8 Exercises For Women To Keep the Belly Fat Off
If you struggle to keep the belly fat off, you are not alone. In fact, fat around the midsection remains one of the top issues for women who are looking to tone their core. Unfortunately, there is no silver bullet, one-size-fits-all approach to keeping belly fat off of your midsection. The good news is that a combination of a healthy diet for fat loss, daily habits to lose weight, and exercises that target the belly area are proven effective methods to burn your belly fat and keep it off for good. In this article, we're walking you through eight exercises for women to keep belly fat off.
As previously noted, these moves should be combined with a healthy eating plan for real results. We also recommend incorporating cardio or HIIT for an additional daily calorie burn.
For the following exercises, perform sets of 12 repetitions for exercises that have reps, or perform 30-second holds for exercises that have you in a static position (ie. planks). Perform three sets of each exercise at least twice weekly for maximum results. Keep reading to learn all about our best-recommended exercises for women to keep belly fat off, and next, don't miss 6 Tips for Women To Lose Belly Fat & Keep It Off.
Planks
Start your planks by positioning yourself on the floor, face down, with your forearms and toes supporting your body weight. Keep your elbows directly under your shoulders, your forearms parallel to each other, and your palms down. Engage your core, and keep your spine in a braced neutral position from your head to your heels. Keep your hips from sagging throughout the duration. If you start to sag, take a rest, and then begin the next set after the burn dissipates. Hold the position for 30 seconds, and perform three sets.
Bicycle Crunches
Begin this next exercise lying on your back with your hands placed behind your head, and your knees bent with your feet flat on the floor. You can interlace your fingers or stack your hands on top of one another. Engage your core and lift your head, shoulders, and feet off the floor. Bring your right knee toward your chest while extending your left leg. Rotate your torso, bringing your left elbow toward your right knee. Alternate sides, performing a pedaling motion with your legs as if riding a bike. Complete 12 repetitions on each side per set, which would be 24 reps if counting one at a time.
Russian Twists
Russian twists will have you sitting on the floor with your knees bent, your feet flat on the ground, and your hands together in front of your chest. Lean back slightly, engage your core, and lift your feet off the ground while balancing on your glute muscles and pelvis. Rotate your hands and torso to the right, tapping your hands on the floor near your right hip. Reverse and twist to the left, doing the same near your left hip. Continue alternating sides until you complete 12 repetitions per side. Maintain control and core engagement throughout the set.
Mountain Climbers
Begin mountain climbers in a pushup position with your hands shoulder-width apart and your body in a straight line from your head to your heels. Bring your right knee toward your chest, keeping your right foot off the ground roughly one inch. Quickly switch legs, extending your right leg back while bringing your left knee toward your chest. Continue alternating legs until you complete 12 repetitions on each side. Note: You can do these explosively or slowly depending on your level.
Reverse Crunches
The reverse crunch starts with you lying on your back with your hands placed beside your hips and your knees bent at a 90-degree angle with your feet off the ground. Engage your core, and lift your hips off the floor, bringing your knees toward your chest and raising your feet. You can kick your legs straight up for an extra burn. Lower your hips back down to the starting position. Repeat for 12 repetitions.
Flutter Kicks
Begin on your back with your hands placed under your glutes or by your sides, and extend your legs. Engage your core, and lift your head, shoulders, and legs off the ground roughly six inches. Alternating lift each leg up to 12 inches, give or take as if performing swimming flutter kicks. Complete 12 repetitions per side, or 24 individual repetitions if counting one at a time.
Side Planks
Begin side planks on your right side with your right forearm supporting your upper body and your feet stacked on top of each other, or the top foot placed in front slightly. Your right forearm should be perpendicular to your torso with your palm facing down. Engage your core on the right side to lift your hips off the ground, forming a straight line from head to toe. Hold this position for 30 seconds, then switch sides and complete all three sets.
Dead Bugs
Begin dead bugs on your back with your arms extended toward the ceiling and your knees bent at a 90-degree angle with your feet off the ground. Slowly lower your right arm and left leg toward the floor until each is roughly six inches off the ground. Reverse the motion, maintaining control throughout the range of motion. Repeat on the other side. Complete 12 repetitions per side, alternating each repetition.
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