Are you finding it difficult to fit into your little black number? Is belly fat giving you sleepless nights? If your answer is yes, you need to make some lifestyle changes to get the figure of your dreams. No doubt, belly fat looks aesthetically displeasing. It can assume serious proportions and affect long term health, if not curbed at the right time.
Dieting and exercise go hand in hand. If you thought that only dieting will burn your belly fat, you are wrong. If you really want to lose weight, you need to include an hour of exercise in your daily routine for targeting and reducing belly fat. Here, we have compiled a list of 9 exercises that can help you reduce belly fat faster than you thought it would take. Best Exercises To Reduce Belly Fat:
1. Crunches:
Nothing burns belly fat faster than crunches, which occupy the number one position in fat-burning exercises. Now, it’s time that you start performing this exercise.
How To Do
- Lie down flat on a mat with your knees bent and feet on the ground. Alternatively, you can also lift your legs off the floor at a 90-degree angle. (See picture).
- Lift your hands and place them behind your head, or keep them crossed on your chest.
- Inhale deeply, and as you lift your upper torso off the floor, exhale.
- Inhale again as you get back down, and exhale as you come up.
- Do this for 10 times as a beginner.
- Repeat another two to three sets.
Variations
Dumbbell crossover punch, shoulder press and side crunch, butterfly crunch.
Precautions
While performing crunches, instead of entering the full sit-up position, just raise your back a few inches from the ground. This ensures you don’t hurt your back.
Also, don’t jerk your head forward while doing crunches. This will put pressure on your neck and result in pain. Just hold your hands above your head and perform the exercise.
Tip: As you lift your torso, do not sit up straight. Your back should make an angle of 30-40 degrees with the ground. Only then you will feel pressure on your abdominal muscles.
2. Twist Crunches:
Once you get used to the regular crunches, modify the basic crunch to get an even more effective tummy exercise.
[ Read: Diet Plan To Reduce Belly Fat ]
How To Do
- Lie down on the floor with your hands behind your head.
- Bend your knees as you would do in crunches, keeping your feet on the floor.
- You have to lift your upper torso while performing crunches. But, in twist crunches, you have to lift just your right shoulder towards the left, keeping the left side of your torso on the ground.
- Again alternately, lift your left shoulder towards the right, keeping the right side of your torso on the ground.
- Repeat 10 times.
3. Side Crunch:
How To Do
This is same as the twist crunch exercise. The only difference is that you need to tilt your legs to the same side simultaneously with your shoulders. The side crunch focuses on the muscles on your sides.
Precautions
Make sure you keep your movements steady and slow. The midsection, being a complex area, could hurt if you perform the twists in a hurried fashion.
4. Reverse Crunches:
Now it’s time to do reverse crunches. This is another good exercise to reduce belly fat.
How To Do
This is similar to the twist crunch exercise. The only thing that you need to do is tilt your legs behind simultaneously with your shoulders. The side crunch focuses on the muscles on your sides.
Precautions
Keep your back straight while performing the exercise, as arching it can result in pain, and in some cases, even injury.
5. Vertical Leg Crunch:
How To Do
- Lie flat on the floor, or on the mat, with your legs extended upwards (towards the ceiling) and one knee crossed over the other.
- Now that you have positioned your body perfectly, do the same as you would have done in the case of crunches. That is, breathe in and lift your upper body from the floor towards the pelvis.
- Breathe out slowly. As you bring yourself down, breathe in again, and exhale as you go up.
- Do 12 to 15 reps and up to three sets.
Precautions
Start by doing only a few repetitions of this exercise, as it can make you feel sore if you overdo it initially.
6. Bicycle Exercise:
No, you don’t need a bicycle for this. Thinking how you can do this? We’ll tell you.
Image: Shutterstock
How To Do
- Lie on the floor and keep your hands either by your sides or behind your head as you do in crunches.
- Lift both your legs off the ground and bend them at the knees.
- Bring your right knee close to your chest, keeping your left leg away.
- Now take your right leg away and bring your left leg close to your chest.
- Keep doing this as if you are paddling a bicycle.
7. Lunge Twist:
This is a workout for beginners who want to reduce belly fat quickly.
How To Do
- Stand with your legs hip width apart. Keep your knees slightly bent.
- Lift both your hands in front of you, aligning them with your shoulders and keeping them parallel to the ground.
- Lunge forward as shown in the picture. Take a big step forward with your right leg, and sit down as if on a chair so that your knees make a 90-degree angle with the floor. The left leg should be positioned backwards, supported by the toes.
- The spine should be kept straight. Don’t bend your spine forward.
- Twist your torso (just the torso, and not the legs) to the right and then to the left.
- Repeat 15 times.
8. Rolling Plank Exercise:
The rolling plank trains the muscles around your abdomen, hip, and lower back.
How To Do
- Position yourself on the floor with your knees and elbows resting on the ground.
- Keep your neck aligned with your spine. Look forward.
- Lift the knees up and support your legs on the toes.
- Contract your knees and keep breathing normally.
- This is the plank pose. Stay in this posture for 30 seconds.
Now, start moving to and fro for the next 30 seconds. This is the rolling plank exercise.
- Lie down on the floor sideways.
- Support yourself on your right elbow and right leg. Your elbow should be perpendicular to the shoulder, and the left leg should be above the right leg, keeping them together.
- Keep your knees straight. Your hips should not be touching the ground.
- Hold this position for 30 seconds. Once you get comfortable, you may hold this for one to two minutes.
- Repeat on the other side too.
While you are in this position, you may also lift the leg on the top and bring it down again. This makes the exercise more effective – it works not only your abs, but also your thighs and hips.
Variations
Knee plank, rocking plank, reverse plank.
Precautions
Plank is a strenuous exercise, and you might feel like holding your breath while performing it. But don’t do that, as you might suffer from nausea or dizziness.