7 Exercises That Will Transform Your Whole Body in Just 4 Weeks

Searching for the best exercises to lose weight and change your body?

There are so many exercises out there billed for weight loss, to shrink this body part or build that muscle.

But when you’re looking to transform your entire body and improve your cardiovascular health, where do you start?

While there is no one best exercise to lose weight, there are effective exercises using compound movement for weight loss.

As you know, losing weight is more than just a smaller number on the scale. You want to keep the muscle that you’ve earned while burning fat. Logically.

The Ideal Exercise to Lose Weight

Meet the body composition exercise. This is the ideal exercise to reach your weight loss goal.

Pair with a fast pace and good form and you’ll be well on your way to building bone density (fight osteoporosis!), burning belly fat, and increasing your lean muscle mass. 

The 7 best exercises to lose weight and transform your whole body in 4 weeks.

1. Plank

As a personal trainer, the plank is a personal favorite isometric exercise. It’s a popular way to work your abs, back, glutes, arms, and legs. It’s great for good posture and toning your muscles.

The key to this low-impact exercise is proper form.

• Plant your hands directly under your shoulders and spread your fingers wide to create a stable base.
• Tuck your toes and engage your glutes and core, lifting your hips. Do not lock your knees. Gaze slightly forward. There should be a straight line from the tip of your head to your heels.
• Hold for 30 seconds to start. Don’t forget to breathe!

Add time with experience for stronger abs. It’s mind over matter in this highly effective move. 

The best part about this exercise is that the variations are endless! You can perform on your forearms or on your side. You can also add Russian Twists or hip dips. These are a great way to target your obliques.

2. Push-ups

Rows are not the only effective way to burn fat and tone your arms! To build strength in your upper body, add pushups to your routine.

This great move will target your biceps, triceps, abs, shoulders, and pectoral muscles. They will also strengthen your lower back and core.

To do a proper push-up:

• Start in a plank with straight arms. Note: you can also perform on your knees.
• Slowly lower your torso towards the ground without losing proper form, arms at a 90-degree angle, elbows in.
• On an exhale, return back to the starting position. That is 1 rep.

Want a more intense variation for that calorie burn? Try performing on an incline.

3. Glute Bridge

The glute bridge is a low-impact lower body workout that targets your posterior chain, hamstrings, core, buttocks, and hip muscles.

• Lie on your back with your knees bent, feet flat on the floor. Have your arms by your sides, palms down.
• Ground your shoulders, arms, and feet. On an exhale, use your hamstrings and quads to lift your hips to create a straight line from your shoulders to your knees.
• Squeeze your glutes. With control, slowly lower your hips to the ground. Keep a steady pace.

Kick it up a notch by holding weights or a barbell in front of your lap as you lift and lower or add crunches.

4. Squats

Strengthen your glutes, quads, and abs with the squat exercise.

This compound exercise is all about control. Take your time.

• To perform the basic squat, stand upright with your feet shoulder-width apart, toes slightly turned out.
• Evenly distribute your weight between both feet and keep your weight in your heels and balls of each foot. Avoid any weight on your toes.
• Extend your arms out in front of you, palms down. Your arms should be parallel to the floor.
• With a neutral spine, engage your core as you slowly start to bend at the hips and knee joints, lowering your seat until your thighs are parallel with the ground. Your knees should not go past your toes.
• On an exhale, press through your feet to return to the starting position. Continue for your desired number of reps.

Want muscle gain? Add weight! You can hold a dumbbell in each hand, hold a kettlebell in front of your chest, or a barbell in your hands for front squats.

To take it even further, add kettlebell swings or a deadlift! Add heavier weights with strength training experience.

5. Burpees

Burpees get a lot of hate. They are a tough bodyweight, full-body workout!

But this exercise is a great workout that will set your entire body on fire while increasing your heart rate and burning extra calories.

They target virtually every muscle group in your body. They are a great exercise to add to your High-Intensity Interval Training, HIIT for short.

This exercise will test your stamina, elevate your heart rate and burn a large number of calories in a short amount of time.

Burpees can be broken into 4 high-intensity movements.

• Step 1: Start in a standing position with your feet shoulder-width distance apart at the top of your mat. Lower into a squat, placing your hands on the ground, underneath your shoulders.
• Step 2: Hop back while simultaneously straightening your legs, landing in a plank position. Keep your arms extended.
• Step 3: Hop your feet back to the top of your mat, framing your hands, returning back to the squat position.
• Step 4: Explode through your legs and calves, jumping as high as you can while stretching open your body. Reach your arms above your head.

That is 1 rep. Keep a steady pace.

If that seems intense, consider a modification: take it slower, move at your own pace, or skip the hop at the end to protect your joints. 

If you want to make it more intense, perform at a faster pace, add a pushup or any plank variation at step 2. You can also add weight via barbell for the squat section. 

Not enough? Add crosses, hooks, and uppercuts or box jumps at step 4. 

6. Mountain Climbers

Mountain Climbers are a full-body workout that will test your coordination, exertion, and get your heart pumping, similar to running up a flight of stairs.

This low-impact exercise targets your shoulders, chest, and upper back muscle groups while simultaneously lighting up your core, quads, and glutes.

• Begin in a pushup position with your hands directly under your shoulders.
• Using your core strength, pull your right knee into your chest.
• Return back to the starting position and switch sides by pulling your back knee into your chest.
• Alternate legs as you speed up the movement for a higher intensity with a moderate pace.

7. Jump Rope

Battle ropes are not the only rope exercise for best results in burning belly fat!

Jumping rope is a versatile and fun type of exercise (that this personal trainer loves!) that is one of the most effective forms of cardio. 

You can incorporate it as a 10-minute warm-up or as a 3-minute break between rounds of resistance training, weight training, or a HIIT workout.

A study found that jumping rope at a moderate pace is the equivalent of running an 8-minute mile. (4)

This cardiovascular exercise is also good for preventing heart disease, coordination strengthening your entire body, and burning a ton of calories in a short amount of time.

• Hold each end of the rope in each hand with the middle of the rope behind your heels.
• Keep your elbows in as you turn your wrists to swing the rope overhead and hop over the middle as it comes around.

There are many variations you can try once you get the hang of it. Start at a moderate pace and speed up your tempo.

Cross your arms. Swing the rope around twice per jump. Try fancy footwork. Be creative and have a blast.