The six major muscles of your belly include two sets of internal obliques, two sets of external obliques, transverse abdominals and rectus abdominus. The only way to see a lean-looking stomach is to shed the fat that sits on top of your abdominal muscles. You can reduce oblique fat and underbelly fat by training aerobically to melt off the unwanted fat. You can also clean up your diet to help create a caloric deficit and promote weight loss. Target training your stomach can also help whittle away your waist.
Step 1
Monitor your caloric intake. You cannot lose belly fat when you consume high amounts of calories. You must reach a caloric deficit each day by burning more calories than you consume. Choose to reduce your caloric intake and increase your activity level to reach your deficit and melt body fat.
Step 2
Focus on being active daily for an hour. Train aerobically for 60 minutes to help burn calories and shed fat from your entire body, including your obliques and lower abdominals. Choose to run, swim, bike, hike or even dance for an hour daily to increase your calorie burn.
Step 3
Perform interval training to whittle your waist. Interval training burns more calories than traditional cardio training, according to the American Council on Exercise. Interval train with any type of aerobic activity, by working at a high intensity for 30 seconds followed by a moderate intensity for two minutes. Repeat your interval throughout your workout to melt more fat.
Step 4
Twist your belly trim. The American Council on Exercise completed a study in 2001 which found that the bicycle crunch is the most effective abdominal exercise. Perform bicycle twists by lying on your back with your hands behind your head and your knees at a 90-degree angle. Draw your navel in and lift your shoulder blades off the floor. Twist your left elbow to your right knee, pause for one to two seconds and twist your right elbow to your left knee. Alternate twists, completing three sets of 15 repetitions.
Step 5
Complete reverse crunches to tone your lower abdominals. Lie on your back with your palms pressed into the floor. Draw your navel in and slowly lift your hips up off the floor using the strength of your abdominals. Slowly lower your hips back down. Complete three sets of 12 to 15 repetitions.
Step 6
Build lean mass with circuit training. MayoClinic.com explains that the more muscle you build, the more efficiently you are able to burn fat. Complete six to 10 strength exercises, performing one exercise after another without rest. For example, complete 12 repetitions of squats, situps, bicep curls, lunges, planks, shoulder press, dips and pushups without rest in between exercises. Rest after your circuit and repeat the circuit three times.
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