When you want to lose a large amount of weight and firm your abdomen, your best bet is to do a combination of cardio exercises and weight training exercises. By building muscle, you will increase your resting metabolic rate and contribute to a higher caloric expenditure while you are sitting still. Keep in mind that no exercise will be effective if you eat unwisely.
Running
Running burns fat and tones the glutes, quadriceps, hamstrings and calf muscles. If you run outside, challenge yourself by running up and down hills. If you run on a treadmill, use the incline feature to simulate running up hill. While running outside or on a treadmill, alternate your intensity back and forth to increase your caloric expenditure. According to MayoClinic.com, the more vigorously you exercise, the more calories you will burn.
Swimming
Swimming offers you a number of benefits. It burns calories, it tones upper and lower body muscles simultaneously and it also has no impact on your joints. A 210-pound person burns 900 calories with 60 minutes of vigorous swimming.
Burpees
Burpees work most of the muscles in the body and they are done in a high intensity fashion. This guarantees you a high caloric expenditure while you tone your muscles. As an added benefit, you are forced to contract your abs when doing these. While standing with your feet hip-width apart, lower your body and place your hands on the floor in front of your feet. In a quick motion, kick your legs behind you and perform a push-up when your toes touch the floor. When you do this push-up, tighten your abs to maintain a straight back. As soon as you come up, quickly snap your feet forward and launch yourself into the air. When doing this, reach your arms straight up, land softly on your feet and repeat.
Clean and Press
A single arm clean and press causes a forceful contraction of your abs. It also builds leg and shoulder muscles. To do this exercise, straddle a dumbbell that is on the floor and place your feet slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. Steadily lower yourself into a squat and grab the dumbbell with your right hand. Lift it off the floor, swing it around to upper chest height with your palm facing in and lower yourself into a slight squat. Forcefully come out of the squat, push the weight above your head and squeeze your abs forcefully. Slowly lower the weight to chest height, then back to the floor. Repeat with your left arm and continue to alternate back and forth.
Slam Ball Split Squat
Slam ball split squats work your legs and abs and they also keep your heart rate elevated, causing you to burn calories. To do these, stand in a split squat position with your right leg forward, left leg behind you and medicine ball held straight above your head. Slowly lower yourself by bending your knees and slam the ball into the floor on your right side. As the ball bounces off the ground, catch it, quickly hop in the air and change your foot position. As soon as your feet touch down, lower into another split squat and slam the ball on the floor on your left side. Continue to alternate in a quick, yet controlled, motion. When you lower your body, do not let your back knee touch the floor and do not let your front knee go past your toes.
Criss Cross with Medicine Ball
The criss cross is a Pilates move that is also known as a bicycle maneuver. By incorporating a medicine ball into the exercise, you will increase the challenge and recruit more muscle fibers. While sitting on the floor with your back at a 45-degree angle to the floor, bend your knees, lift your legs and level your shins to the floor. At this point, you should be holding the ball in front of your stomach. In a steady motion, rotate your torso to your right as you pull your right knee in toward your chest and extend your left leg. Quickly reverse the motion, moving the ball to your left side as you pull your left knee in. Alternate back and forth in a steady motion.
Wood Chop with Dumbbell
The wood chop with dumbbell works your legs and abs. While standing with your legs shoulder-width apart, hold a dumbbell by the ends straight down in front of your pelvis. Slowly lower yourself into a squat as you move the dumbbell to the outside of your right shin. Steadily come back up as you swing the dumbbell at an angle to your left side at shoulder height. Slowly lower the weight back to your shin and repeat. After doing a set of reps, switch sides. When doing this exercise, keep your abs tight and back straight.
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