing some generic workouts a few times per week. No, they focused on workouts that would challenge them mentally and physically so they could be the best athlete in the world.

Take a look at all great athletes, they all have one thing in common:

They have a lean, strong, athletic build.

Athletes like Usain Bolt, Kobe Bryant, Maria Sharapova, Alex Morgan, Adrian Peterson, and Jessica Ennis have this build. They are incredibly lean and strong.

If you watched these individuals workout, you would notice how intense they are. The focus, drive, and determination are through the roof on every single workout. This is what it takes to be the best.

Not only that, but that is what it takes to look the best!

Athletes have it down: each workout they do not only gets them better at their particular sport, but it allows them to look superhuman.

The athletic build is something we all want. Lean, ripped, and defined.

But how do you get there?

The reason you don’t currently look like an athlete is because you do not train like an athlete, simple as that.

If you want to start looking like Jessica Ennis or Adrian Peterson, you have to start training like them!

This doesn’t mean training for hours on end, because not everyone can have working out and their sport as a job. What I mean is you must start training at the intensity they train at so you can allow your body to build lean muscle and burn fat.

So what exercises should you focus on?

Athletes train in three different areas: Speed, strength, agility and quickness.

Each are vitally important to being the best athlete they can be, plus they are the workouts that will burn the most fat while adding lean, ripped muscle.

Speed

The best way to increase your speed is to start working on it. This means stepping off the treadmill and elliptical, going out to a park or track and sprinting. As we have discussed in the past, sprinting is the best physique shaping workout on the planet.

The benefits it brings are endless. There are definitely some more advanced ways that you can increase speed, but stick with the basics. The more you sprint, the better you will become at it and the faster you will get, especially if you focus on the next two aspects of an athletes regimen.

Strength

Look at any great athlete and you will see that they have tons of strength. This is a result from the very intense weight training programs they are put through. Athletes must train for anything that is thrown at them, that is why they focus on doing tons of compound movements so they can strengthen their whole body.

For example, squats, deadlifts, and cleans are very popular because of the functional strength they help develop. The more prepared you are in the weight room, the better you will be able to handle the rigors of the game.

Never will you see an athlete focus on bicep curls for their workout because they know this is not what’s best for their body or strength.

Agility and Quickness

This can also be referred to ones ability to cut, jump, move, etc. The more agility and quickness you can develop the better. Take a look at Adrian Peterson for example. His ability to cut through defenders at the quickness he does is unreal.

Sure Adrian was born with some of these abilities, but he is constantly working on improving them so he can come back quicker game after game and season after season.

A few ways to do this would be focusing on plyometric work. Plyometrics helps your feet to spend less time on the ground, which translates into you being quicker.

The less time you spend on the ground, the faster you can cut, jump, and move.

Changing Your Routines

As athletes, the game is always going to be demanding more. That is why you should change up your workout routine every 1-2 weeks.

Sports will always keep your body guessing, so to prepare for this, always keep your body guessing in your workouts.

Beginners can stick to a workout routine for up to 8-12 weeks at a time because they need to spend the time building up their base.

But athletes have already developed a solid base over the years so they need to make sure they are constantly challenging themselves to get better both on and off the field.

An Athletes Workout Schedule (Modified)

As was stated earlier, we all don’t have the time to train like an athlete. Remember, it is their job to workout and practice. This doesn’t mean, however, that you can’t still train like an athlete. Below is a sample week that you can implement to start training and looking more like an athlete:

Monday, Wednesday, Friday: Strength Train, Plyometrics

Monday: Legs

Do three sets of each superset below, resting 30-60 seconds between full rounds. (complete all three sets of one superset before moving to the next)

1A. Squats: 10 reps
1B. Single Leg Squat Jump: 15 reps
2A. Deadlifts: 10 reps
2B. Squat Jumps: 20 reps
3A. Leg Press: 15 reps
3B. Sled Push: 30 yards
Plyometric Ladder Work (10 minutes)

(Sorry about the music in this video, but this shows some good options for ladder work that you can do)

Wednsday: Upper

Do three sets of each superset below, resting 30-60 seconds between full rounds. (complete all three sets of one superset before moving to the next)

1A. Bench Press: 10 reps
1B. Pull-Ups: Max reps
2A. Bent Over Row: 10 reps
2B. Explosive Push-Ups: Max
3A. Overhead Press: 10 rpes
3B. Burpee with Pull-Up: 10 reps
Jump work to build abs (See video below)

Friday: Full Body

Do three sets of each superset below, resting 30-60 seconds between full rounds. (complete all three sets of one superset before moving to the next)

1A. Squat To Press: 12 Reps
1B. Pull-Ups: Max reps
2A. Clean and Press: 12 reps
2B. Side to Side Explosive Push-Ups: 16 reps
3A. Sled Pulls: 30 yards
3B. Sled Push: 30 yards

Tuesday and Thursday: Sprints

Go out to a park, track, or field and complete the sprinting workout below:

7-10 full speed sprints at 40-80 yards each. Choose a distance that fits your fitness level. Rest 30-60 seconds in between sprints. This workout should take you no longer than 10-15 minutes!

