Hanging belly fat is a bodily feature that causes many people frustration. Even though exercise is an important aspect of losing this fat, you must also adjust your diet to promote weight loss. By doing body-weight calisthenics, cardio and ab-specific exercises, in conjunction with healthy eating, you will burn the fat and create better muscle tone — not just in your lower stomach, but throughout body.
1. Any Form of Cardio
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Power walking, jogging, indoor cycling, kickboxing, inline skating and aerobic dance are all forms of cardiovascular exercise. All cardiovascular exercise burns fat throughout the entire body. For weight loss, perform cardio exercises for at least 60 minutes, four to five days a week, advises the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans. When exercising, work out at a level that causes you to breathe hard and break a sweat.
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2. Ab Wheel Pike
A pike is a gymnastic move where you fold your body in half at the waist. By using an ab wheel to do a variation of the pike, you work your lower and upper abs while burning calories. To do this exercise, you need the large ab wheel with foot straps.
After hooking yourself up to the wheel, place your hands shoulder-width apart on the floor, lift your hips and form a straight line from your shoulders to your heels. Keeping your back, arms and legs straight, roll the wheel inward as you lift your hips skyward and create an angle with your body. Go as far in as possible, roll the wheel back out and repeat. For an easier experience, bend your knees, says ExRx.net. Or to add intensity, perform the ab wheel pike on a slightly inclined slope.
3. Lunge Twist With Medicine Ball
When you do lunge twists you work your legs and abs simultaneously. Stand with your feet together and hold a medicine ball in front of your stomach, says ShapeFit. After taking a step forward with your right foot, lower yourself into a lunge as you rotate your torso to your right.
When doing this, move the ball to the outside of your right hip. Slowly rotate forward as you step out of the lunge and step ahead with your left foot. When your foot touches the floor, perform another lunge and rotate to your left side, moving the ball to your left hip. Alternate back and forth. Feel the contraction through your whole abdominal area.
Read more: 22 New Lunges to Supercharge Leg Day
4. Hanging Leg Scissors
The hanging leg scissors works the lower abs with the aid of a pull-up bar. While hanging from the bar with a shoulder-width, overhand grip, lift your right leg straight up as high as possible. Slowly lower it as you simultaneously raise your left leg. Alternate back and forth with each leg. To do an easier variation, bring each knee in the air instead of your straight leg.
5. Pendulum Planks
Pendulum planks work the entire stomach, and they are done from a face-down position on the floor. After coming onto your stomach, place your hands shoulder-width apart and feet together behind you. Slowly push yourself up, straighten your arms and tighten your core to form a straight back.
While holding this position, lift your right foot and move your leg out to your right side as far as possible without letting your toes touch the floor. Move your leg back to the starting point, place your toes on the floor and repeat with your left leg. Alternate back and forth in a steady motion.