Burn fat and build core strength in just six moves, and without weights
Boost your metabolism and strengthen your core in just 30-minutes using just your bodyweight
We're so used to the idea that you need extended training sessions with weights to see muscle-building results. Fortunately, you can use this six-move bodyweight routine to strengthen your core and burn fat, even when you're tight on time.
Although the best adjustable dumbbells are often essential to a time-efficient resistance training workout, you don't need any equipment for this bodyweight routine. Instead, the focus is on high-intensity exercise based on multi-muscle activities.
It was developed by personal trainers Rhiannon Bailey and Bradley Simmonds, with the duo demonstrating alternate versions of the routine. Simmonds tackles the beginner-friendly edition, while Bailey leads you through the advanced variations.
This means you can make the workout a regular part of your training, gradually moving from the beginner routine up to the advanced session as your fitness improves and you gain strength.
You'll do each of the six exercises for 45 seconds, rest for 15 seconds, then start on the next move. Once you reach the end of the round, repeat another four times for a high-intensity 30-minute routine you can do from anywhere.
Simmonds' variations are also helpful if you're in a flat, apartment, or shared house, as the low-impact moves are easy on your joints, and there's no running or jumping to make lots of noise.
Watch Rhiannon Bailey's six-move bodyweight workout
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This training style—where you exercise intensely for short bursts before taking a brief break—is known as High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT). It's a popular way to fit a results-focused workout into a short amount of time.
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The quick blasts of intense work help train your muscles and raise your heart rate, and the short breaks don't allow for much recovery time between moves. This helps burn energy during the session but also boosts your metabolism.
As a result, you burn more energy and fat throughout the day, helping you reach your fitness goals in as little as 30 minutes a day. It's also why many people reach for a HIIT workout for fat loss and to drop pounds.
Bailey and Simmonds' routine is also an effective way to train your core—a section of mid-body muscle responsible for balance, stability, posture, and circulation. Moves like mountain climbers, lunges, and burpees all work your core and help raise your heart rate.
If you find yourself at a gym or have one of the best kettlebells at home, you could also learn how to do kettlebell swings. This multi-muscle move works your whole body, improves your metabolism, burns fat, and develops core strength.
James is a London-based journalist and Fitness Editor at Fit&Well. He has over five years experience in fitness tech, including time spent as the Buyer’s Guide Editor and Staff Writer at technology publication MakeUseOf. In 2014 he was diagnosed with a chronic health condition, which spurred his interest in health, fitness, and lifestyle management.
In the years since, he has become a devoted meditator, experimented with workout styles and exercises, and used various gadgets to monitor his health. In recent times, James has been absorbed by the intersection between mental health, fitness, sustainability, and environmentalism. When not concerning himself with health and technology, James can be found excitedly checking out each week’s New Music Friday releases.