The Best Exercises for Cutting Fat Fast

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By Alex
Last updated on

Discover the best exercises for cutting fat fast. The fat burning exercises and workouts on this page will help you cut fat and get a ripped physique.

So, what are the best exercises for cutting fat? To give you the best answer to this question, I must address two essential items:

  • Quality vs. Speed. The quality of weight loss is much more important than the speed of weight loss. You should aim to achieve maximum fat loss, while preserving as much muscle mass as possible.
  • Diet is King. Yes, exercise is very important to accelerating fat loss. However, the most critical component of cutting fat is adhering to smart bodybuilding diet for cutting. You can exercise all day long, but if your diet consists of cheese wheels and deep fried butter sticks, then you simply will not lose weight. In other words, you must eat fewer calories than you burn in order to cut fat.

That being said, I’ll list and explain the best exercises and workout methods for cutting fat fast.

Cardio Workouts and Exercises for Cutting Fat Fast

Cardiovascular exercise is a very effective way to cut fat, while also improving your health and general fitness levels.

If you want to do cardio at your gym, the most common cardio workouts include running, jogging or walking on these machines:

  • Treadmill
  • Elliptical
  • StairMaster
  • Stationary Bike
  • Rowing Machine

Don’t fret if the above options sound unreasonably dull and tedious to you. Luckily, you are not limited to machines…

…There are plenty of other ways to have a fat burning cardio workout without being bored to tears. It’s impossible to list all of the different cardio activities known to mankind. But I’ll get you started by listing a few interesting cardio exercises for cutting fat:

  • Biking
  • Calisthenics
  • Sparring
  • Punching bag
  • Jump rope
  • Hiking
  • Hill sprints
  • Swimming
  • Kayaking/Paddling
  • Sprinting
  • Running
  • Jogging
  • Any athletic sport (e.g. basketball, tennis)

Compound Exercises for Cutting Fat Fast

Compound weight lifting exercises reign supreme for fat loss because they require you to expend more energy, compared to isolation exercises. More energy used equals more calories burned, which means you have a greater ability to induce noticeable fat loss.

All compounds lifts are great fat burners, but I’ll only list the top 3 compound exercises for cutting fat fast.

  1. Barbell Squat
  2. Deadlift
  3. Power Clean

Trust me, these exercises will make you sweat your ass off (pun intended):

Full Body Workouts for Cutting Fat Fast

One of the best types of weight lifting routines for cutting fat (at least for beginners and intermediates) is a 3-4 day full body routine (try MYx8 if you’re new to lifting).

I do not recommend doing body part split routines like Max OT when cutting. Body part splits involve hitting one or two muscle groups per workout, 5+ days per week.

A full body routine provide the following fat loss benefits, as compared to a body part split:

  • You Burn More Calories. On average, you burn more calories and fat per workout because (quality) full body routines utilize major compound lifts, which require more energy (i.e., more calories burned).
  • You Have More Time for Cardio. You do not have to worry about a body/split routine taking up 5-6 days a week. Cardio is easy to do on the off days because of the 3-day nature of the workout routine.
  • You Preserve Your Strength Better. You are likely to lose strength when cutting calories. It is difficult to avoid strength loss, but it is very possible to minimize it. Full body routines do this because they involve frequent use of the major exercises, thus allowing you to move the heaviest amounts of weight and preventing your strength gains from deteriorating.

Note: An upper body/lower body split may be more beneficial for more experienced weight lifters.

Final Word

Remember, you won’t burn an ounce of fat using these fat cutting exercises and workouts unless you’re eating fewer calories than you expend. So read up on how to create a bodybuilding diet to design an effective cutting diet plan.

Alex from King of the Gym
Author
Hey! My name is Alex and I'm the founder and author of King of the Gym. I've been lifting weights seriously since 2005 in high school when I started a home gym in my parents' basement. I started writing about fitness in 2009. Then, in 2014, I got into writing home gym equipment reviews and I haven't looked back. My current home gym is in my own house and it's constantly growing and evolving. My goal is to help you build the home gym of your dreams! Read more about me here.

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