Many people struggle with belly fat, which can be brought on by a variety of factors, including poor eating habits, inactivity, bad behaviors, stress, and insufficient sleep. Additionally, belly fat can have a severe impact on your health and may be associated with type 2 diabetes and heart disease. It is not merely an aesthetic issue. You can have visceral fat, which is situated deep inside your abdomen and around the organs, even if you are not overweight. This poses a serious health risk and can result in several problems. Therefore, it is crucial to reduce belly fat, which may be accomplished with proper dietary adjustments and a consistent exercise program.
What Is Belly Fat?
Subcutaneous fat, often known as belly fat, can be seen on the surface of the abdomen, but visceral fat is found deep within the abdomen and surrounding the organs. You can have visceral fat even if you are not overweight. Because belly fat puts your health at risk, it’s crucial to lose it. This includes a greater likelihood of developing illnesses like type 2 diabetes and heart disease. Abdominal obesity is characterized by a waist circumference that is greater than 102 cm for males and 88 cm for women. Reduced cholesterol levels, better blood vessel health, and an increase in general well-being are all benefits of weight loss.
Best Exercises to decrease Belly Fat
1. Sprawls
The sprawl is a burpee on steroids—a full-body exercise that works as many muscles as possible and burns calories while shaping and toning your upper- and lower body, especially your abs. “It takes the traditional burpee to the next level by having you touch your chest to the ground, then push-up to plank as you continue the move,” explains Braganza.
How to do a sprawl? Standing with your feet shoulder-distance apart, squat down, and place your hands on the ground. Jump your feet back to a plank and lower your body to touch the ground. Push yourself up to a plank and then jump your feet outside of your hands into a squat. Stand back up.
2. Medicine Ball Burpees
Phelps advises incorporating a medicine ball into your burpees to up the difficulty and speeds up your metabolism while sculpting a svelte set of six-pack abs.
Hold a medicine ball in both hands while standing with your feet shoulder-width apart to perform medicine ball burpees. Swing over and sit your butt back as you extend the ball overhead and smack it as hard as you can onto the ground. Bend your knees as you lean over. Jump back into a high plank stance while placing your hands outside of your feet. Your body should remain straight. Once you are squatting, hop your feet back toward the tips of your hands. Pick up the ball and raise it above your head while standing tall and extending your body.
3. Burpees
Burpees, according to Michaels, are a great Exercise for your core, shoulders, lats, triceps, and quadriceps. Burpees will also increase your heart rate because they involve rapid, plyometric action.
To perform a burpee, place your feet shoulder-width apart, send your hips back, and squat down until your body is parallel to the ground. After that, step back with your feet until your chest touches the ground by positioning your hands directly outside of your feet. Jump your feet slightly outside of your hands after pushing your hands against the ground to raise your body into a plank position. Leaning heavily on your heels, leap into the air with your arms raised.
4. Mountain Climbers
Michaels likes this moving plank workout because it strengthens your core as well as a variety of other body muscles, much like burpees do.
Put your wrists under your shoulders in a high plank position to perform mountain climbers. Maintain a strong core while pulling your belly button toward your spine. Bring your right knee back to the plank after driving it toward your chest. Next, bring your left knee back while driving it toward your chest. Continue switching sides.
5. Slammed overhead medicine balls
Your core gets stronger as you pound overhead medicine balls against gravity. By raising your heart rate each time you pick up and bring the ball overhead, this workout also puts your endurance to the test. Use a heavy-weighted ball for this workout to gain the most benefit.
Standing tall with your feet hip-width apart, hold a medicine ball in each hand while you perform overhead medicine ball slams. Stretch your entire body out and raise both arms overhead. Swing the ball upward and downward till it hits the ground. As you slam, extend your arms toward the ground and don’t be hesitant to tilt over while bending your knees. When you’ve finished picking up the ball, stand back up.
