A A A

5 Fabulous Exercises To Lose Belly Fat

Reviewed by Charles Young, MD

Belly fat is extremely hard to lose since the fat is located in an area difficult to work out. The best way to get rid of belly fat is to work out the entire body and change your diet. This not only gets rid of the belly fat but leads to overall better health, more energy and a sexier body. If you are targeting your abs, here are five fabulous exercises to lose belly fat.

Sit Ups

Most people hate doing sit ups, but they are one of the best exercises to lose belly fat since the muscles are compressed and extended. If sit ups are painful for you, then you aren’t doing them correctly. Invest in a private training session with licensed fitness instructor to show you how to perform sit ups without hurting yourself. If you have suffered a spinal injury, then talk to your doctor before performing these exercises to lose belly fat.

Lie down flat on your back on an exercise mat with knees pointed to the ceiling and feet flat on the mat. You do not have to place your hands behind your head. You can leave them at your sides or crossed in front of your chest. Never pull your head with your hands or this will lead to neck pain. Inhale and use your abdominal muscles to pull your head towards your knees. You do not have to touch your knees with your nose or chin in order to get the fat burning benefits. Exhale as you settle back down. You also can perform the exercise slowly.

Ab Crunches

This exercise is similar to sit ups, but easier for most people. Get into position as if you were about to do sit ups. Keep your hands behind your head or crossed in front of your chest. Experiment to see which position is more comfortable and keeps you well balanced. Remember to never pull your head with your hands. Use your abdominal muscles by pretending you can inhale so that your navel touches your spine. This will help curve your back so that your head lifts towards your knees.

As you become more proficient in doing crunches, make it more difficult by bending one knee towards your head and then alternating legs. Keep a steady, slow rhythm and avoid temptation to speed up. Doing crunches too fast can pull your muscles.

Vertical Leg Crunches

These exercises to lose belly fat are also performed flat on your back. Place your hands behind your head to steady your head. Stick your legs straight up into the air and cross them at the knees. Inhale to use the abdominal muscles to lift the shoulders off of the mat and towards the legs. Hold for a second. Exhale and lower the shoulders and head back down with the legs still up in the air.

Broom Twists

These are great exercises to lose belly fat that can be performed sitting in a chair. Although called broom twists, you can also use any similar object such as a baseball bat or a barbell without weights. Sit in the chair with legs slightly spread so you are well balanced. Place the broom behind your head and spread your arms out as if you are being crucified. Gently twist to the right. When you cannot move to the right anymore, hold for one second and then gently go back to the starting position. Then, twist to the left and hold for one second. Repeat until you can do this side to side twist 25 times.