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Melt Your Gut and Get Into Shape With This Floor Routine, Trainer Says

Being proactive means doing bodyweight exercises to shrink your waistline.
FACT CHECKED BY Alexa Mellardo

Are you ready to melt your gut and get into shape? Not only can belly fat be incredibly frustrating to deal with, but it's also harmful to your health and overall well-being. Extra abdominal fat encompasses your internal organs and puts you at a higher risk of suffering from health issues such as diabetes, heart disease, liver problems, certain cancers, and even early death, according to UT Southwestern Medical Center.

Be proactive by measuring your waistline. If your waist is larger than 35 inches (for females) or larger than 40 inches (for males), your risk of dealing with health problems increases, the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute reports. To help melt your gut and get your belly into shape, we've put together a productive floor routine you'll want to stick with.

Developing healthy habits is the name of the game here. That means maintaining a diet that's high in lean protein and veggies, getting in your daily steps, and performing strength training. If you're diligent with these must-do's, your gut will begin to slim down. Along with all that goodness, an underrated type of workout that'll help contribute to the results you desire is a floor routine. Bodyweight movements will challenge your body—especially the core. They'll also keep you active throughout the week so you can continue to burn calories. I recommend performing them on a separate training day or post-cardio sessions.

Without further delay, below is a floor routine that'll melt your gut. Perform 3 to 4 sets of the following exercises, and gear up to get into shape!

Inchworms

inchworms exercise
Tim Liu, C.S.C.S.

This first exercise that'll help you melt your gut starts off with you standing tall. Then, assume a pushup position while keeping your core tight. Squeeze your glutes. Begin walking your hands out in front of you as far as you can while maintaining tension in your abs. Once you've walked your hands all the way out, walk them back in, standing up straight to finish. Perform 3 sets of 10 reps.

Related: Every Thick Waistline Needs This Visceral Fat Reducer at 60, Trainer Says

Heel-Elevated Glute Bridge

heel elevated glute bridge exercise to melt your gut
Tim Liu, C.S.C.S.

For the Heel-Elevated Glute Bridge, you're going to place both heels on top of a sturdy elevated surface and bend your knees. Keep your core tight as you push through your heels, extending your hips all the way up. Flex your glutes hard at the top of the motion, then lower back to the floor, maintaining control, before performing another rep. Complete 3 sets of 15 reps.

Related: The #1 Floor Workout To Get Rid of the Middle-aged Spread

Sit-Outs

sit-outs exercise to melt your gut
Tim Liu, C.S.C.S.

Sit-Outs will begin with you getting into a tabletop position. Your knees should be bent and in line with your hips. Keep your core tight, and begin rotating your body to one side while passing your leg through your chest. While you rotate, take the arm of the side moving through and place it behind you. Fully extend your leg through, flexing your abs at the end of the movement, then return to the starting position before moving in the opposite direction. Perform 3 sets of 8 reps for each side.

Figure 8

figure 8 exercise
Tim Liu, C.S.C.S.

Start off your Figure 8 exercise by leaning back and fully extending your feet. Lift them up a few inches off the floor, and begin drawing a "figure 8"—or infinity sign—with your legs, crisscrossing while maintaining tension in your core. Once you complete one loop around and draw a figure 8, that counts as 1 rep. Continue drawing in the same direction, or go in reverse for the next rep. Perform 3 sets of 8 reps.

Tim Liu, C.S.C.S., CSCS
Tim Liu, CSCS, is an online fitness and nutrition coach based in Los Angeles Read more about Tim