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Lose 10 Pounds in a Month With This Bodyweight Workout Trainers Love

These three lower-body exercises will torch calories and body fat.
FACT CHECKED BY Alexa Mellardo

When it comes to speeding up weight loss with workouts, burning more calories is your top priority. The good news is that with just 30 minutes or less, three times per week, you can ramp up your body's metabolism and calorie burn while improving your aerobic fitness and strength. The workout we put together to help you lose 10 pounds in a month focuses on lower-body exercises that use the largest muscle groups, thus burning the most overall calories.

To keep things simple for you, this bodyweight routine includes just three exercises. However, you can increase the intensity with weight, add speed and explosiveness, or bump up the number of reps or total rounds of the circuit. Combined with science-backed ways to lose belly fat and long-term healthy eating habits, this fitness regimen is a surefire way to make losing 10 pounds in a month a realistic goal—as long as you can put forth the effort!

For this bodyweight workout, perform the first two exercises for 10 to 20 reps. For the sprints, complete the prescribed amount of yards. Work up to five or more total rounds for maximum calorie burn. Aim to complete the workout a minimum of two times per week, with three times being optimal. And of course, be sure to take 24 to 48 hours of recovery time between workouts.

Are you ready to lose 10 pounds in a month? Keep reading to learn more about this productive bodyweight workout, and next up, don't miss Top-recommended Exercises To Lose 15 Pounds in a Month.

Bodyweight Squats

fitness woman performing squats outdoors in sunshine
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No good circuit routine is complete without some serious lower-body exercises. The squat reigns king (or queen) when it comes to blasting your glutes, quads, and hamstrings while kicking your calorie burn into high gear.

To perform squats, begin standing with your feet wider than hip-width apart and your toes slightly turned out. Bend at the knees and hip as you stick your hips backward and lower toward the floor. When the tops of your thighs are parallel to the ground, drive through both feet to return to the standing position. Repeat for target repetitions.

Lose 5 Inches off Your Waist With This Bodyweight Workout, Trainer Says

Lunges

Lunges are another killer lower-body exercise. This movement incorporates elements of balance and improves your lower-body mobility while hitting all the good muscles below your waistline.

To perform lunges, begin standing with your feet hip-width apart. Take a big step forward with your working leg. After you step, lower your hips by focusing on bringing your back knee toward the floor by bending at the knee. When your knee is an inch or two above the floor, drive through your front foot to return to the starting position. You can step all the way back to standing, or keep your forward foot in place and focus on just the up and down. Repeat on one side for target repetitions, then switch sides, and repeat.

Sprints

male runner, sprinter training for a race outdoors to lose unwanted weight
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Sprints are an absolute calorie-incinerating form of exercise that improves lower body explosiveness, athleticism, muscularity, and the functional ability to quickly get from point A to point B on foot. The intensity to count as a "sprint" will vary based on your current fitness level. A brisk walk might be sufficiently intense to drive your heart rate to its upper limits. Other individuals may require an all-out sprint, pushing maximum velocity to hit the "sprint intensity." You'll know you are at the right intensity if you are very out of breath and feeling the burn after each sprint.

To perform sprints, stand at the beginning of an open runway between 40 yards and 100 yards. Begin each sprint by explosively stepping forward, and with each step, focus on driving your front foot directly into the ground then exploding with your hips, quads, and calves as you continue sprinting forward.

Upon reaching the finish line, decelerate slowly by bending at your knees and "pushing the ground away" as you take five to 10 deceleration steps. Do not attempt to suddenly stop, and avoid locking your knees when decelerating.

Rest for 20 to 60 seconds between sprints. More rest means higher output on each sprint, but also increases the duration of the workout. Repeat for five to 10 sprints.

Tyler Read
Tyler Read is a personal trainer and has been involved in health and fitness for the past 15 years. Read more about Tyler
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