Safety is the most important priority in the gym. You cannot enjoy good health and fitness if you repeatedly suffer injuries due to poor form or exercises that cause you chronic pain. For example, the barbell squat is an excellent full body exercise for burning fat, but many people cannot do it without experiencing pain. Instead try these safer alternatives that help you burn belly fat without compromising your overall health and safety. Keep in mind that no exercises can directly spot-reduce fat from the belly, but these exercise can hep your body to mobilize fat from your trouble areas to be used for energy.
Elliptical Machine
The elliptical machine is a very low-impact way to get a good cardiovascular workout for burning extra calories to melt belly fat. "Combat the Fat" author Jeff Anderson recommends that you make your cardio even more efficient for belly fat burning by doing immediately after a resistance training workout. Choose the interval or hill setting on this machine to continue burning calories for hours afterward, according to "The Abs Diet" by David Zinczenko.
Inclined Treadmill Walking
Walking on the treadmill, set at a slight incline, is another great fat-burning workout. Almost anyone can do it because its just like walking up hill. You can adjust the speed and grade to fit with your fitness level. This is a great steady-state cardio workout, which Anderson recommends for targeting body fat, without burning away metabolically active muscle. If you are up to it, you can also turn this into an interval workout by alternating between faster, higher-intensity and low to medium intensity walking.
Hack Squats
The hack squats machine offers a safe way to simulate the barbell squat exercise. For those with lower back pain or injuries, the barbell squat can be difficult because it compresses the spine. "Xtreme Lean" authors Jonathan Lawson and Steve Holman recommend using the hack squat machine because it spreads the weight on your back over a larger surface area, putting less direct strain on the lower back. Unhook the support pins, after setting your feet shoulder-width apart, and squat down until your knees are parallel to the foot platform. Press the weight back up to the starting position. For more of a challenge do a marathon set of 20 reps or do each rep very slowly, taking six seconds to lower the weight.
Dumbbell Stiff-Legged Deadlift
According to "The Best Muscle-Building Moves of All Time" by Chris Logan the stiff-leg deadlift is a great fat burning exercise. Compared to traditional deadlifts, it puts less stress on the lower back. Using dumbbells gives you even more control of the weight. Start with two light dumbbells in your hands and your knees slightly bent. Keep your back arched as you lower the dumbbells in front of you to about mid-shin level. Reverse the movement by slowly pulling them upward, ending at thigh level.
Abs Machine Crunches
According to Anderson, there is promising new research that suggests you can spot-reduce body fat to some extent. Traditional crunches can put stress on the lower back, neck and hip flexors. You want to focus that training stimulus on your midsection and abs machine crunches help you do that. Follow Lawson and Holman's advice and use a double or triple drop-set on this exercise. First make sure the machine is properly adjusted and then use a weight that you can control, contracting your abs with every crunch. Do a set of 12 reps, decrease the weight slightly, do another set of eight to 10 reps, decrease the weight again and finish with on more set to exhaustion. After one or two of these, do your cardio to help target your midsection for fat loss.
References
- "Combat the Fat"; Jeff Anderson; 2008
- "The Abs Diet"; David Zinczenko; 2004
- "Xtreme Lean"; Jonathan Lawson and Steve Holman; 2005
- Muscle & Performance; "The Best Muscle-Building Moves of All Time"; Chris Logan, May 2010
- Muscle & Performance; "Lean in Less Time"; Eric Velazquez, February 2010
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