The best workouts to lose your belly fat are as follows. These include iron, abdominal curl, burpees, kettle bell swing. As well as jumping jack, climbers or mountain climbers, slam ball medicine ball throw.
Exercise To Lose
Belly Fat
When it comes to losing weight, one of the first things most people want is to burn belly fat. Being able to show off a flat and toned stomach. Is perhaps the greatest ambition among those who work every day to improve their figure. However, is it possible to achieve it with exercises?
Although many do not like the answer. The truth is that doing hundreds of sit-ups a day is not the way to get rid of the fat accumulated in the abdomen. In fact, the theory of “localized reduction” has been disproved in recent years based on evidence collected in various studies .
That said, the starting point is to understand that there are no specific exercises to burn belly fat, but rather a comprehensive workout is required that reduces the percentage of total fat. What is recommended then? Let’s see.
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Physical exercise and loss of belly fat: what should i know?
For a long time, “exercises to burn abdominal fat” were the focus of the training routines of many people seeking to shape their figure. The idea prevailed that activities focused on the belly muscles were ideal for attacking the fat accumulated in that area.
However, with the passage of time—and after knowing the results of some studies—clarifications have been made regarding these routines. Thus, it has been determined that it is not possible to reduce body fat in a specific area of the body. That is, focusing only on abs is useless.
Regarding this, a study in The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research. Determined that after 6 weeks of abdominal exercises. No significant effect was observed on body weight, body fat percentage, abdominal circumference, and skin fold measurements. abdominal and suprailiac.
Even so, it was reported that practicing this type of exercise can considerably improve muscular endurance. In this order of ideas, it does not mean that your practice is in vain.
Now, similar results were reported by research in the Journal of Manipulative & Physiological Therapeutics that studied a group of obese patients. In this study, abdominal resistance training did not help reduce the thickness of abdominal subcutaneous fat compared to diet alone.
Why is it not possible to burn localized fat?
To understand why exercises cannot burn abdominal fat locally, it is important to know how the body uses fat as a source of energy. Fat cells—adipocytes—are in the form of triglycerides that accumulate as body fat.
Thus, whenever the body requires it, it uses it as a source of energy. But before this happens, triglycerides are broken down into free fatty acids and glycerol, smaller molecules that are transported through the bloodstream.
When doing physical exercise or having a large energy expenditure, energy is obtained from any of the body’s fat reserves and not only from the area that is being worked. Therefore, if the goal is to lose fat, whether from the abdomen or any part of the body, the training must be comprehensive, that is, with activities that activate a large part of the muscle groups.
7 exercises that help you lose abdominal fat
At this point it should be clear that to lose abdominal fat it is necessary to reduce the percentage of total body fat. Keep in mind that the areas that will lose fat first are usually determined by genetic factors .ADVERTISING
Even so, combining movements of the whole body will have positive effects both for reducing fat in this area and for strengthening your muscles.
The following exercises can be part of the training routine; However, be sure to get advice to adapt them to your needs and to vary both the activities and their intensity. It is the key to obtaining good results.
1. Iron
The plank is an isometric exercise, that is, it involves the contraction of several muscle groups in a static position. In particular, it has been found to be effective in strengthening core and core muscles.ADVERTISING
In addition, being a resistance exercise, it is linked to muscle development and increased metabolism rate. In this way, included in the framework of a complete and functional training, it contributes to the loss of abdominal fat.
How to do it?
- Lie face down on a mat and support yourself with your forearm and the balls of your feet.
- The hips should be slightly elevated, the back straight and the neck relaxed.
- Hold this position for 20 to 30 seconds. Once you gain stamina, you can hold a little longer.
- Perform 3 series.
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2. Abdominal curl
Like the previous exercise, the abdominal curl is useful for strengthening the abdominal muscles. If the goal is to stimulate fat loss, it can be integrated into training programs such as HIIT or Tabata.ADVERTISING
How to do it?
- First, lie down on a bench or high surface, with your hands behind your neck.
- Keeping your legs firmly on the floor, raise your upper torso and contract your abs.
- Carefully descend to the starting position. Complete 12 repetitions.
- Do at least 3 series per session.
3. Burpees
One of the best exercises to stimulate body fat loss are burpees . It is considered an “explosive” activity, since it is highly physically demanding and involves several muscle groups.
A publication from the ISAF Institute lists them as one of the most complete exercises. In particular, it works the pectorals, triceps, shoulders, quadriceps, hamstrings, abdomen and glutes. Therefore, it is ideal for improving physical condition in general.ADVERTISING
How to do it?
- To start, stand with your feet shoulder-width apart.
- Then, lower yourself into a squat position, so that you end up resting your palms on the floor, shoulder-width apart and in front of your feet.
- Now, perform a hip extension through a jump and finish in a hand plank position in a prone position, that is, lying face down.
