A Daily Bodyweight Circuit To Flatten Your Belly & Shrink Your Waist
If you want to tighten your tummy and shrink your waistline, we have some excellent news: Incorporating this bodyweight circuit into your daily routine can help you shed pounds and flatten your belly. We chatted with Caine Wilkes, an Olympian and certified USA weightlifting coach at Garage Gym Reviews, who says that by using just your body as resistance, you can target multiple muscle groups, including your abs, obliques (side abs), and lower back, which are all crucial for a strong and lean core.
Research shows that high-repetition bodyweight training elevates heart rate, providing cardiovascular benefits and increasing strength. Additionally, bodyweight exercises can help boost your stability and endurance since they often involve functional movements that mimic real-life activities, such as lifting, bending, and twisting. These movements help you build core strength and sculpt a well-defined midsection.
Without further ado, let's dive into the best daily bodyweight circuit to flatten your belly and shrink your waist.
In This Article:
- A Daily Bodyweight Circuit To Flatten Your Belly & Shrink Your Waist
- 1. Bodyweight Squats (10 reps)
- 2. Pushups (10 reps)
- 3. V-ups (15 reps)
- 4. Supermans (15 reps)
- 5. Around-the-World Lunges (5 reps per leg)
- 6. Jumping Jacks (30 reps)
A Daily Bodyweight Circuit To Flatten Your Belly & Shrink Your Waist
What You Need: This workout requires only your body weight, which means you can do it nearly anywhere, anytime. Wilkes designed the workout to target the entire body, focusing on strengthening the core and burning fat. If you push yourself, you can expect to complete it in about 20 to 30 minutes.
The Routine:
Complete 4 rounds of the following.
- Bodyweight Squats (10 reps)
- Pushups (10 reps)
- V-ups (15 reps)
- Supermans (15 reps)
- Around-the-World Lunges (5 reps per leg)
- Jumping Jacks (30 reps)
1. Bodyweight Squats (10 reps)
How To Do It:
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and your toes pointed slightly outward.
- Lower your body by bending your knees and hips, pushing your hips back like sitting in a chair.
- Keep your back straight and chest up as you lower down until your thighs are parallel to the floor.
- Push through your heels and stand back up to the starting position.
Tip: Maintain a neutral spine throughout the movement and keep your knees tracking over your toes.
"The bodyweight squat is an excellent leg burner, but it's also a full-body workout, engaging your core, back, and upper body to maintain good form throughout the movement," Wilkes explains. "Full-body exercises are great for weight loss, as they can help burn more calories."
2. Pushups (10 reps)
How To Do It:
- Begin in a plank position, with your hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart and your body forming a straight line.
- Lower your body toward the floor by bending your elbows while keeping your core tight and back flat.
- Once your chest nearly touches the ground, press through your palms to return to the starting position.
Tip: Avoid letting your hips sag or rise as you move through the pushup. Engage your core and maintain proper form throughout.
"Proper pushups are a challenge of time under tension, as you remain holding yourself up in a plank position during your entire set, burning the shoulders and core. As you perform pushups, try to maintain a straight line from your feet to shoulders, not letting your hips rise too high, and not letting your back sag or relax," instructs Wilkes.
3. V-ups (15 reps)
How To Do It:
- Lie flat on your back with your arms extended overhead and legs straight.
- Lift your legs and arms off the ground simultaneously, reaching your hands toward your toes.
- If you can't touch your toes at first, simply reach as high as you can on your legs.
- Slowly lower your arms and legs back to the starting position, keeping your core engaged.
Tip: Keep your movements controlled, and avoid using momentum to complete the reps.
4. Supermans (15 reps)
How To Do It:
- Lie face down with your arms extended in front of you and your legs straight.
- Simultaneously lift your arms, chest, and legs off the floor, engaging your back muscles.
- Hold the elevated position for a 3-count before lowering back to the floor.
- Repeat for the desired number of reps.
Tip: Squeeze your glutes and lower back at the top of the movement to maximize engagement.
Supermans are an excellent exercise for strengthening the lower back, glutes, and shoulders, which is essential for improving posture and supporting core strength. By targeting the posterior chain, this movement balances out the anterior-focused exercises, promoting overall strength and stability while helping to shrink one's waistline.
"Supermans help engage the upper and lower back muscles, which is a nice addition after the crunches of the V-ups," says Wilkes.
5. Around-the-World Lunges (5 reps per leg)
How To Do It:
- Stand upright with your feet together.
- Step forward into a lunge, lowering your back knee toward the floor until your front thigh is parallel to the ground.
- Step back and perform a side lunge to your left, lowering your hips while keeping your chest up.
- Step back and perform a reverse lunge, stepping your leg back while maintaining good form.
- Complete all 3 lunges (forward, side, reverse) for one rep on each leg.
Tip: Keep your torso upright and avoid letting your knee pass your toes during lunges.
Wilkes explains, "This simple lunge variation gets the adductors and abductors involved by alternating with side lunges."
6. Jumping Jacks (30 reps)
How To Do It:
- Stand tall with your feet together and arms at your sides.
- Jump your legs out wide while raising your arms overhead.
- Jump back to the starting position, bringing your arms back down to your sides.
- Try to maintain a steady rhythm throughout the movement.
Tip: Land softly to reduce the impact on your joints and keep your core engaged.
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