6 Unexpected Moves That Torch Deep Belly Fat
We've all been there – struggling with stubborn belly fat that just won't budge despite our best efforts. As a personal trainer for over two decades, I've dedicated my career to helping people achieve their fitness goals, including tackling that persistent belly fat. Through years of experience analyzing client needs and developing personalized workout plans, I've discovered that success comes from both the right exercises and the right mindset. Read on to discover six unexpected moves that can transform your core and help torch that stubborn belly fat.
Why Deep Belly Fat Is More Than Just An Aesthetic Concern
Deep belly fat, which is also known as visceral fat, is dangerous for multiple reasons. This type of fat builds up around vital organs – the liver, stomach, and intestines – and actively releases harmful substances into the bloodstream. These substances can significantly increase one's risk of developing chronic diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, stroke, and certain cancers. The risks of deep belly fat go beyond just external appearances.
The Power of Deadlifts
Step-by-step instructions:
Position your feet shoulder-width apart. Grab the barbell with your palms facing you and hands just outside of your legs. Bend at the knees with your back staying straight and weight on your heels. Lift the bar and stand up by using your legs to drive up.
How often and how long to do it:
In order to properly torch deep belly fat, perform deadlifts one to three times a week for 8-12 reps at a challenging weight.
Why this surprising move actually works:
The combination of engaging multiple muscle groups – legs, back, core, and arms – leads to a high calorie burning to boost metabolism. This exercise helps in stimulating the release of hormones like growth hormone to promote muscle growth and fat loss.
Ways to make it easier or harder:
To make this an easier workout, focus on proper form – keeping the bar near your shins and engaging your core and glutes during the entire exercise. Go through a thorough warm-up beforehand to loosen your muscles and avoid injury, and don't be afraid to start with a lighter weight.
The difficulty can be raised for deadlifts by simply adding more weight, incorporating more reps, or changing your grip to a different variation.
Common mistakes:
The mistake seen most often is poor form by rounding the lower back. That can be caused by another common mistake: lifting with your arms instead of the hips. These two mistakes can lead to serious injury. Additional mistakes include not utilizing your core, improper grip, and not fully locking the lift at the top.
Master the Kettlebell Swing
Step-by-step instructions:
Stand with your feet wider than your shoulders. Grab the kettlebell with both hands from the top while lowering in a sumo squat position. Thrust forward from your legs and swing the kettlebell upwards.
How often and how long to do it:
Kettlebell swings should be done three to five times per week. To effectively burn deep belly fat, perform 15 to 30 reps per set with 30 to 45 seconds between sets.
Why this surprising move actually works:
This is a full-body, explosive workout to torch deep belly fat. By combining strength training with high-intensity cardio, kettlebell swings demand high energy through multiple muscle groups that include the core, glutes, hamstrings, shoulder, and back. By activating multiple muscles, you are forced to have an increased calorie output. Similar to deadlifts, this exercise also releases growth hormone plus testosterone to aid in muscle retention and fat burning. Lastly, the swinging motion of your arms, which elevates your heart rate like sprinting, allows for resistance and endurance training to force the body to burn fat more efficiently.
Ways to make it easier or harder:
Lighter weight and proper form are the keys to making this workout easier. Practice the hip movement and hinge prior to adding weight to your routine. Once the movement is nailed down, the workout will be a breeze.
There are multiple ways to make kettlebell swings harder besides using heavier kettlebells, alternate grips, or increasing reps. Try adding resistance bands that increase the tension of the swing or pause at the bottom of the exercise. Performing single-arm or double kettlebell sings will also increase the challenge of it.
Common mistakes:
When people perform kettlebell swings, it is a common mistake to round the back or lean back at the top of the swing. These movements can put a strain on your neck and back. It is also typical to see people squat instead of swinging or not hinging properly at the hips.
The Underrated Farmer's Walk
Step-by-step instructions:
Grab the dumbbells in a neutral grip. Keep your shoulders back and down. Activate your core and begin walking for a designated distance or time.
How often and how long to do it:
When doing a farmer's walk, focus on this exercise two to three times per week for three to five sets each day. Each walk should range from 30 to 60 seconds in length.
Why this surprising move actually works:
This exercise works because it requires ultimate core stabilization, forcing the deep core muscles to be worked. The combination of strength and cardio elevates the heart rate to burn fat during and after the workout. Farmer's walk is an efficient and safe way to target deep belly fat.
Ways to make it easier or harder: Incorporating practices like reduced weight, shorter distances, less time, and small steps can help lighten the load of farmer's walks. When not performing this workout, try grip strengthening exercises to improve grip strength.
To increase the level of difficulty, one can increase both the weight and walk distance. Challenge yourself with an uneven hold by having a heavier weight in one hand. You can also perform the workout on an inclined or declined surface to add resistance. Adding pauses and slowing down the tempo are great ways to increase muscle activation and stabilizers.
Common mistakes:
The biggest mistakes made with the farmer's walk are hunching the shoulders and not engaging the core. You want to avoid leaning with the weight, and engaging the core will help keep your posture upright.
