5 exercises to tone your body in 20 minutes

Physical exercise is one of the best options if we want to have good physical and psychological health.. Some benefits of this practice are: better cardiovascular health, stress reduction and better self esteem.

However, some people, in addition to improving their health, do sports to lose fat or tone their body. In today's article, we present 5 exercises to tone your body and achieve the figure you want.

• Related article: "The 10 psychological benefits of practicing physical exercise"

A routine of only 20 minutes

If you are one of those people who lack hours in a day because they are very busy, doing these exercises will not take you more than 20 minutes.

For it, do the exercises in a row, with 10-20 repetitions each. Rest 2 minutes and repeat the routine 2 more times until you run a total of 3 series. Carry it out 3 times a week and you will surely notice the results.

Losing fat is more than just exercising

Now, let's not fool ourselves, to see the results and tone up we must have a percentage of body fat that allows us to see more than just fatty tissue. Losing belly can be a slow process depending on the percentage of fat that one has. And to achieve this goal, physical, psychological and nutritional variables are involved that are not always taken into account.

We have to be realist!

It is important to note that if we want our body to look toned, we are going to have to combine aerobic work with or strength exercises, such as the ones shown below. Also, if our goal is to burn fat, we are going to have to eat in a way that produces a caloric deficit, that is, that we burn more than what we consume.

• You can delve into these and other tips to lose fat in our post: "How to lose belly: 14 tips to show off a slender figure"

The best fat burning foods

As we discussed, nutrition is an important aspect. The essential thing is to be well nourished, because miraculous diets can cause a rebound effect in the long run. Surely you ask yourself: and, then, what should I eat? Well, there are many foods that will be beneficial if what we want is to lose weight.

In our post “24 fat burning (and highly healthy) foods” you will find the best options to achieve your goal.

5 exercises to tone your body quickly

If you want to tone your body, do not miss the list with the following exercises. You can do them from your own home, and you will only need a fitball, an abdominal wheel and a dumbbell. Enjoy them!

1. Plank with leg raises

The iron or "plank" is an ideal exercise to tone the body. It belongs to the group of isometric exercises, so you have to tense a muscle and keep it in a stationary position for as long as necessary.

To carry it out it is necessary that we lie face down with our backs straight. We raise both arms and lean on the elbows. The feet should be pointed and we maintain the posture by making strength with the core. We breathe without tension, and holding the position, we raise the left leg. We hold for a second and return to the starting position. We repeat with the other leg and repeat until we can hold the plank position with good form. If you are new, lift each leg 5 times and then move on to the next exercise.

There are different variations of this exercise that you can see in the video below:

2. burpee

The burpee is an exercise that, in addition to promoting fat loss, helps to tone.

To execute it, we stand up with our hands relaxed at our sides. Then, we squat so that our palms are resting on the ground and the knees are bent. We put the legs back together in one go and get into position as if we were going to do push-ups. Then we return to the previous position, with the legs bent. Finally we return to the starting position: standing up and with the hands relaxed. We repeat the sequence 10 to 20 times.

3. abdominal wheel

The abdominal wheel is an exercise that can be complex, but it provides many benefits for the abdominal area. and also tones. Now, it is an exercise that you must execute correctly to avoid damaging your abs.

To do this, get on your knees, with one hand on each side of the roller. Roll the roller forward and roll until your body is extended and your belly close to the ground. Extend as far as you can and when your body is extended, exhale and return to the starting position. Repeat it a maximum of 10 times.

4. Pelvis elevation with fitball

This is another great exercise to tone up. There is the classic version without a fitball, but the best results come with the ball. To do it, it is necessary to lie flat on the floor on your back with your arms resting at your sides and your knees bent on the fitball.

For its execution we must place ourselves stretched out on the floor on our backs, with our arms resting on the sides of our bodies and our knees bent. We inspire and push with our feet to separate the buttocks from the ground and raise them. We maintain the position there for a few seconds and exhale while slowly lowering the pelvis without actually resting the buttocks on the surface.

5. bicep lunge

This exercise is ideal for toning and requires a lot of abdominal work., in addition to working the legs, buttocks and biceps.

To execute it, you have to stand up with your arms extended to your sides and with the dumbbells held in your hands. We take a step forward so that the legs are in the shape of an inverted "V". We bend the leg in front so that it forms a 90 degree angle, while we let the other knee be parallel to our body, a few centimeters from the ground. We hold that position and flex, we contract our arm so that we lift the weights by making force with the biceps. We return to the starting position and perform 10 repetitions.