What Are Fat-Burning Workout Finishers & How Do They Work?

Fat-burning workout finishers are short, intense exercises that can be used at the end of a workout to maximise fat loss. They usually take between 1-10 minutes and allow you to get that last ‘push’ out of a workout. These exercises are designed to help you burn more calories and push your body to its limits. By doing this, you can get the most out of your workouts and reach your goals faster.

Doing a workout finisher is a great way to level up your strength or cardio workout, so your body continues to burn more calories long after your main program is over. This involves a quick, intense burst of cardio and/or strength exercises that activate EPOC or Excess Post-exercise Oxygen Consumption and increases both anaerobic fitness and muscular endurance.

Now that you know more, it’s time to get to work.

1. High Knees

The lower belly area is a tough spot to tone, but worry no more because this exercise will save the day. High knees is a cardio-intensive exercise performed at a fast pace. It engages your core, strengthens all the muscles in your legs, gets your heart rate up and improves momentum, coordination, and flexibility.

The Basics: Proper High Knees Form

1. Running in place, lift your knees in front of your body up to waist height.
2. Modification: step it, don’t run it.
3. Repeat the process. Do a minimum of four 30-second reps while bringing your knees as high as you can.

2. Sit-Ups

Finishing with a classic exercise such as sit-ups is one way to help boost your core strength. This is the OG abdominal exercise that is done by lying on your back and lifting your torso. Another reason why they’re so popular? They’re very easy to modify. You can do traditional sit-ups, stability ball sit-ups, V-sits, or elbow-to-knee sit-ups. The possibilities are endless!

The Basics: Proper Sit-Ups Form

1. Begin by lying on your back. Keep your legs and knees together.
2. With legs bent and feet placed firmly on the ground, curl your upper body toward your knees, exhaling as you lift.
3. Keep your hands positioned behind your head or crossed at your chest.
4. Don't use the momentum of your arms to lift your upper torso.
5. Slowly return to your starting position. Do two to three sets of 10-15 repetitions.

3. Burpees

It may be time to end your burpee boycott this 2023! Burpees are a great workout finisher as it is a high-intensity exercise that can improve your cardiovascular function, aerobic fitness and blood sugar regulation. It’s an awesome full-body exercise that burns more calories (compared to lower-intensity exercises that work the same muscles).

The Basics: Proper Burpees Form

1. Stand with wide knees for a strong jump.
2. Jump and land softly into a squat.
3. Squat with your head in line with your tailbone, and keep your chest up.
4. Place your hands down with your knees wider than your elbows.
5. Keep a flat back and jump your feet back so that you land into a plank.
6. Plank with your shoulders over your wrists, and a straight line from your head to heels.
7. Lower your plank into a push-up, keeping a straight line from your head to your heels.
8. Jump your knees to the outsides of your elbows.
9. Stand upright.
10. Rest for 30 seconds and do another set. Aim for two to three sets of 10-15 reps.

4. Push-Up

The push-up truly is one of the top bodyweight exercises for targeting upper-body muscles. While push-ups do not burn fat directly, resistance training does! It burns calories, which can help create the deficit needed for weight loss. Building muscle can also increase your metabolism, which means you’ll burn more calories throughout the day (not counting exercise). If you require more motivation to do it, may we also remind you that you don’t need any equipment to get started with push-ups?

The Basics: Proper Push-Up Form

1. Start in the plank position.
2. Contract your abs and tighten your core by pulling your belly button toward your spine.
3. Inhale as you slowly bend your elbows and lower yourself to the floor, until your elbows are at a 90-degree angle.
4. Exhale while contracting your chest muscles and pushing back up through your hands, returning to the start position.

5. 100 Rep Squat Finisher

For the 100 Rep Finisher, you can choose just one exercise and repeat it 100 times… Easy, right?

For beginners, we suggest doing a 100-rep squat finisher. Squat exercises aren’t just for athletes. You can do them as part of your regular exercise routine, as they are some of the most time-effective moves for shaping and strengthening your entire lower body, especially your backside. You can take a break, but try to keep it minimal. Remember to set a timer before you start and keep a note of your time once you have finished. Aim to beat this next time.

The Basics: Proper Squat Form

1. Stand with feet a little wider than hip width, toes facing front.
2. Drive your hips back — bending at the knees and ankles and pressing your knees slightly open — as you…
3. Sit into a squat position while still keeping your heels and toes on the ground, chest up and shoulders back.
4. Strive to eventually reach parallel, meaning knees are bent to a 90-degree angle.
5. Press into your heels and straighten the legs to return to a standing upright position.

There you have it! The best part about using fat-burning workout finishers is that they don't require any special equipment or knowledge. All you need is your body weight and some motivation. So if you're looking for a way to maximise your fat-burning potential, then try adding some fat-burning workout finishers to your routine and give these a try!

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