5 At-Home Moves That Burn More Fat Than a Treadmill

Jun 06, 2025

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When you’re working out at home on your own, it’s important to constantly challenge yourself and kick up your fitness game. You may not have a lot of equipment at your fingertips, but that doesn’t mean you can’t get in a productive workout. We spoke with a fitness expert who shares a five-move at-home workout that melts more fat than using a treadmill.

Although doing some cardio on a treadmill provides a solid heart-boosting workout, bodyweight training engages multiple muscle groups, builds lean muscle, increases bone density, and reduces body fat. In addition, as you age, building and maintaining muscle must be a priority, which is why we’ve come up with this productive bodyweight workout.

“What makes these body weight exercises particularly effective is that the body position in relationship to gravity challenges specific muscles creating whole body toning and strengthening,” says Joy Puleo, NPCP, ACSM and director of education at Balanced Body.

The routine below shouldn’t take longer than 20 minutes to complete. Joy recommends performing the exercises two to three times a week to see noticeable results. The best part? You’ll never get bored, as there’s much variation you can challenge yourself with.

Planks work your pecs, traps, anterior delts, rhomboids, and spinal extensors.

“This is an isometric exercise, a static hold exercise,” Joy tells us. “Studies are showing that isometric exercises build strength and endurance relatively quickly.”

The 15-Minute Bodyweight Workout That Replaces an Hour at the Gym

The pushup presents a dynamic version of the straight-arm plank.

“Dynamic exercises change the body’s relationship to gravity while also moving multiple joints, such as the shoulders, elbows, and shoulder blades,” Joy says. “This increases muscle strength around moving joints, changes the way forces are put into and need to be responded to, and teaches the nervous system how to coordinate movement relative to gravity.”

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“Because you are balanced on one arm and side facing [in the side plank], your obliques and the side body muscles from the upper body through the legs requires stability, strength, and endurance,” Joy tells us.

Squats are one of the “most practical and functional” bodyweight moves, Joy says, adding, “They build strength, endurance and neuromuscular coordination of the lower body while integrating the legs with the core.”6254a4d1642c605c54bf1cab17d50f1e

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Lunges work the hamstrings, quads, glutes, and knee flexor muscles.

“The lunge is directly related to walking and functional reciprocal leg motion,” Joy says.