If you're trying to lean down and lose fat, the combo of high-intensity workouts and low-carb eating is your best bet.
So with that in mind, BuzzFeed Life asked Albert Matheny, C.S.C.S., co-founder of Soho Strength Lab in New York City, to create a 20-minute high-intensity workout. Here's what he came up with.
This workout has two different parts to it: Circuit 1, and Circuit 2. Each circuit has five moves.
Here's how it works:
1. You start with Circuit 1, and you do as many rounds of that circuit as you can in 10 minutes (as many rounds as possible, otherwise known as AMRAP).
2. After 10 minutes, you take a one-minute rest break.
3. Then you move on to Circuit 2. Do as many rounds of Circuit 2 as you can in 10 minutes.
Don't forget to warm up and cool down. Now get to it!
Do as many rounds as possible (AMRAP) in 10 minutes!
1. Do 10 squat jumps.
2. Do 15 mountain climbers (15 on each leg).
3. Do 10 side lunges on each leg.
4. Do 10 elevated push-ups.
5. Hold a v-hold for 30 seconds.
Now repeat the circuit as many times as you can in 10 minutes!
When you're done with your 10 minutes, take a one-minute rest break. If you want to challenge yourself, you can take an 'active rest': do one minute of low-intensity jumping jacks, and get some water before starting Circuit 2.
Do as many rounds as possible (AMRAP) in 10 minutes.
1. Do 10 single-leg deadlifts on each leg.
2. Do 10 reverse lunges on each leg.
3. Do 10 squats.
4. Do 10 Supermans (Supermen?).
5. Hold a plank for 30 seconds.
Do as many rounds as you can in 10 minutes. When your 10 minutes are up, cool down for two minutes.
Special thanks to Matheny, who very graciously modeled moves 1, 2, and 5 in Circuit 1.
Before you go, here's what you should understand about how this workout will help you burn more fat:
As we said above, the combo of high-intensity workouts and a low-carb diet is the most efficient way to burn fat, if that's your goal. That means that doing this workout by itself isn't going to help you lean down — you also need to adjust your eating habits.
Here's what's behind that: High-intensity workouts are way more efficient at burning calories than steady-state cardio (think biking or running at the same moderate pace for a set period of time). This part of the equation helps with weight loss: It's easier to have a calorie deficit (more calories burned than the calories you eat) when you're doing high-intensity workouts.
And to boil a bunch of complicated science into a simple concept, when you eat a lot of carbs, that's what your body uses as energy during a workout. But when you eat low-carb, your body turns to your fat stores for energy sooner, Matheny says. If your goal is fat loss, you'll want your body to get to the fat stores sooner.
Put it all together, and a workout that burns a lot more calories in less time + a specific type of diet where you burn more fat while you workout = faster fat loss. Here's a lot more info on all that, if you're curious.