The unforgiving stomach paunch has no mercy on self-esteem. To make matters worse, excess fat in the abdominal area increases the risk of chronic diseases like high blood pressure and cholesterol. By losing this weight, you will not only improve your self-confidence but also wipe out your disease risk. Exercises factor into this game plan, but you need to look deeper than ab crunches.
Spot Reduction Theory
Fat tends to build up in one or two problem areas, depending on the individual. When you have a stomach paunch, you may be under the assumption that doing an ab exercise over and over again can melt away the fat. This is called spot reduction, and it is not possible. To lose fat in your stomach, underarms, legs or any other location, you need to promote weight loss throughout your body as a whole. This requires multiple forms of exercise instead of just one repeated.
Cardiovascular Training
Cardiovascular exercise is the most important component of losing a stomach paunch. This type of training involves repetitive movement of the limbs with little resistance for an extended period of time. When you do cardio, your heart rate elevates, you break a sweat and burn fat throughout your entire body. This in turn reduces the size of your stomach. The most important thing is that you choose a type that you like. If you have to force yourself to do cardio, you will not have the initiative to press on week after week and your results will be compromised. Running, biking, brisk walking, cycling, swimming, elliptical training and kickboxing all burn fat effectively. To experience the greatest weight-loss effect from cardio, you may need to work out for 60 to 90 minutes on five days a week, according to the American College of Sports Medicine.
Strength Training Exercises
Strength training is often overlooked when it comes to the stomach, but it is a very important part of fat reduction. When you build muscle, your resting metabolic rate goes up and you burn more calories when in a rested state. This will further lead to stomach fat reduction and you will lose your paunch faster. Include exercises that target all of your major muscles like bench presses, shoulder presses, back rows, triceps extensions, biceps curls and squats. To increase the work on your abs, use a stability ball for a majority of your exercises. Sit on it, lie on it and lean against it.
Abodminal Exercise
Abdominal exercises help tone and tighten the stomach as you lose weight. This will give you a leaner appearance. Instead of doing just one exercise, include multiple exercises from different angles and with different ranges of motion to insure full recruitment. Include exercises like hanging knee raises, reverse crunches, side bends, Russian twists and bicycle maneuvers. Make sure to use proper form with each one. Squeeze your abs at the midpoint, stay in control as you lower your legs or torso and never arch your back to gain momentum.
References
- Harvard Health Publications; Abdominal Fat and What to Do About It
- American Council on Exercise; Why Is the Concept of Spot Reduction Considered a Myth?; Jessica Mathews
- American College of Sports Medicine: Physical Activity and Public Health Guidelines
- University of Michigan Health System: Beginning Strength Training
