Fat-burning Strategies to Avoid Being 'Skinny-fat'

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Skinny isn't necessarily sexy. The phenomenon known as “skinny-fat” (a svelte appearance that camouflages an otherwise unhealthy physique) can affect many women who equate thinness with beauty. Fitness model Jenna Renee Webb confesses that before she started training a few years ago, she was slim on the outside, but not in great shape underneath. “I went from having absolutely no definition to transforming my body with regular strength workouts,” she says.

Today, Webb hits the gym five days a week doing a combination of strength, HIIT workouts, and circuit training. Check out her favorite legs day routine for building muscle and boosting metabolism, along with her top tips for losing fat and staying healthy.

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Webb's legs day workout

Warmup:

• Start with dynamic stretches, including walking knee pulls to chest, lunges, walking heel pulls, and walking leg curls/pulls.

Exercise 1: squat (6 sets)

• For the first set, do 15-20 reps with light weight. Then add weight for 8-10 reps for the next 5 sets.
• In-between sets: Do 15 reps of standing kickbacks with ankle weights or bands.

Exercise 2: single-leg press (4 sets, 15 reps)

• To better target your outer glutes, turn your toes slightly inward with your knee following the direction of your toes.
• In-between sets: Do 15 reps of plyometric jumping lunges.

Exercise 3: weighted walking lunge (4 sets, 10–15 reps per leg)

• In-between sets: Do box jumps as high as you can; aim for 15 reps.

Exercise 4: legs curl (4 sets, 8-15 reps)

• In-between sets: Do various resistance band exercises. For example: lateral steps, squats with lateral leg raises, and jump squats. (Keep legs at about a 90° angle to engage glutes.)

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Jenna’s fat-burning strategies

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1. Hydrate often: “I try to consume about one gallon of water a day to make sure I stay hydrated.”
2. Chow down: “I eat about every three hours. It helps to continuously reset my metabolism and kick my fat-burning into high gear.”
3. Run up: “I hate cardio, but I love incline sprints to burn fat while building the booty. Plus, it’s efficient; I never spend more than 30 minutes on a treadmill.”
4. Finish strong: “At the end of the week, I usually do a full-body circuit workout that’s fast-paced with higher reps. This hits all the major muscles while also amping up the calorie burn.”
5. Sleep well: “Get enough sleep! Your body builds muscle at rest, so don’t shortchange your ability to get stronger and leaner.”

Favorite supplement: Webb’s go-to supplement for fat loss? Hydroxycut SX-7. The advanced formula features seven thermogenic agents, including Myristica fragrans for energy, Ecklonia cava for health, Salvia officinalis for focus, raspberry ketones to boost metabolism, green coffee extract to help prevent fat storage, and yohimbe and caffeine to release stored fat.

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