There you have it, an example fat burning workout plan for athletes that will take you no longer than 30 minutes a day to complete!

Rep Challenge Workouts For Fat Loss

We saw some rep challenge workouts in our previous article ‘Extreme Fat Burning Workouts,’ and because I know you enjoyed those so much, I decided to give you five more workouts just like it.

A rep challenge workout can be defined as: doing an allotted number of reps as fast as possible, then when doing it again trying to beat your previous time.

The goal of challenger workouts is to push you to beat your previous score each time you do the workout. Crossfit does an incredible job working this into their system, and it has proven to work very well. That is why some of the strongest and best athletes in the world are Crossfitters.

With the rep challenge workouts below, you can expect them to be intense, tiring, and well… challenging! Be sure to choose a workout that fits your own fitness level, and work on building up to doing harder and harder ones over time!

100 rep challenge

You can do a wide variety of 100 rep workouts that will leave you very tired by the end. A few of my favorites are:

100 Push-Ups as fast as possible
100 Pull-Ups as fast as possible
100 Burpees as fast as possible
100 Squat Jumps as fast as possible
100 Kettlebell Swings as fast as possible

Then you can do a combination of exercises to get your 100 reps. For example:

50 Push-Ups, 50 Pull-Ups as fast as possible
50 Burpees, 25 Squat Jumps, 25 Push-Ups as fast as possible
25 Burpees, 25 Kettlebell Swings, 50 Pull-Ups as fast as possible

Get creative with how you do this.

200 rep challenge

Complete 10 rounds as fast as possible of the exercises below:

Decline Push-Ups: 10 reps
Box Jumps: 10 reps

If you want to finish the workout with 50 burpees, feel free to add that in as a bonus!

300 rep challenge

400 rep challenge

For this workout, you will start and end with a 400 meter sprint. This will account of 50 reps of your workout.

400 meter sprint: Counts as 50 reps
Box Jumps: 50 reps
Pull-Ups: 50 reps
Decline Push-Ups: 50 reps
Kettlebell Swings: 50 reps
Single Leg Squats: 50 reps total (25 each leg)
Sit-Ups: 50 reps
400 meter sprint: Counts as 50 reps

500 rep challenge

We saw this workout in our Fat Burning Workouts For Men article. This is a very challenging workout, so beginners should start by doing 20-25 reps of each exercise and build up to doing the full workout.

Complete all 50 reps of one exercise before moving to the next.

Box Jumps (50 reps)
Push-Ups (50 reps)
Kettlebell Swings (50 reps)
Overhead Press (50 reps)
Inverted Row (50 reps)
Dips (50 reps)
Back Extensions (50 reps)
Knees to elbows (50 reps)
Burpees (50 reps)
Double Under’s (50 reps)

There you have it, five different rep challenge workouts that will obliterate unwanted fat all while allowing you to build tons lean muscle. If you want an even more challenging workout, be sure to check out our 1000 rep challenger in our Extreme Fat Burning Workouts section!

Looking for more rep challenge workouts? Then you have got to check this out:

Click HERE To View The Rep Challenge Workouts!

Treadmill Fat Burning Workouts

By now you should know that here at Fat Burning Workouts HQ, we are not fans of long slow cardio. So in writing this post, Treadmill Fat Burning Workouts, I was a little hesitant because when most people think of the treadmill they think of jogging on it for hours on end.

However, when utilized properly, the treadmill can be a powerful fat burning tool that you can use to your advantage. Although not my first choice of cardio equipment (the rowing machine is if you were wondering), the treadmill can be of use especially for beginners and those who can’t get outside year-round.

When putting together the 4 treadmill fat burning workouts below, I kept one thing in mind: intensity!

As we have discussed in previous articles, intensity is the key to burning tons of fat. As we saw in our 10-minute fat burning workout article, you can burn more fat in 10-minutes by doing high intensity workouts than you can doing a 60-minute jog on a treadmill.

