This is a really tough question because a combination of exercises would be ideal and nutrition is by far the most important part of the weight loss equation. If I had to imagine the best exercise to lose fat, it would (1) create an intense muscle burn and stimulation in most of your muscles (2) increase your heart rate and your body temperature and (3) burn calories after the workout, creating an afterburn effect.

Generally speaking, I believe the best exercises to lose weight are high intensity leg exercises, because your legs comprise the largest volume of muscle in your body and can create powerful hormonal changes. They also satisfy all the points I just listed.

I’m biting my lip as I write this because there are so many exercises with pros/cons to each, but I would say the Dumbbell Clean & Press. The wrinkle I would add is to do a squat in between the clean and the press, as if you are jumping the weight up. This is an exercise that requires some technical skill and also pretty good hip/calf mobility, so be careful (See: How To Increase Squat Depth).

The DB Clean & Press works just about every muscle in the body. Because it’s a power exercise that requires both upper and lower body strength and power, you can burn a ton of calories while helping retain your muscle mass as you lose only fat.

The downside is the DB Clean & Press only combines two movement patterns (squat and vertical press), but no single exercise can incorporate all movement patterns. Honorable mentions include The Prowler, Airdyne, Walking Lunges, Kettlebell Swings, Sprinting (and uphill sprinting especially).

– Marc Perry, CSCS, CPT