Conditioning Exercises To Lose Weight

By Joash Guevarra

List or no list, the start of the year is often the perfect time to make significant changes with your lifestyle such as committing to fitness. After spending the holidays enjoying your favourite sweets and fatty foods, getting into shape is also a great way to improve your body and eliminate any excess weight you might have gained last year.

However, getting into fitness is one thing. Staying consistent with your routine is another. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), being physically active improves your brain health, manages weight, reduces your risk of diseases, and strengthens your bones and muscles. So if you want to get the most out of your exercises, be sure to follow your daily or weekly routine.

How Much Should I Exercise?

Now you might be asking how often you should exercise. CDC suggests 150 minutes a week of moderate physical activity, especially if you want to maintain your weight. By simply spending 30 minutes working out every day, you can easily reach the weekly recommendation.

But if you are only starting to get into fitness or haven’t been working out for a while, it might be best to start with some conditioning exercises. As the name suggests, activities that fall under this category are meant to strengthen and improve your body. Doing so boosts cardiovascular health, burns calories, increases flexibility, and builds muscle. These benefits will eventually transform your body, allowing you to tackle intermediate and even advanced exercises.

So with that said, here are 5 examples of conditioning exercises you can do to achieve your “New Year, New Me” goal this 2023.

Warm Those Muscles Up First

Despite their name, you still need to warm up before doing some conditioning exercises. According to Certified Personal Trainer Keith Hodges, Founder of Mind in Muscle Coaching in Los Angeles, a warm up is the most important part of the workout as it sets the physical and mental tone for what’s to come. Spending a few minutes prepping your body can make a huge difference in having a more effective, safer, and more enjoyable workout.

The following are some of the warm-up exercises you can do to prepare your body for the main workout:

• Piriformis Stretch
• Calf Stretch
• Hip Flexor Stretch
• Butterfly Stretch
• Hamstring Stretch

5 Examples of Conditioning Exercises

I. Squat Jumps

How to do it:

1. Stand up straight. Ensure that your feet are slightly wider than shoulder-width.
2. Squat until your thighs are barely higher than your knees.
3. Engage your core and jump. Don’t forget to extend your arms overhead.
4. Land on the balls of your feet with soft bent knees.
5. Return to a squat position.

The squat jump is a variation of the classic squat exercise that puts more stress on your joints. While it may be harder, it offers plenty of strength and aerobic benefits like higher bone density, better cardiovascular health, improved overall athletic performance, and more.

If squat jumps are a bit too tough for you now, you can try classic squats until your body becomes capable of handling them. If your body is ready and you want to make your squat jumps challenging again, try increasing your reps or changing the depth of your squats. 

II. Mountain Climbers

How to do it:

1. Get into a plank position. Ensure that your hands are shoulder-width apart, back flat, abs engaged, and your head in alignment.
2. Pull your knee into your chest as far as you can.
3. Extend the same knee back to the starting position and repeat the previous step with the other one.

If you want to build your cardio endurance, core strength, and agility, this conditioning exercise is perfect for you. 

There are ways to modify your experience if you want to make it easier or tougher.

If you find it a bit too tough, you can try elevating your upper body by using a step or a block. On the other hand, you can try placing your left hand on your right knee as you perform the exercise to make it more challenging. This variation engages your core and improves your balance since there will only be two points of contact with the floor for a short time.

III. Jogging

How to maintain proper form:

1. Engage your core and gaze forward.
2. Avoid tilting your head down and slumping your shoulders.
3. Broaden your shoulders.
4. Keep your arms loose and use a relaxed arm swing.
5. Maintain good posture.

While jogging may seem simple to do, proper form is essential if you want to get the most out of this beginner-friendly exercise. Of course, you are free to jog anywhere. You can do it outside or with the use of a treadmill. No matter which option you choose, you’re still giving your body benefits such as better weight control, a stronger immune system, a positive mood, longer life, and more.

And to make it easier, you can start jogging at a slower pace. But if you want a challenge, you can try doing it uphill or pushing something heavy.

IV. Side Lunges

How to do it:

1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart.
2. Take a big step to the right. Press down your left foot as you do this step.
3. Step back to starting position and repeat with your other foot.

This conditioning exercise is a nice change of pace since it develops your side movements as opposed to the usual forward or twist motions. It helps improve your balance, stability, and strength.

If you need help with this exercise, you can have a chair in front of you to help you balance yourself as you do each step. On the other hand, you can carry dumbbells to make it more challenging.

V. Box Jumps

How to do it:

1. Stand in front of a sturdy box or chair.
2. Use both legs to jump on top, raising your arms overhead.
3. Jump back to the starting position, bending your knees as you land.
4. Repeat the previous steps.

Box jumps are an excellent exercise if you want to enhance your vertical jump, increase endurance, strengthen your legs, and improve your balance. You can consider doing step ups if you find it difficult to finish your reps. 

To make it challenging, all you need to do is use a taller box. Just don’t forget to make sure that it’s sturdy to avoid accidents.

Getting into shape is one of the best New Year’s resolutions. However, you need to remember that your body needs time to prepare itself before you try on some challenging workout routines. Going for these 5 conditioning exercises is an excellent way to physically and mentally prepare yourself to achieve your fitness goals.