The reason for this is your body utilizes the most fat burning when it works close or near it’s anaerobic threshold. This means doing exercises such as sprints, high intensity intervals and circuits, and the workouts found here on Fat Burning Workouts HQ!

Before jumping into the workouts, let’s first go over some preparation:

Preparation to your Treadmill Fat Burning Workouts

Step 1: Always warm up properly

Before doing any workout, you should always make sure you are fully warmed up. This means doing some dynamic stretching, a light 2-3 minute jog, and some bodyweight exercises.

Step 2: Do 1-2 minutes of intense exercise after your warm-up

This can include some burpees, one or two sprints on the treadmill, or some bodyweight exercises. The reason for this is to ensure your are fully ready to go so you can jump right into your workout.

Step 3: Have your water and towel by your side

Don’t be leaving the workout to run down and get water or a towel. Have that with you at the start. These workouts will require you to stay on task, so when the workout starts be focused and ready to go!

Step 4: Be safe

We have all seen the YouTube videos of someone falling off a treadmill… Don’t let this be you. Go at a pace you are comfortable doing while still pushing yourself to get better. Remember that safety is first!

Treadmill Fat Burning Workouts

Workout 1: Straight Up Sprints!

Equipment Needed: Treadmill

For this workout, you will complete 10 full speed sprints at 30-60 seconds each depending on fitness level. After each sprint, slow down and walk or jog for 30-60 seconds and repeat. An example 5 sprints is below (I am using level 10 as an example. Use a level that meets your needs).

After warm up…

Jog: 30 seconds
Sprint 1: 45 seconds on level 10
Jog or Walk: 30 seconds
Sprint 2: 45 seconds on level 10
Jog or Walk: 30 seconds
Sprint 3: 45 seconds on level 10
Jog or Walk: 30 seconds
Sprint 4: 45 seconds on level 10
Jog or Walk: 30 seconds
Sprint 5: 45 seconds on level 10
Repeat until you have done 10 sprints!

Total workout time: Around 15 minutes depending on warm-up!

Workout 2: Bodyweight Blaster

Equipment Needed: Treadmill, bodyweight

Move from one exercise to the next, resting only where it says to rest. Beginners should lower the numbers on the bodyweight exercises and add more rest time if needed.

After warm up…

Circuit 1:

Treadmill Sprint: 30 seconds
Rest 30 Seconds
Push-Ups: 15 reps
Bodyweight Squat: 15 reps
Burpees: 15 reps
Rest 30 seconds and repeat 3 times!

Circuit 2:

Treadmill Sprint: 30 seconds
Rest 30 Seconds
Squat Jumps: 15 reps
Close Grip Push-Ups: 15 reps
Cross Body Mountain Climbers: 15 reps each leg
Rest 30 seconds and repeat 3 times!

Circuit 3:

Treadmill Sprint: 30 seconds
Rest 30 seconds
Bodyweight Squats: 20 reps
Squat Hold: 20 seconds
Bodyweight Squats: 20 reps
Squat Hold: 20 seconds
Rest 30 seconds and repeat 3 times!

In all you will perform three sets of three different circuits, and a total of 9 treadmill sprints!

Workout 3: Dumbbell Finisher

Equipment Needed: Treadmill, pair of dumbbells, bodyweight

After warm up…

Workout 4: The Murph (courtesy of Crossfit!)

Equipment Needed: Treadmill, bodyweight, pull-up bar

I typically do this workout outdoors, however, when it is negative 20 degrees outside it can get kind of difficult!

1 mile run on treadmill
100 Pull-Ups
200 Push-Ups
300 Bodyweight Squats
1 mile run on treadmill

You must start and end with a 1-mile run. You can complete the pull-ups, push-ups, and bodyweight squats in an order or fashion. Beginners should lower the number of reps, and distance on the treadmill.

As you can see, you can create some amazing Treadmill Fat Burning Workouts simply by getting creative. Don’t fall into the trap of thinking the treadmill is only for the people wasting their time doing long slow cardio. Go out and show them what a real treadmill workout should look like, and watch as you start burning more fat than ever before!

Did you know you could perform Superhero Sprints on a Treadmill? Well you can, and this unique style of sprinting can TRIPLE your fat burning. Check it out:

Extreme Fat Burning Workouts

If you are looking to bump up the intensity in your workouts, then look no further than our four latest Extreme Fat Burning Workouts!

Many of the workouts found on this site can be categorized as ‘Extreme’, but what makes the workouts below different is they are also ‘Challenge Workouts.” This means, you will try and complete each of the workouts as fast as possible, then when you decide to do the same workout again, your goal is to beat your previous time.

