Are you wanting to get rid of that belly fat ready for summer or maybe you just want to trim the waistline a little to get into that outfit that’s been hanging in the wardrobe since last year?
Whether you are looking for exercises to lose belly fat for men or for women, keep in mind that there is no way to specifically spot reduce this area.
To be perfectly honest there is no magic secret to shrinking your belly by a certain number of inches in a certain amount of time. But, you can lose fat overall and tighten up your abdominal muscles with the right diet and exercises.
There are lots of exercises to choose from to achieve this goal but below are a selection of our favourite ones that should help you achieve your goal hopefully in time to get that hot summer bod.
© Charlotte Karlsen
Our first one and one not for the faint hearted are Squats.
The beauty about Squats are that they work your whole body not just solely your legs. Your legs bend and straighten to move the weight but it’s your abs and lower back muscles stabilising your core while your legs move. Your upper back, shoulders and arms balance the bar on your back.
Stand with the bar on your upper back, and your feet shoulder-width apart
Slowly squat down by pushing your knees to the side while moving your hips back, Then break parallel by Squatting down until your hips are lower than your knees, Squat back up while keeping your knees out and chest up
And finish by standing with your hips and knees locked at the top.
Another challenging one next is the Burpee.
From a standing position squat down until your thighs are parallel to the floor and place your palms on the floor. From there kick your feet back as far as you can while keeping your arms extended.
As soon as your feet land jump them back in towards your hands, then jump up into the air. Land and immediately squat down to go into the next rep.
Then we go for the Kettle, nope nothing as easy as a cup of tea or coffee but for the Kettlebell Swing, don’t worry if you haven’t got a kettlebell a dumbbell will suffice.
Bend at your hips and hold a kettlebell with both hands at arm’s length in front of you. Rock back slightly and “hike” the kettlebell between your legs.
Squeeze those glutes, and thrust your hips forward forcefully, swinging the weight to shoulder height. Allow momentum to swing the weight (you’re not trying to actively lift it with your arms.)
Then reverse the movement, so that you swing the kettlebell between your legs again. Making sure you don’t round your lower back at any time; it should stay naturally arched when you bend at your hips. Continue to swing back and forth.
Next is the Wide press-up, if you struggle with press-ups try kneeling and doing the press-ups.
Get down into a press-up position with your hands a few inches wider than shoulder width apart. Lower your body until your chest is an inch from the ground then explosively drive up by fully extending your arms.
Finally, Rowing and hopefully you have access to a machine. This for us is our total body and especially belly fat burner favourite.
Sit at your rowing machine with feet fastened, and grab the handle with an overhand grip. Straighten your legs to push the seat back – when your hands pass your knees, pull them up to your chest. Reverse the movement and repeat.