The best exercises to burn belly fat and melt stubborn pounds
Most people desire to lose their belly fat for many reasons. For some, it might be health-related and for others, it is purely for aesthetic purposes. Whichever your reason, if you are looking to lose weight around your tummy, it is best to get an understanding of how your body works to target belly fat effectively.
There are two types of belly fat: subcutaneous and visceral. Subcutaneous fat is that which you can pinch with your fingers and see on the surface of your stomach. Visceral fat is located inside your abdominal cavity — the dangerous kind that surrounds your internal organs.
The good news is that you can fight both types of belly fat with exercise, but it will take a bit more effort for visceral fat. You’ll need to combine a thoughtful diet plan with some smart exercises to lose belly fat to get rid of visceral fat and any subcutaneous flab and avoid health problems. Exercises to burn your belly fat include:
Bicycle crunches
Bicycle crunches are one of the best exercises to target stubborn belly fat as it works on each ab muscle fibre from all angles. The combination of cardio and abdominal work makes this exercise one of the best to lose belly fat.
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Planks
Planks are one of the best exercises to work your entire body while also engaging your core muscles. Try holding a plank for 20 seconds to start and gradually increase the time over the next few weeks.
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Bird Dogs
The bird dog exercise forces you to control opposite limbs while stabilizing your core to maintain balance. It is an isometric exercise that activates the iinner muscles of the core by forcing you to stabilize your entire torso while extending and moving opposite limbs. This exercise helps strengthen the transverse abdominis — the deep abdominal muscle responsible for flattening out your stomach — as well as obliques and other core muscles that help you bend from side to side. This exercise is also known as quadruped extension.
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Burpees
Burpees are a great exercise that helps you develop both strength and endurance at the same time. It also helps you burn calories at an increased rate compared to other exercises, making it an ideal choice for weight loss.
Lunges
Lunges strengthen your butt, legs, hips, and thighs. They also help reduce belly fat by burning calories more efficiently than other exercises. They target large muscles of your lower body and help boost your metabolism. This helps you lose extra weight much faster.
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When building a solid core, it’s important to stay consistent and get motivated to exercise. Remember that you should engage your transverse abdominus (deep stomach muscles) to burn belly fat while doing most of your exercise routines. The best exercises will vary from person to person, but if you stick with the suggested ones, you should see results in no time!
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