Mountain Climbers with a Twist
Step-by-step instructions:
Position yourself on a hard surface floor in a push-up position with your hands under your shoulders. Put a towel or sliders under your feet. Keep your hands in place, then bring one knee to your chest, followed by the other one. Slowly speed up like running on the floor for a set duration of time.
How often and how long to do it:
The goal for mountain climbers with sliders should be three to four times per week of 30 to 45 seconds per set.
Why this surprising move actually works:
This exercise combines full-body activation and cardio intensity into one movement to torch deep belly fat. By adding the sliders to the mountain climber movement, your core muscles are forced to work harder to stabilize the movement. This consistent engagement increases the caloric output during the exercise. Additionally, the sliders help in elevating your heart rate quicker to help target deep belly fat.
Common mistakes:
For beginners, start in a higher plank position or with slower movement to focus on control throughout the workout. If you need to, take pauses during the time allotment to reset.
To take this workout up a notch, you can increase the speed of the exercise. Another way to challenge yourself is by performing mountain climber variations like cross-body, double leg, or adding a torso rotation. Elevating your feet on a raised surface will add difficulty, too.
Common mistakes:
Dropping or lowering the hips is a common mistake with this workout. By doing either of these, you are putting stress on your back and not engaging your core. People have a tendency to move too fast with poor control, too.
The Power of Hollow Body Holds
Step-by-step instructions:
Lay flat on your back on the floor. Extend your arms overhead at a 45-degree angle. Raise your legs off the floor at a 45-degree angle. Hold that position for a set time by engaging your core.
How often and how long to do it:
Do hollow body holds two to three times per week, with each hold lasting 20 to 60 seconds.
Why this surprising move actually works:
The hollow body holds work because it engages the entire core. It forces the muscles to work together throughout a sustained isometric contraction. The hold requires the body to improve muscle endurance and metabolic efficiency, both of which contribute to higher calorie burning.
Ways to make it easier or harder:
This workout can be made easier by raising your legs to alleviate the amount of core engagement needed to execute the exercise. Placing your arms by your side or utilizing wall support can take pressure off of you for an easier workout.
Kick the difficulty of the hollow body holds up by holding a weight in your hands or rocking back and forth. Single-leg extensions and keeping your shoulders off the ground are both great options to make this harder.
Common mistakes:
People performing this exercise often will raise their lower back off the floor. This is the most critical aspect of the hold to keep your core effectively engaged. Another common mistake is not utilizing your entire body by activating the legs and glutes to properly align your body.
Battle Rope Slams for Maximum Impact
Step-by-step instructions:
Begin by making sure the rope is secured to a wall or hooks. Position your hands on the ends of the rope with your arms and legs shoulder-width apart. Put a slight bend in your knees. Activate your core while keeping your back neutral then fully extend your hips. Either with one arm at a time or both arms, slam the rope on the ground.
How often and how long to do it:
This high-intensity cardio workout should be performed two to three times per week. Each session should last between 10 and 20 minutes and consist of 30-second bursts with short rest periods between each burst.
Why this surprising move actually works:
Battle rope slams are a high-intensity cardio workout that significantly increases your heart rate and requires full-body strength training, making this very effective in getting rid of deep belly fat. The explosive motion of the slams helps by recruiting multiple muscle groups that increase caloric expenditure.
Ways to make it easier or harder:
The closer you stand to the anchor point, the easier this exercise will be. Positioning your hands with a wider grip and focusing on smaller movements are both helpful to lighten the load of the workout.
While standing closer can make this workout easier, it can also increase the difficulty depending on your approach. By standing closer, you allow yourself to increase the speed of the slams to make this harder. Be willing to try different grips and movements with your arms, such as single-arm, cross-body, or alternating waves.
Common mistakes:
It is typical for people doing this exercise to only use their arms as opposed to their whole body. You have to remember that your legs, core, and hips are important to effectively perform this workout. People also stand too stiff or upright, reducing their power and putting strain on the back.
Create Your Workout Plan
Incorporating all these moves into one workout is dependent upon your fitness level and goals. It can be extremely effective to perform all these exercises in a single workout, but it needs to be done so effectively. One way to combine these exercises into one workout is through a high-intensity circuit workout.
If spreading these out during the week, combine the workouts into a balanced weekly plan. They can be split and combined with other workouts in categories based on full-body power and strength, HIIT, active recovery and core stability, strength and explosiveness, or HIIT and core burnout. By grouping these workouts into focus-specific groups, you can effectively work your muscles without overexertion.
What Results to Expect
After four weeks of correctly and consistently performing these exercises, you will notice a stronger and tighter core, reduced belly fat, better posture and stability, and increased strength and endurance. These workouts will provide full-body results that will lead to torched deep belly fat.
Staying consistent over an eight-week period will leave you seeing even better results. Ultimately, you will have a leaner midsection, increased muscle definition, noticeable fat loss, improved muscle tone, and a stronger and more stable core.
While these exercises are a critical part of torching deep belly fat, they need to be paired with a complementary diet to truly help get rid of deep belly fat. Stay consistent and accountable to reach your goals. And if you enjoyed this article, don't miss How Long Your Walking Workout Should Be To Shrink Belly Fat.
