15 Best Exercises To Lose Belly Fat
Certified Personal Trainer TJ Mentus says, “Cardio and aerobic exercise are great for improving your overall health — especially heart health — and burn calories both during and after the workout. So it is good for weight loss overall. But I would also say whether they help lose belly fat specifically depends on a person’s genetic predisposition to hold fat in certain places. No activity can guarantee that belly fat would be the first to go or the main area of weight loss.” So manage your expectation accordingly. *Warm up for 10 minutes before starting these exercises. After your muscles are warmed up, take a 10-second break and start with the following exercises:
1. Lying Leg Raises
Target – Lower abs, upper abs, glutes, hamstrings, and quads. What Not To Do – Do not place your feet completely on the floor or push your hips up with your hands to lift your legs.
2. Leg In And Out
Target – Lower abs, upper abs, glutes, hamstrings, and quads. What Not To Do – Do not place your hands too wide apart at the back.
3. Scissor Kicks
Target – Lower abs, upper abs, glutes, hamstrings, and quads. What Not To Do – Do not do this exercise quickly or hold your breath while doing it.
4. Crunches
Target –Lower and upper abs. What Not To Do – Do not tuck your chin in.
5. Bicycle Crunches
Target – Rectus abdominis, obliques, glutes, hamstrings, and quads. What Not To Do – Do not hasten to complete the sets, and do not tuck your chin in.
6. Half Seated Reverse Crunch
Target – Lower abs, upper abs, and glutes. What Not To Do – Do not scrunch your shoulders or curve your lower back too much.
7. Sit-ups
Target – Rectus abdominis What Not To Do – Do not get confused between sit-ups and crunches. You need to literally sit up and go back down to the starting position to do sit-ups. Do not bring your elbows close while sitting up.
8. Heel Touch
Target – Obliques and upper abs. What Not To Do – Do not place your feet too close to your hips.
9. Jackknife Crunch
Target –Lower abs, upper abs, glutes, hamstrings, and quads. What Not To Do – Do not rest your head on the floor completely between repetitions.
10. Russian Twist
Target – Obliques, upper abs, lower abs, and glutes. What Not To Do – Do not hold your breath while doing this exercise.
11. Lying Alternate Toe Taps
Target – Rectus abdominis, obliques, and glutes What Not To Do – Don’t worry if you are not able to touch your foot. Try reaching beyond the knee and as close to the foot as possible.
12. Crossbody Mountain Climbers
Target – Rectus abdominis, shoulders, core, glutes, hamstrings, and quads. What Not To Do – Do not place your palms too far away from your body, and do not droop your neck or lower back.
13. Burpees
Target – Full body workout that also targets your abs. What Not To Do – Do not set unachievable goals. Burpees are tough to do. The number of burpees you do does not matter. What matters is how many you do while maintaining correct posture.
14. Plank
Target – Rectus abdominis, core, shoulders, biceps, and glutes. What Not To Do – Do not place your palms far away from your shoulders. Do not droop your lower back or pike it up.
15. Side Plank
Target – Abs and core, shoulders, biceps, and glutes. What Not To Do – Do not droop your pelvis. To make it more effective and quick for you, here’s advice from 8 fitness experts. Scroll down!
Helpful Advice By 8 Fitness Experts
Sarah
Doing ab crunches and following a crash diet is not the right way to lose belly fat. If you really want to flaunt a well-toned belly, you have to eat a balanced diet with all the good fats rather than starving yourself. You should also exercise three to five times a week. Do burpees, side planks, and bicycle crunches. Sarah: tabatalive.com
Laura London
To lose belly flab, your go-to exercises should be V-ups, planks, and bicycle crunches. Laura London: lauralondonfitness.com
Lori L. Shemek
Lori L. Shemek: drlorishemek.com
Kelly Rennie
Practice plank, leg raises, and cross body mountain climbers. Kelly rennie: busymumfitness.com/
Anthony Trucks
Practice hanging bicycles, decline bench sit-ups, and prone slider toe-ins. Anthony Trucks: truckstraining.com
Lee Brogan
HIIT sprints work wonders. Also, boxing and Tabata are great for shedding belly fat. Lee Brogan: gymfreetrainers.com
Doonya
Nothing beats Flick step, sweep, and twist exercises when it comes to losing belly fat. Doonya: www.doonya.com
Kerry P. Taylor
Try half Turkish get up, ab wheel rollouts, and standing band rotations to get a flat belly you always dreamed of. Kerry P. Taylor: www.212healthandperformance.com Last, but not the least, here are some other ways/tips that you may follow to reduce belly fat.
