The one day a week workout: Burn fat fast in just one session – ‘great compound exercise’

Expert explains why enjoying exercise is important

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Losing weight does not have to be a mammoth task. Personal trainer Eric Bugera put together a workout so beneficial it only has to be done once per week.

Hauling yourself to the gym five times a week can feel scary and unsustainable.

With this workout, slimmers can pick a day that suits them best.

It is also easy to complete at home, and only requires one piece of equipment – dumbbells.

The workout is pretty extensive, according to the expert, so it may be beneficial to consult with your doctor if this may be an issue.

Incline dumbbell press: Three sets of six to eight reps

Muscles used: Chest, shoulders, triceps

Equipment needed: Two dumbbells

Eric recommended this workout as it is a “great compound exercise”, meaning that it targets more than one muscle group at a time.

He explained: “To do this exercise, set up a workout bench to about 30 or 45 degrees and sit down holding the dumbbells upright on each of your thighs.

“Lay down and hold the dumbbells shoulder-width apart over your chest with a slight bend in your elbows.

“Slowly control the weights down to your chest and extend your elbows to bring the weights back up to the top to perform a full rep.”

Goblet squats: Three sets of six to eight reps

Muscles used: Legs, Bum, calves, abs, back

Equipment needed: One dumbbell

This is another exercise that targets many parts of the body for the ultimate fat burn – giving slimmers “great bang for your buck”.

Eric said: “To perform the exercise, stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and your toes pointed straight ahead and hold a dumbbell close to your chest.

“Keeping your back flat and hips back, bend your knees so that your bottom goes just below your knees.

“Use your bum and legs to push back up to a standing position to complete a full rep.”

Pull-ups: Three sets of eight to 12 reps

Muscles used: Back, biceps, abs

Equipment needed: None

As opposed to the previous exercises, this one relies “entirely on using your own body weight as the form of resistance”.

Eric instructed: “To do a pull-up, start by standing below the pull-up bar and with your palms facing away from you, place your hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart on the bar.

“Lift your feet off the floor so that you are handing from the bar, pull your shoulders back and down and pull yourself up so your chin comes over the bar.

“Then control yourself back down to the original hanging position.

“For beginners, hanging a resistance band from the bar and looping your feet through it, will reduce some of the resistance and make the exercise easier to do if you are struggling.”

Dumbbell overhead press: Three sets of six to eight reps

Muscles used: Shoulders, triceps, upper back, upper chest, abs

Equipment needed: Two dumbbells

This one works “a plethora of muscles”, according to the personal trainer.

“To perform the overhead press, safely bend down and pick up a pair of dumbbells, one in each hand.

“Bend your elbows so that you are bringing the weights up to your body and tuck your elbows into your body with your palms facing each other holding the dumbbells.

“Push the weights up so they are above your head and then control these down to the starting position for a full rep.”

Dumbbell deadlift: Three sets of eight to 10 reps

Muscles used: Bum, legs, lower back, calves

Equipment needed: Two dumbbells

The deadlift can be an “intimidating” exercise, but using dumbbells rather than a barbell can make things simpler.

To perform the final exercise of the one day a week workout, Eric said: “To perform the dumbbell deadlift, hold a dumbbell in each hand with your legs slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.

“While keeping your hips back and chest up, bend your knees with your back flat and lower the dumbbells over your shins stopping just before touching the floor.

“Return to a standing position, making sure to squeeze your glutes throughout the movement for a full rep.”

Eric Bugera is a personal trainer from Barbend.

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