13 Ways to Lose the Last of Your Belly Fat When You Work Out
If you’ve been going to the gym regularly but still can’t get rid of your belly, what are you doing wrong? Perhaps, it’s what you’re not doing.
Remember, belly fat isn’t quite like other body fat. The difference is that the other type of fat, subcutaneous fat, such as those love handles or extra fat on your arms, sits just below your skin. Working out regularly and changing up your diet to a healthier one can help get rid of it in no time.
Belly fat, on the other hand, is known as visceral fat. It is actually metabolically active tissue that hugs your abdominal organs and often doesn’t want to let go.
So what’s a man to do? Chris Piegza, a trainer in Manhattan, says it’s about having a total-body approach to weight loss. Here are 13 ways to get rid of that persistent fat for good. Try one or a few each day, and see the difference!
1. Running Uphill
Whether your workout routine is jogging around the city or hitting up the treadmill at the gym, look for inclines. Los Angeles personal trainer Jill Penfold says this is one way to torch more calories. “Your heart rate should elevate pretty quickly as you pick up your pace,” she states. You should alternate five to 10 minutes of uphill jogging with another five to 10 minutes of running. Doing this for half an hour to an hour each day will render those rippled abs.
2. Burpees
Burpees are an excellent way to target your gut. Exploding from a push-up position to a jump and then repeating this move involves your entire body, and all your muscles work overtime. That’s why it’s a favorite with fitness fanatics who are high on energy but low on time. Doing just 10 burpees a day boosts your metabolism and burns fat fast.
3. Kettlebells
Your glutes, hips and quads may be hard to target, but when you engage with a kettlebell, they become fat-burning muscles. While you pump the kettlebell, your heart rate goes way up, and your core gets a great workout. Remember to do kettlebell swings properly, always keeping a tight core. If you’ve not tried kettlebells before, sign up for some classes with pro trainers. This will help you learn proper thrust techniques and movements. Every swing counts!
4. Practice Yoga
Did you know that mindful exercise can help allay cortisol, the stress hormone that contributes to body fat? Before you knock the benefits of yoga, check out this one Yale study, which proves that mindfulness through yoga works to combat the bad habit of mindless eating.
5. Focus on Strength Training Plus Cardio
“Fat mass can be shrunk by cardio and dieting. However, cardio can burn away both muscle and fat, leaving you skinny but soft,” says celebrity trainer Nick Hounslow. So even if you only spend 20 minutes a day on weight training, and then another 20 on your cardio, you’ll get firmer results–the kind the ladies love!
6. Hire a Trainer at the Gym
Good trainers don’t just work with gym weights and machines. They can also teach you how to perform interval-based HIIT and Tabata-style workouts that are designed to really burn fat.
7. Switch Up Your Routine
In order to shrink your midsection, your body needs to take a surprise hit. Do a combination of different exercises instead of performing the same ones day in and day out.
8. Work Out at the Beach
Marc Pierre is a personal trainer and boot camp instructor at luxury resorts. He says that one great way to get rid of hard-to-target fat is by working out on a sandy surface. “Increase your muscle reaction and core stability in a soft beach sand environment, with the heat from the sand relaxing the muscles for more range of motion,” Pierre told Men’s Health. Having a sand base to perform your moves on promotes both flexibility and stability.
9. Pimp the Regular Crunch
Russian twists, flutter kicks, crunches with toe touches and crunches with a burpee in between are all great ways to take your average crunch to the next level of fat burning.
10. Planks
Planks are a favorite of many celebrity trainers, because, when you do them properly, you force your core to work. There’s no way it can’t not be engaged, and your body must feel the burn. There are so many varieties of the plank you can learn. Trust us–this one might become your next favorite fat-burning move.
11. Use a Towel
Throwing in a towel (literally) will give you the easy-sliding action needed for the exercises while ensuring that the power is coming from your core. It looks simple enough, but just 10 minutes of towel circuits, and you’ll be feeling it for days! Here’s one good circuit to learn:
Use any kind of towel for this two-move core circuit: Starting in push-up position, make sure your hands are directly under your shoulders and you have both feet on the towel. Keep your back flat and core tight, and then slide your feet toward your torso, bringing your knees to your chest. Pause a few seconds, and repeat 20 times.
12. Ditch the Sugary Energy Beverages; Drink Lots of Water Instead
When you’re working on losing belly fat, make sure you’re not taking one step forward and two steps back by loading up your body with unnecessary sugar. Drinking to stay hydrated is absolutely necessary, but plain old water is your best friend.
13. SculpSure
If all else fails, there is always SculpSure, a new non-invasive way to target and permanently remove stubborn body fat if your workouts aren’t fully cutting it on their own. Check out our blog about options and what to expect from this cosmetic procedure.
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