Bring out your inner athlete from behind the fat

Everyone knows that to lose fat involves increasing your metabolism. What you may not know is that muscle plays a huge role in raising that metabolism. A pound of muscle burns about 60 calories a day while a pound of fat burns 5. That means any growth in muscle is going to help you burn more calories all day long.

This workout program is what is called circuit training. By doing the exercises right after each other without any rest in between, it not only elevates your heart rate, but also makes your muscle work. This helps strip away the fat that is covering the built muscle underneath. By working out the bigger muscles, it helps burn the fat easier as more energy is expended to work out that muscle.

For this to work, you need to workout roughly 2-3 times a week and go through the following routine 2-3 times per workout. Start by doing 5 minutes of cardio to warm-up, then go through each exercise in rapid succession. Do 5 more minutes of cardio, then go through the list again for the second or third time.

With the barbell on the rack (at shoulder height), approach it with the back of your shoulders having the weight. While keeping your back and head straight, lift the weight off the rack. Then while keeping your feet shoulder length apart, begin to bend your knees. Keeping your back and head straight, never let your knees go past your toes. Once your legs are bent around 90 degrees you can ascend back to the starting position.

Using a wide bar, hold it with a wide comfortable grip, while putting your knees underneath the pad. Pull the bar down smoothly until it touches the top of your chest. Now extend your arms back to the top.

Sit on the machine with your thighs underneath the pads with your toes on the bottom pad. Lower your heels as low as you can and then raise them as high as you can. Repeat.

Start by making sure you are comfortable underneath a bar with the weight around your upper chest (make sure this is comfortable). Now raise the weight and if you ever need a spot just turn the bar and it will lock into place. Lower weight to upper chest. Press bar until arms are extended. Repeat.

Stand underneath a smith machine with the bar lying against your trapezius muscles. With one leg behind your body on a bench or ball lower your body slowly using the front leg. NEVER let your knee go over your toe and go until it's comfortable. This is a difficult exercise so please make sure you are with someone to spot you.

Start the one arm dumbbell row by kneeling down on an exercise ball with the opposing arm holding onto a dumbbell. To begin slowly bring the dumbbell upwards to your chest keeping your elbow tight as possible into your body. Slowly bring the weight back down to the starting position.

Lie back on a big ball with your shoulder blades on the ball, with your hips level with the ball slowly roll up contracting your abs (as shown). Slowly return to the starting position

Sit comfortably making sure your knees are ninety degrees to the floor. Start with the weight at your side above your head (as shown). Raise the weight up without locking your elbows, keeping your abdomen tight. Lower the weight to the starting position.