Abs are surely one of the most difficult body parts to train. It takes weeks, sometimes even months of regular exercise and diet control to get flat or toned abs. If you too have been struggling to get your desired kind of abs, then here’s a workout routine that you can bank on. Shared by Sweat trainer Stephanie Sanzo, the workout can be easily done at home with minimal equipment. Abs wheel and dumbbell are the two equipment that Sanzo uses in this abs workout.
Belly fat is the most unhealthy, stubborn fat. The AARP warns that people with belly fat are at a higher risk of heart disease, diabetes, stroke, and certain cancers That is why you must change your lifestyle and start exercising. Listed below are a few things you can start doing to reduce and manage belly fat.
As people get older, it’s common to see an increase of belly fat collect along the waistline. This is usually because muscle mass decreases with age as fat increases. Belly fat can make you feel self-conscious or can cause difficulty fitting into your favorite pair of pants.
However, there are also some health risks associated with excess belly fat, including:
- High blood pressure
- High cholesterol
- Type 2 diabetes
- Breathing problems
- Heart disease
Because of these risks, it’s a good idea to try to control your belly fat. There are three types of belly fat: subcutaneous, intramuscular, and visceral. Visceral fat is the type that sits between your organs and is known as belly fat. Even if you have a normal weight and body mass index (BMI), too much visceral belly fat can still lead to a variety of health problems.
Exercises to Help Belly Fat
There are many exercises out there, but not all are created equal when it comes to banishing belly fat. However, scientists and doctors alike agree that incorporating physical activity into your daily routine is a great way to burn off unwanted belly fat. Here are some exercises for belly fat that you can try to help you slim down your waistline.Side Plank
Target – Abs, shoulders, biceps, and glutes.
How To Do
- Get into a side half-lying pose on your right. Place your left foot across the right foot and on the floor.
- Place your elbow right below your shoulder and your left hand on your waist.
- Lift your pelvis off the floor. Your back should be in line with your neck and head.
- To make this a little tough, open your left hand wide.
- Hold this pose for 30-60 seconds. Keep breathing.
- Lower your body. Take a 10-second break, change sides, and do the same on the other side. One set of this exercise is enough for beginners. You may increase the time and sets as you progress.
What Not To Do – Do not droop your pelvis.
Plank
Target – Upper abs, lower abs, shoulders, biceps, and glutes.
How To Do
- Kneel down on a mat.
- Place your elbows on the mat.
- Extend your right leg back, then your left leg.
- Keep your neck, back, and hips in the same line. Keep your core engaged.
- Hold this pose for at least 30 seconds. Do 3 sets of 30-60 seconds hold.
What Not To Do – Do not place your palms far away from your shoulders. Do not droop your lower back or pike it up.
Burpees
Target – Full body workout that also targets your abs.
How To Do
- Stand straight with your feet shoulder-width apart.
- Bend your knees and place your hands on the floor. Let’s call this the “frog” position for clarity.
- Jump and push both your legs back and get into a plank or push-up position.
- Hop and get back to the “frog” position.
- Jump vertically and extend your hands above your head.
- Land softly on the floor.
- Get into the frog position again, then go back to the plank position. Do 3 sets of 8 reps. Take a 10-second break between the sets. Also, take a 20-second break before moving on to the next exercise.
What Not To Do – Do not set unachievable goals. Burpees are tough to do. The number of burpees you do does not matter. What matters is how many you do while maintaining correct posture.
Crossbody Mountain Climbers
Target – Lower abs, upper abs, glutes, hamstrings, and quads.
How To Do
- Get into a plank position. Make sure your elbows are directly below your shoulders. Keep your neck, back, and hips in a straight line. Do not pike up and curve down. This is the starting position.
- Lift your right foot off the floor, flex your knee and bring it close to the right side of your chest.
- Place the right foot back to its starting position. Now, lift your left foot off the floor, flex your knee and bring it close to the left side of your chest.
- Speed up and do it as if you are running! Do 2 sets of 25 reps. Take a 20-second break before doing the next exercise.
What Not To Do – Do not place your palms too far away from your body, and do not droop your neck or lower back.
