16 Best Exercises To Lose Belly Fat
That pesky belly fat can be a real health problem in addition to being a fashion woe. It increases susceptibility to cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes, and certain malignancies. But don’t worry, you can fight back! The key is to combine exercise and a healthy diet. By making smart choices and staying active, you can shed those unwanted pounds and improve your overall health. There are many belly fat exercises you can do to shed that stubborn weight. Some of them require you to venture outside or head to the gym, while some can be performed in the comfort of your home. If you are wondering how to get rid of a belly pooch specifically, incorporating high-intensity interval training (HIIT) and cardio exercises like running and cycling into your routine can be particularly effective. 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.” Thus, if you’re wondering how to lose belly fat with exercise, add an appropriate combination of strength training and cardio to your fitness routine, but manage your expectation accordingly. Exercise and diet affect each of our bodies differently. Besides our body type and metabolism, several other factors might be at play. For instance, our body’s circadian rhythm! The results from a study that aimed to show how the timing of exercise sessions impacts weight loss across a 10-month period found that there is a significant difference between training in the morning than in the afternoon or at night time. Check out the following graph.
The Gradual Effects Of Exercising On Body Weight Across 10 Months
Some of the best exercises to lose belly fat include bodyweight workouts like push-ups and squats, as well as using resistance bands or weights. Although these exercises can play a major role, it’s crucial to pay attention to other aspects of your life for the best outcomes. While there’s no one sustainable answer to how to lose belly fat fast, a rigorous exercise regime and a healthy diet can surely help. *Warm up for 10 minutes before starting these belly fat reducing exercises. After your muscles are warmed up, take a 10-second break and start with the following exercises:
1. Lying Leg Raises
Some of the best flat abs exercises to reduce belly fat include the bicycle crunch, Russian twist, and 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
Crunches are the perfect answer to the question, what exercise burns the most belly fat for females. Target –Lower and upper abs. What Not To Do – Do not tuck your chin in. Crunches can put stress on the spine and lead to back pain. These exercises may also cause neck and back strain.
5. Bicycle Crunches
Target – Rectus abdominisi The ‘abs muscle’ or the six-pack that helps the body between the ribcage and the pelvis move. , 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. Sit-ups can put more stress on the spinal cord and lead to back pain. Hence, consult your fitness trainer before starting this workout.
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
If you are searching for what exercise burns the most belly fat right at home, these mean Russian twists are your answer. 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
If you’re wondering how to lose belly fat, crossbody mountain climbers are a fantastic exercise to include in your regimen since they target various muscle groups and can raise your heart rate. 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
While there is no research suggesting that plank alone helps reduce belly fat, most people believe it to be one of the best workouts – as the plank primarily targets your core muscles. 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.
16. Walking
Walking is an effective exercise that aids in burning calories and reduces overall body fat, including belly fat (2). It boosts metabolism, strengthens muscles, and improves cardiovascular health, contributing to fat loss. By engaging in regular speed walking, you can lose persistent belly fat, which can lower the risk of obesity-related health issues, such as heart disease and diabetes (3 ). Target – Visceral fat; deep abdominal fat that surrounds vital organs. How To Do
- Begin with a moderate pace, gradually increasing your speed. 2. Aim for at least 30 minutes of brisk walking most days of the week. 3. Maintain an upright posture and engage your core muscles while walking. 4. Incorporating walking into your lifestyle, such as walking to work. These are some of the effective exercises for reducing belly fat at home. However, these also may cause certain adverse effects. Being informed about them is important. Scroll down to know more.
Potential Side Effects Of Exercises That Target Belly Fat
Here are some potential side effects of exercises targeting belly fat:
Injuries Back pain Neck pain Muscle strain Joint pain Shoulder pain
Helpful Advice By 8 Fitness Experts
Last, but not the least, here are some other ways/tips that you may follow to reduce belly fat. You should also exercise three to five times a week. Do burpees, side planks, and bicycle crunches. Sarah: tabatalive.com Laura London: lauralondonfitness.com Lori L. Shemek: drlorishemek.com Kelly rennie: busymumfitness.com/ Anthony Trucks: truckstraining.com Lee Brogan: gymfreetrainers.com Doonya: www.doonya.com Kerry P. Taylor: www.212healthandperformance.com
Lifestyle Tips To Reduce Belly Fat
If you’re looking for how to lose belly fat in 2 weeks or even how to lose belly fat in 1 week, we recommend you concentrate on the following lasting lifestyle changes rather than temporary ones.
Eat Right
Reducing abdominal fat is 80% about eating the right food. Follow a healthy, balanced, nutrition-rich diet that is low in calories and has adequate macro- and micronutrients according to your BMI. Most importantly, skip takeaways and fast foods. Eat food prepared at home (4) .
Drink Water
Always carry a water bottle, and make sure you keep sipping water throughout the day (5).
Short Bursts Of Exercises
According to recent studies, instead of working out for hours or running, cycling for a few miles, doing short bursts of active exercises is very helpful in reducing stubborn fat (6), (7). like high-intensity interval training (HIIT). You can also try swimming, yoga, and pilates for adding more variety in your workout session. Apart from calorie-burning and cardio and strength training exercises, these also can help improve your body composition.
Say No To Sugar
Cut down on sugar to reduce belly fat (8). Use honey or jaggery instead.
Reduce Sodium Intake
Consuming a lot of salt causes water retention in the body (9), (10). 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 (11). A study conducted at Yale University suggests a potential link between spikes in cortisol levels and abdominal fat (12).
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 (13). Ginger: Ginger has been found to reduce feelings of hunger and, thus, have the potential to aid in weight management (14). Cayenne pepper: The capsaicin found in peppers boosted metabolic ratei The amount of energy used by a living organism over a specific period (measured in joules, calories, or kilocalories per unit of time). modestly in a study conducted on mice (14). Cinnamon: Cinnamon has the potential to prevent metabolic syndromei A serious medical condition that increases the risk of heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, and other related issues. , which is often characterized by excess body fat around the waist (15).
Include Healthy Fats
Include polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA)i Good fats that help reduce bad cholesterol levels in the blood to aid weight loss and lower the risk of heart disease. 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 (17).
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 (18). In addition, managing stress, avoiding smoking, and limiting alcohol intake may help reduce belly fat. Daniella Peters, a lifestyle blogger, independently took guidance from experts and incorporated it into her daily routine to reduce her belly fat, which led to observable outcomes. She shares her experience of the process on her blog and writes, “It took me 15 months of solid training and a good diet to lose my “belly”. You won’t be transformed in 8 weeks if you have a long way to go like I did (i).” 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 belly fat diet plan 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. If you are looking to reduce a tummy without exercise, incorporating protein-rich foods like eggs into your diet can support fat loss by keeping you satiated and aiding in overall calorie control. This, when coupled with the right diet, can help reduce body fat, including belly fat.
Illustration: Best Exercises For Reducing Belly Fat At Home And Expert Tips
Get ready to burn belly fat with this 30-minute exercise routine. Learn how to target your core and get the results you want by watching this video.