Losing belly fat requires you to be in a negative energy balance. This is can be achieved by reducing calorie intake through proper nutrition or expending more calories through exercises or a combination of both.
This article will focus on exercises to lose belly fat. For maximum stomach fat loss, you should always combine exercise with a healthy and balanced diet.
Here are the 3 top exercises to lose belly fat.
1. Weight Training
Weight training is great for burning stomach fat and shaping your body. It builds muscle that burns calories during and after a workout. Muscle needs energy for repair and maintenance.
As you age, your metabolism slows down and make it harder for you to lose stomach fat. Weight training can prevent muscle loss while increasing your metabolic rate. It is an important exercise to lose belly fat for people of all ages.
Weight training is not only limited to working out with barbells and dumbbells. You can also use kettlebells or exercise tubings.
Be sure to use to increase the weight progressively for better stomach fat loss results and to avoid plateau. Training with light weights has little effect on building muscle and raising your metabolism.
2. Cardio Exercises
There are 2 types of cardio exercises to lose belly: steady state and intervals.
Steady state cardio should be performed at a high enough level to be effective for burning belly fat. While you can do steady state cardio everyday, 4-5 times per week is more than sufficient.
Interval training involves alternating short bursts of high intensity workout with rest periods. This is a time efficient cardio that is very effective for getting rid of stomach fat. It can only be performed 2-3 times a week. Interval training is not for everyone. If you have health problems or are new to exercise, you should start with low intensity or steady state cardio.
3. Bodyweight exercises
Bodyweight exercises can be done anywhere, be it at home, in a hotel room or at a park. You don't even need to join a gym. As the name implies, you only use your bodyweight so you don't need to spend on any equipment.
Some examples of bodyweight exercises are lunges, squats, push-ups, pull-ups and mountain climbers. They are excellent for burning belly fat, building muscle and shaping your body. If you are short of time, perform these exercises as a circuit which can be completed in 20-30 minutes.
Each of the 3 exercises to lose belly fat can be added as a variety to your existing training program. The combination of these exercises and proper eating plan can help you get rid of belly fat fast.
Avoid spending too much time doing ab specific exercises like crunches and sit-ups. Spot reduction does not work and you'll only be disappointed with the results.