Best Exercises That Burn Belly Fat
Contrary to popular belief, you can’t just do exercises that burn belly fat only. You can’t say, “Oh,I want to get rid of the fat around my stomach so I’ll do 100 crunches a day.” It just doesn’t work like that. We cannot dictate where the body takes the fat to burn for energy. We can only make it burn fat.
In fact, if you try to spot reduce and decide that despite everything you’re going to do 100 crunches a day to get rid of that belly you’ll likely find that your belly gets bigger. Why? Because you’ll build muscle under the fat. You’ll be adding to the thickness. While muscle does burn fat, the best exercises that burn belly fat come from a two pronged approach.
What Are The Best Exercises That Burn Belly Fat?
The best exercises that burn belly fat and boost your metabolism are cardio and strength training.
There are a variety of approaches that you can take. For example, if you enjoy jogging you can jog for an hour in your fat burning zone and you’ll experience results. Your “fat burning zone” is the pace that helps your body work most efficiently.
Reaching Your Fat Burning Zone
Your fat burning zone is determined by your maximum heart rate. This is estimated by subtracting your age from 220 if you’re male or your age from 226 if you’re female . Your fat burning zone is between 60 and 70 percent of your maximum heart rate.
So if you’re a 35 year old woman your maximum heart rate would be 191 beats per minute (226-35 = 191). Your fat burning zone at this heart rate would be 114 to 133 (60%-70% of 191). You’d need to wear a heart rate monitor to ensure you’re working out in this zone. If you want to get rid of your abdominal fat quickly, you’re going to need to spend time working out in this fat burning zone.
Stomach Fat Burning Exercises
When you include both strength training and cardio you’re giving your body the best shot at burning calories right now, building muscle so you continue burning calories, and stop storing fat. Let’s take a look at some different types of cardio and strength training exercises to help you brainstorm and create a belly busting workout that you’ll enjoy.
Cardio Exercises
- Jumping rope
- Dancing
- Jogging
- Race walking
- Swimming
- Bicycling
- Indoor fitness machines (elliptical, rowing machine, treadmill, etc.)
Strength Training Exercises
- Squats
- Push-ups
- Pull-ups
- Sit-ups
- Yoga
- Pilates
- Circuit training weight machines
Working Out To Burn Fat
When creating a work out program, strive to exercise five or six days a week. It is important to take at least one day each week to let your body recover. You can alternate days of cardio with days of strength training or you can combine them into one workout. For example, you might jump rope for thirty minutes and then finish the workout with a squat Tabata.
A Tabata is a system where you perform as many squats (or other exercise) as possible in twenty seconds, you rest ten seconds and then repeat. You continue the process for four minutes (or eight rounds) of the exercise. The next day you could run for thirty minutes and finish the workout with a push-up or sit-up Tabata. On the third day you might take a yoga class.
Regular exercise is the best way to get your body burning more calories, but it must be balanced with a healthy diet. The main part of a healthy diet is the presence of fresh fruits and vegetables, legumes (eg, lentils and beans), nuts and whole grains (eg, whole wheat, steel cut oats, millet, oats and brown rice). Limit your saturated fats, starch, and sugars, but include lean proteins, complex carbohydrates, and good fats into your diet.
Exercises That Burn Belly Fat At Home
Some people like the routine of going to a gym at a set time each day to do their exercises to lose belly fat. But there are some who have neither the time, the budget nor the inclination to do so. Also if you’re just starting to exercise, gyms can sometimes be a little intimidating when you’re surrounded by fit people and high tech equipment. The good news is that you don’t have to go to the gym on a regular basis to start working out to burn fat. There are many exercises to lose belly fat at home that are proven and safe workout routines that you can follow on your computer, iPad or iPod without ever having to step foot into the gym!