Melt Your Midriff Bulge With This Cardio and Weights Routine, Trainer Says
Melting the midriff bulge is at the top of your to-do list—and for good reason. Excess belly fat is no joke. According to a study published in the British Medical Journal, having a midriff bulge—also dubbed "central obesity"—is associated with a greater chance of suffering from sudden cardiac death. Getting up and active on a daily basis is imperative to your overall well-being; so much so that your life depends on it. We're here with a cardio and weights routine that'll melt your midriff bulge. Now lace up those sneakers, and get ready to hit the gym.
When trying to win the battle of the belly bulge, you need to perform a healthy combination of strength training and cardio. That way, you focus on building muscle while maximizing your calorie burn. Just how important is strength training in your fitness routine? Well, a Harvard study discovered that men who performed 20 minutes of weight training on a daily basis experienced less of a jump in belly fat when compared to men who only did aerobic exercise for 20 minutes.
Below is a sample workout you can start performing ASAP to melt your midriff bulge. Complete three sets of the following exercises.
Landmine Deadlift
Prepare for the Landmine Deadlift by setting up the barbell inside the landmine attachment. If you don't have one, anchor the end of the barbell against a wall, which will achieve the same effect. Keep your chest tall, push your hips back, and squat down until you can grab the end of the bar. Brace your abs, then press through your heels to rise back up. Flex your glutes hard at the top of the move, then reverse the motion back down to the ground before performing another rep. Complete three sets of 10 reps.
Wide Neutral Grip Pulldowns
With your palms facing each other, grab the wide parallel grip attachment at the lat pulldown station. Lean back just a bit as you bring the handle down to your sternum, squeezing your upper back and lats. Resist on the way back up until you get a full stretch at the top. Complete three sets of 10 reps.
Dumbbell Step-ups
This exercise starts with you grabbing a set of dumbbells and placing your foot on a workout bench or sturdy surface. Be sure your chest is tall and your core tight as you lean into the heel of your front leg and push off of it to step up onto the elevated surface. Flex your quad and glute at the top of the movement, then lower down to the starting position before performing another rep. Complete three sets of 10 reps for each leg.
Incline Neutral Grip Dumbbell Bench Press
Begin the Incline Neutral Grip Dumbbell Bench Press by lying down on an incline bench. Holding a dumbbell in each hand, position them up with your palms facing each other. Press your shoulder blades back into the bench, then lower the dumbbells while maintaining control. Get a solid chest stretch at the bottom of the motion, then drive the dumbbells back up to the sky, flexing your triceps and upper pecs to finish. Complete three sets of 10 reps.
Air Bike Intervals
Round out your midriff bulge-melting workout with a cardio session: air bike intervals. For this final exercise, set up on an air bike. You can begin with a simple interval routine by performing bike sprints for 10 to 15 seconds, then cycling at a lower intensity for 30 to 40 seconds. Repeat for 10 to 15 minutes in total.
