Losing belly fat and building six-packs abs is not as easy as it sounds; if not, everyone would have it.
It requires discipline, consistency, and patience. However, all of these would mean nothing if you don’t know how to burn belly fat the right way because that’s where the challenge is.
In this article, we are aiming at showing you what it takes to get rid of belly fat and the best exercises to help you achieve your body goals, so you can finally flaunt your toned stomach.
After all, who doesn’t want to have sexy abs? Plus, getting rid of belly fat is a sure way of improving your health. Research has shown that losing fat around the stomach region is a sure way to reduce your risk of developing health conditions like diabetes and cancer.
That being said, if you think doing hundreds of crunches every day for a month, two months or even three would help you get rid of belly fat, then sorry to break it to you, but it won’t. The truth is that there isn’t a single exercise out there that works effectively for spot reduction.
Spot reduction isn’t the best way to get rid of belly fat, but there are a couple of exercises that help in working different muscle groups in the body, and this would result in a more chiseled core.
Keep reading to get rid of those excess calories in your stomach region with these few exercises.
Running/Walking
You may be thinking that walking or running should have no impact on reducing belly fat, but as we said earlier, there isn’t a specific exercise that targets just belly fat. Your genetics play a major role in deciding where the excess fat in your body resides, so it’s best you get on your feet and start moving.
When you run/walk daily, you get to burn more calories, and this reduces your body fat percentage. So, keep in mind that while you exercise, you aren’t just losing belly fat but also fat in other areas of your body.
This exercise doesn’t require much from you, you only need a good pair of sneakers or any comfortable shoes of your choice, and you are well on your way to shedding those extra pounds of fat. However, you get to choose between running and walking, but remember that running burns more calories than walking.
Running and walking can both be part of your training routine, and make sure you take a break at intervals if you have decided to incorporate running into your exercise routine for weight loss.
The Bicycle Exercise
Successfully doing cardio exercises to burn and shed belly fat is an outstanding achievement, but what happens next when you have achieved that?
The next step is to work towards strengthening your abdominal muscles, and this is so you can look fully toned and have something impressive to show when you are done.
Recent research has shown the “bicycle exercise” as the best abs exercises due to its focus on the abdominal muscles. The bicycle exercise helps to improve body rotation and triggers better abdominal muscle activity.
There are a few bicycle exercises you should try out before hopping on your bicycle.
How: Lie flat on your back, while placing your hands at the back of your head. Place your knees on your chest while gently raising your shoulders and head off the floor. Push your right elbow to the left knee and straighten out your right leg. Switch sides and repeat the process. Keep doing that so that you can assume a pedaling motion.
While doing this exercise, ensure that your breathing is controlled and even, and you can do three sets with 15 repetitions.
Burpee
If you are looking to get rid of belly fat by exercising, then you need to work out multiple muscle groups as much as you can. And the Burpee is just the right exercise for that.
The Burpee is categorized as an explosive exercise that focuses on every muscle in the body. It involves you moving from a push-up position to a high jump and returning to the push-up position, with no break period.
A study has shown that doing ten fast-paced reps is equivalent to doing a 30-seconds all-out sprint, as it helps speeds up your body metabolism. So this way, you are of shedding belly fat faster than you ever did.
How: First, stand on your feet, and make sure they are shoulder-width spaced. Bring your body to the floor while resting on your palm, and be sure it’s also shoulder-width apart. Kick your leg backward and assume a push-up position, and then do one push-up. Immediately reverse the movement and do a jump while standing.
Now, that description is 1 rep, and you can do as many reps as your body can handle.
Mountain Climber
The mountain climber is very similar to doing a plank, but you can term it “the moving plank.” You do this by carrying out a semi-crunch then intensively drawing your left/right knee to your chest.
This particular exercise can be a bit difficult and might require little practice to get it mastered. It’s a challenging exercise because you have to keep your core working overtime to ensure that your body remains straight and composed all through the exercise. You need to work mostly on your stability because it is required for every time you lift your foot off the floor, so you don’t trip and hurt yourself.
You can choose to perform this exercise in an interval way, and this would create an intensive move enough to speed up your heart rate and cause you to burn more calories. For instance, in 30 seconds, you can do as much rep as your body would let you, and you rest for about 15 seconds and repeat the process for 5 minutes.
How: Get yourself in a push-up position and place your hands underneath your shoulders. Your body should form a straight line, starting from your head down to your heels. Raise your left foot and push your left knee towards the direction of your chest. Tap the floor using your left foot and go back to the beginning position. Repeat this process with your right foot, and alternate between both legs for each repetition.
Medicine Ball Slam
It’s a very common practice to have used a medicine ball in college or high school, but if you haven’t, then you missed out on the fun. The medicine ball slam requires you to focus entirely on your core, which is the house of your body’s power. This exercise focuses on all the muscles in between your hips and neck, hence why it is termed as a core-strengthening exercise.
To increase your body’s metabolism and burn more calories, you need to accelerate your pace and add more velocity and power. However, it isn’t a necessity for you to use heavy weights; using a 3 kilo-med-ball would do the trick, as long as you work yourself hard.
How: Stand shoulder-width apart while carrying the med-ball over your head. Forcefully hit the ball on the floor with your full strength, and catch the rebound. Repeat this process for as long as you can, and you should feel a pull in your core muscles.
Forearm Plank
It is one of the most common types of Plank, and almost everyone incorporates it into their exercise routine. You may not know it, but the forearm plank doesn’t only strengthen your shoulders, glutes, and core, but it also great for getting rid of excess belly fat. Doing the forearm plank is relatively easy; you have to get into a push-up position using your forearms while placing all your body’s weight on your toes. You still don’t get it? Here is a more detailed explanation:
How: Put your forearms on the floor, and make sure your elbows are underneath your shoulders. Position your arms parallel to each other with just a shoulder-width separation. Raise your body while assuming a push-up position, so that your toes and forearms can bear your body’s entire weight.
If you are starting on this exercise, maintain this position for about 40 seconds. As you advance, you can increase the number of seconds/minutes. There are other planks as well that you can use to spice things up a bit like the side plank and plank walk.
Sprinter Sit-Ups
If you cannot include running into your exercise routine, then you can substitute it for “sprinter sit-up.” The sprinter sit-ups mimic the effect of running, and this can be done in your living room. It focuses on using just your body weight to tone your belly and get rid of the extra pounds.
How: Place your body flat on the floor, and position your arms to your sides. Quickly sit up as swift as you can, and push your left knee and right arm towards the direction of your chest.
Repeat this process using your right knee and left arm, and you should get the sprinting-feeling.
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