Lifestyle Tips To Reduce Belly Fat
Eat Right
Reducing abdominal fat is 80% about eating the right food. Follow a healthy and balanced diet with adequate macro and micronutrients. Most importantly, skip takeaways and fast foods. Eat food prepared at home (2) .
Drink Water
Always carry a water bottle, and make sure you keep sipping water throughout the day (3).
Short Bursts Of Exercises
According to recent studies, instead of working out for hours or running a few miles, doing short bursts of active exercises is very helpful in reducing stubborn fat (2), (4) .
Say No To Sugar
Cut down on sugar to reduce belly fat (5). Use honey or jaggery instead.
Reduce Sodium Intake
Consuming a lot of salt causes water retention in the body (6), (7). Reduce your sodium intake to see a difference in your belly fat.
Increase Intake Of Vitamin C
Vitamin C is important for the secretion of carnitine, a compound that helps the body convert fat into energy. It also helps block cortisol, a hormone that is secreted by the body under stress (8). A study conducted at Yale University suggests a potential link between spikes in cortisol levels and abdominal fat (9).
Consume Fat Burning Foods
You can consume the following foods to burn fat by boosting metabolism.:
Garlic: A study conducted on mice found that garlic helped in reducing body weight (10). Ginger: Ginger has been found to reduce feelings of hunger and, thus, have the potential to aid in weight management (11). Cayenne pepper: The capsaicin found in peppers boosted metabolic rate modestly in a study conducted on mice (12). Cinnamon: Cinnamon has the potential to prevent metabolic syndrome, which is often characterized by excess body fat around the waist (13).
Include Healthy Fats
Include polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) into your diet. PUFA help reduce inflammation in the body (14), thereby lowering the chances of accumulating abdominal fat.
Do Not Skip Breakfast
Many people think that skipping breakfast helps with quick weight loss. On the contrary, skipping breakfast is a major blunder. It increases bloating and pushes your body into starvation mode, a key for abdominal fat gain (15).
Get A Good Night’s Sleep
Adequate sleep is very important for weight management. Everyone needs six to eight hours of sleep. According to a recent study, too much sleep or a lack of it can lead to weight gain (16). How can I reduce my tummy in 7 days? While there is no evidence that you can lose your tummy in 7 days, following the right workout and diet routines and avoiding gassy foods and carbonated or caffeinated beverages may help make a difference. Do squats burn belly fat? While squats can help burn fat, they may not help burn only belly fat. Targeted fat loss does not work. The key is to follow a consistent diet and fitness routine. What causes the tummy to look bigger in females? Excess food intake, exercising less, post-pregnancy effects, bloating during periods, etc., can all cause the tummy to look bigger in females. How can I get a flat stomach in 2 days? It is not possible to get a flat stomach in 2 days. Fat loss takes consistent effort. Performing exercises that help relieve bloating can help. Also, avoid smoking, alcohol, and other unhealthy habits. Have a consistent exercise routine and take walks after meals. Do push-ups burn fat? Yes, push-ups can help burn fat by increasing the calorie expenditure during and after a workout. Do eggs burn belly fat? There is no evidence that eggs burn belly fat. However, eggs are rich in protein, which can boost metabolism and promote calorie burning. This, when coupled with the right diet and exercise, can help reduce body fat (including belly fat).