The extreme fat burning workouts below are advanced but can be catered to any fitness level.

If a repetition count is too high or too low, simply lower it to fit your fitness level. If an exercise is too hard, be sure to alter it so you can do perfect reps. For example, if you cannot do regular push-ups, perform them on your knees or on a bench.

Extreme Fat Burning Challenge Workouts

Before jumping into the extreme challenge workouts below, give this workout a try first:

Starter Workout:

You will perform the four exercises below the video in a 20-10 interval fashion. This means 20 seconds of the exercise, followed by a 10 second rest and repeating:

Exercises:

Squat Jumps
Push-Ups
Burpees
Alternating Lunges

This is a great workout to start with before moving into the workouts below. Remember the following workouts are EXTREME!

Each workout is to be completed as fast as possible with as little rest as possible!

Workout 1: 300 reps

Complete all reps of one exercise before moving to the next!

Pull-ups: 25 reps
Deadlifts with 135 pounds: 50 reps
Pushups: 50 reps
24-inch box jumps: 50 reps
Floor wipers: 50 reps
Single-arm clean and press with 36 pound kettlebell: 50 reps
Pull-ups: 25 reps

(This workout can also be found in our Fat Burning Workouts For Men section!)

Workout 2: 400 reps

Complete all reps in any fashion or order.

100 Push-Ups
100 Squat Jumps
100 Pull-Ups
100 Burpees

Yes, you read that properly… 100 Burpees! Beginners should cut the repetitions in half for each exercise and perform jumping pull-ups and knee/bench push-ups. If you need to, lower the burpee count to 25 reps the first time you do this workout!

Workout 3: 500 reps

Complete 50 reps of one exercise before moving to the next! Finish as quickly as possible keeping perfect form throughout. Rest when needed. (A similar workout can be found in our Fat Burning Workouts From Home article!)

50 Push-Ups
50 Squat Jumps
50 Pull-Ups
50 Jump Lunges
50 Bench or Chair Dips
50 Single Leg Squats (25 each leg)
50 Plank to Push-Ups
50 Inverted Row
50 Burpees
50 Double Jumps

Workout 4: 1000 reps

Overhead Press can be done with dumbbells or a barbell. Choose a weight that you can perform 15-20 reps with on each attempt.

There you have it, four Extreme Fat Burning Workouts right at your finger tips. Take the challenge and see how fast you can finish!

Good Fat Burning Workouts

One of the most popular questions I hear people ask is ‘Do you have any good fat burning workouts for me to do today?’ My answer is always the same: “Of course I do!”

I have always taken pride in the workouts I create for others and love any chance and opportunity to provide someone with a workout that is going to help them burn fat and get fit.

Here at Fat Burning Workouts HQ, we don’t just create good fat burning workouts we create great fat burning workouts!

Workouts that will eliminate unwanted fat, and replace it with ripped, lean muscle.

With the wide variety of workouts found on this site, you will never be left wondering what workout you should do next. Whether you have 30-minutes, 10-minutes, or just want a simple quick fat burning workout… You can find it all!

So what good fat burning workouts should you try this week?

Below are five different workout options for you to choose from. These simple yet powerful workouts will definitely have you saying “that workout wasn’t good… It was GREAT!”

Workout 1:

After each exercise, you will perform 3 burpees. Move from one exercise to the next with little or no rest. Rest only when it says to rest. (And don’t you forget to do those 3 burpees after each exercise!)

Box Jumps: 15 reps
Push-Ups: 15 reps
Bear Crawl: 30 yards
Dive Bomber Push-Ups: 10 reps
Broad Jump: 30 yards
Rest 60 seconds and repeat 3 times!

Workout 2:

All you need for this workout is a pair of dumbbells. Move from one exercise to the next with little or no rest and complete as many rounds as possible in 10 minutes.

Squat to Press: 15 reps
Renegade Row with Push-Up: 10 reps
Dumbbell Overhead Single Leg Squat: 10 reps each leg (foot on a bench)
Burpees with Dumbbells in hand: 10 reps

Workout 3:

Interval of 20 seconds on followed by a 10 second rest and repeat for 16 rounds (8 minutes). Simple yet powerful!

Push-Ups
Squat Jumps

Workout 4:

Leg Press: 12 reps
Quick Step Ups (12 inch stair or box): 15 each leg
Goblet Squats: 15 reps
Step-ups (24 inch box or bench): 10 each leg
Rest 45 seconds and repeat 5 times!

Workout 5:

There you have it, five amazing fat burning workouts that will help get you fit faster than ever before!