What Is the Best Exercise to Lose Belly Fat?

What Is the Best Exercise to Lose Belly Fat?
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If you struggle with belly fat, exercise is an important tool that allows you to shed pounds and tone up the midsection. Not all exercises, however, are created equally. Selecting exercises that target different parts of the abdominal muscles will assist in getting better results. It's also important to plan regular cardio sessions to get rid of the fat covering up your abdominal muscles.

Abdominal Hold

The lower abdominals are a common problem area. The abdominal hold targets this area. Sit on a chair, and place your feet flat on the floor. Sit tall and place your hands on the edge of the chair, face fingers away from your body. Tighten your abdominal muscles and lift your toes about 2 inches off the ground and hold to the count of 5. Return to your starting position and repeat this for a full minute. As your abdominal muscles get stronger, try lifting your toes 4 inches.

Side Crunch

This move targets the muscles on the side of your midsection. Get down into a kneeling position on the floor and lean to your right side. Place your right palm on the floor for stability. Slowly extend your left leg to hip height, keeping your toes pointed. As you place your left hand behind your head, crunch your upper body and leg toward each other. Complete eight to 12 repetitions of this movement on each side.

Abdominal Hollowing

Abdominal hollowing is an effective exercise for targeting the deep abdominal muscles. With this exercise, you stand in an upright position. Taking a deep breath, draw your stomach toward your belly button and contract the abdominal muscles for 10 seconds. Remember to continue to breath during the contractions. Release the contraction and rest briefly. Repeat the exercise up to 10 times per session.

Aerobic Activities

You need more than powerful strength-training moves to shed belly fat. Regular cardio activity is important. This activity burns calories, forcing the body to burn fat cells in the tummy area. Lose more belly fat with interval training. Both novice and professional exercisers use this method to lose fat quicker. With this approach, you alternate bursts of moderate activity with more vigorous bursts. For example, you might walk for a few minutes then jump rope for a few minutes. Complete this rotation for 30 minutes or more.

References

Article reviewed by Helen Covington Last updated on: Jun 14, 2011

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