Melt Your Winter Gut With This No-Equipment Workout
Wish you could ditch that winter belly? Join the club. Whether your gut causes you to squeeze into those once loose-fitting pair of pants or discourages you from taking your shirt off at the pool, we can all relate. Research shows that U.S. adults put on around 0.4 to 0.9 kilograms (one to two pounds) between November and January each year. So don't feel bad if your midsection has accumulated extra flab over the colder months since we've all been there. Fortunately for you, we have a no-equipment workout that'll help melt your gut and get you back into shape.
You can slim down your waistline with this high-intensity workout designed by a fitness professional to help torch calories and make your unwanted belly fat vanish. The best part is, you don't need any equipment and can do it from the comfort of your home! To help you in your quest for a toned tummy, we spoke with Kate Meier, CPT, a certified personal trainer with Garage Gym Reviews, who serves up a stellar no-equipment workout to add to your daily routine so you can blast your winter gut for good.
"This workout uses Tabata-style intervals to help you get the most out of these high-intensity moves and burn some serious calories. Tabata intervals consist of 20-second periods of work followed by 10 seconds of rest," says Meier. "Perform the circuit twice without stopping (total of four minutes), then take a break to catch your breath and grab water (about one minute) before repeating until you've done four or five rounds total (20 to 25 minutes)."
Keep reading to learn all about Meier's workout to melt your gut, and next, check out 7 Top-Recommended Compound Exercises To Melt Belly Fat.
Speed Skaters
The workout starts with this unique high-intensity exercise that's sure to get your heart pumping and calories burning.
"Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and knees bent in an athletic stance. Jump toward your right, leading with your right foot. Land in a lunge with your right leg forward at a 90-degree angle and your left leg behind you and to the outside of your right foot. Then, lift your left foot and reverse the movement, jumping toward the left and landing the same way but reversed," explains Meier.
Burpees
Burpees have earned their reputation as a grueling movement for a reason—they're hard to do and instantly make you out of breath. However, that makes them a highly effective exercise since they burn plenty of calories, don't require equipment, and engage your entire body.
"Begin in a neutral athletic stance, feet slightly wider than hip-width apart. Squat down and place your hands slightly in front of your feet. Then, jump your feet into a push-up starting position with your shoulders, hips, and ankles aligned. Do a pushup, then jump your feet back up to your hands once you're at the top of the pushup. From here, jump up and reach your arms overhead, then land in a half-squat. Repeat as quickly as you can," says Meier.
Jump Lunges
Moving on to the lower body, jump lunges are a fantastic high-intensity exercise that will activate your glutes, quads, and thighs while elevating your heart rate and torching calories.
To perform the exercise, Meier says, "Stagger your feet and lower into a lunge with your right foot forward and left foot behind you. From there, jump up and switch your legs, landing into a lunge with your left foot forward and right foot behind you. For both lunges, ensure your front and back legs are at about 90-degree angles before jumping up—your back knee should hover just above the floor at the bottom of the repetition. For each rep, alternate legs and ensure that your shoulders are back and your chest and hips are facing forward."
Up-Down Plank
A full-body workout is only complete with an ab exercise. This plank variation is a surefire way to strengthen your core and help blast away that winter gut.
"Start in a high-plank position with your wrists, elbows, and shoulders stacked and your shoulders, hips, and ankles aligned. Next, lower your right elbow down and place it on the mat, keeping your shoulder and elbow joints stacked. Then, lower your left elbow the same way, getting into a forearm plank," advises Meier. "Place your right hand back into position for a high plank, then push up with that arm and follow suit with your left side. Alternate sides throughout the interval, dropping your right arm first in one rep and dropping your left arm first on the next rep, and so on. Keep your hips as square toward the mat as you can throughout this movement, minimizing movement everywhere except in your arms."
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