- Next, lift your legs to return to the starting position. That’s a repeat. Try to do at least 8.
4. Kettlebell swing
Kettlebell swinging is one of the best exercises to stimulate calorie burning and fat loss. Research in the Journal of Human Kinetics details that its practice improves muscle strength, power, and cardiorespiratory fitness.
Since you have to propel a heavy iron ball, it involves several muscle groups, such as the glutes, abdomen, quads, and hips. It also covers the upper body.ADVERTISING
Kettlebell exercises do not help burn abdominal fat locally. Including them in a Tabata routine, for example, will help burn total body fat, which can also be reflected in abdominal measurements.
How to do it?
- First, stand up, with your hips slightly bent and your feet a little more than shoulder-width apart.
- Place the kettlebell in the middle of both feet.
- Then, pick up the kettlebell with both hands, squeeze your abdomen, move back slightly and raise the kettlebell until it is above your head. At all times, contract your abdomen and keep your back straight.
- Do the swing with your arms extended, always with a slight impulse. Perform between 8 and 10 repetitions. If you opt for Tabata, you can start with 20 seconds and gradually increase up to 40 – 50 seconds.
5. Jumping Jacks
Jumping jacks aren’t just reserved for warm-ups. Its practice within the framework of a training routine helps burn calories and increase physical resistance. In addition, it has cardiorespiratory benefits.
How to do them?
- Stand with your feet together and your hands at your sides.
- From this position, raise your arms above your head and simultaneously jump just enough to spread your feet.
- Without pausing, reverse the quick movement and repeat.
- Perform between 20 and 30 jumps. If you prefer, do it ahead of time; 20 seconds, then 30, 40 or even 60 seconds.
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6. Climbers or mountain climbers
Mountain climbers, also known as ‘mountain climbers’ , are ideal to complement any physical training program. The reason? They involve several muscle groups, especially the core, arms, shoulders and quads.
Among other things — highlights the American corporation WebMD — it is an exercise that improves cardiovascular health, in addition to being ideal for getting in shape. Their intensity can vary depending on how fast and how long they are performed.
How to do them?
- To start, get into a high plank position, with your wrists just below your shoulders.
- Contract your abdomen and, keeping your back straight, drive your right knee toward your chest.
- Next, take it back to the plank position.
- Now, perform the same movement with the opposite leg.
- Do 12 to 15 repetitions alternating sides.
- Once you increase your resistance, perform 20, 30 or even 40 repetitions.
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Like the exercises above, climbers can be integrated into regular training routines or programs like HIIT or Tabata.
7. Slam ball or medicine ball throw
The medicine ball has become a widely used tool in training programs. As detailed in a study published in the International Journal of Exercise Science , it is useful for training the upper body, core muscles, and lower body.
In this case, as the objective is to stimulate the burning of body fat, it is recommended to use it to do ‘slam ball’ or throw a ball to the ground. It is an exercise that increases heart rate, strengthens muscles , increases resistance and helps in fat loss.
How to do it?
- Standing with your feet shoulder-width apart, take the medicine ball with both hands and raise it above your head.
- Now, hit the ball hard on the ground.
- Catch it when it bounces and repeat.
- Do between 10 and 12 repetitions. Once you gain stamina, increase it to 15 or 20.
Discover abdominal hypertrophy: the exercises and tips you need to know
Abdominal exercises complement the routine, but do not ‘burn fat’
Gone should be the idea that certain exercises help burn abdominal fat. If the goal is to reduce the percentage of fat that accumulates in this area, the training must be more complete and dynamic.
It is not possible to eliminate fat from a specific region of the body. Therefore, doing 100 or more sit-ups a day is not a way to have a flatter and more toned stomach.
As explained by a study shared in the Journal of Strength and Conditionin , abdominal exercises help promote greater hypertrophy of the muscles in this area compared to static core exercises.
Therefore, its practice strengthens and tones muscles, but does not burn fat. They can be integrated in a complementary way into the routine, but prioritizing those activities that are more physically demanding.ADVERTISING
To this we must add the implementation of a healthy diet , since weight loss largely depends on it. It is necessary to choose foods abundant in fiber, protein, healthy fats and antioxidants, and reduce the intake of ultra-processed foods.
Research published in the journal Nutrients shows that diet and exercise together are decisive for long-term healthy weight control and loss. In fact, a review revealed by the academic journal Progress in Cardiovascular Diseases reached similar results.
According to the publication, modest calorie restriction in diet and exercise are the best way to achieve significant weight loss. In some cases, the combination of both was associated with 5 times more weight loss than exercise alone.
With all this clear, it is time to change the chip . If the goal is to get rid of belly fat, it is not enough to do only certain exercises. It is necessary to adopt training that combines physical resistance exercises with aerobic activity. In addition, it must be accompanied by a healthy diet and good habits.