Lying Alternate Toe Taps
Target – Lower abs, upper abs, obliques, and glutes
How To Do
- Lie on the mat and lift both your legs. Extend your hand up, lift your head and upper back off the floor, and engage your core. This is the starting position.
- Curl up and try to touch your left foot with your right hand.
- Curl back down.
- Curl up again and try to touch your right foot with your left hand. Do 2 sets of 15 reps.
What Not To Do – Don’t worry if you are not able to touch your foot. Try reaching beyond the knee and as close to the foot as possible.
Russian Twist
Target – Obliques, upper abs, lower abs, and glutes.
How To Do
- Sit on the mat, lift both your legs, keep your knees flexed, and lean back a little. Join your palms to balance your body. This is the starting position.
- Twist your upper body to the left and then to the right.
What Not To Do – Do not hold your breath while doing this exercise.
Jackknife Crunch
Target –Lower abs, upper abs, glutes, hamstrings, and quads.
How To Do
- Lie down on a mat. Extend your hands over your head. This is the starting position.
- Keeping your back and neck in the same line, lift your upper body. Simultaneously, lift both your feet off the floor.
- Try touching your knees with your hands.
- Get back to the starting position. Do 3 sets of 12 reps.
What Not To Do – Do not rest your head on the floor completely between repetitions.
Heel Touch
Target – Obliques and upper abs.
How To Do
- Lie down on a mat. Kee your legs flexed, feet wider than shoulder-width apart, and flat. Keep your hands by your side, chin up, shoulders relaxed, and core engaged.
- Bend sideways and try to touch your right heel with your right hand.
- Bend toward the other side and try to touch your left heel with your left hand.
- Do 20 of these to finish one set. Do 3 sets of 20 reps. Take a 20-second break before moving on to the next exercise.
What Not To Do – Do not place your feet too close to your hips.
Sit-ups
Target – Lower and upper abs.
How To Do
- Lie on a mat, flex your knees, and place your heels on the mat. Engage your core and place your hands at the back of your head. Lift your head and shoulders off the floor and look at the ceiling. This is the starting position.
- Use your core strength to lift your body off the floor and come to a sitting position.
- Go back down to the starting position slowly. Do 2 sets of 12 reps.
What Not To Do – Do not get confused between sit-ups and crunches. You need to literally sit up and go back down to the starting position to do sit-ups. Do not bring your elbows close while sitting up.
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Half Seated Reverse Crunch
Target – Lower abs, upper abs, and glutes.
How To Do
- Sit on a mat, flex your knees, and place your feet flat on the floor. Lean back and support your body on your elbows. This is the starting position.
- Lift both your legs off the floor and bring your knees almost close to your nose.
- Slowly, bring your legs down to the starting position. Do 3 sets of 15 reps.
What Not To Do – Do not scrunch your shoulders or curve your lower back too much.
Bicycle Crunches
Target –Upper abs, lower abs, obliques, glutes, hamstrings, and quads.
How To Do
- Lie down on a mat, flex your knees, and lift your feet off the floor.
- Place a thumb at the back of each ear. Hold the back of your head with the rest of the fingers. Lift your head off the floor. This is the starting position.
- Push your left leg down and extend it straight. Simultaneously, curl up and twist to your right. Try to touch your left elbow with your right knee.
- Curl back down and bring your left leg back to the flexed position.
- Do the same with the other leg. Do 2 sets of 12 reps. Take a 10-second break before doing the next exercise.
What Not To Do – Do not hasten to complete the sets, and do not tuck your chin in.
Crunches
Target –Lower and upper abs.
How To Do
- Lie down on a mat, flex your knees, and place your feet on the floor.
- Place a thumb at the back of each ear. Hold the back of your head with the rest of the fingers. Lift your head off the floor. This is the starting position.
- Initiate the movement by curling up and trying to reach your knees with your head.
- Go back to the starting position.
- Make sure you inhale while curling up and exhale while going down. Do 2 sets of 12 reps.
What Not To Do – Do not tuck your chin in.
Scissor Kicks
Target – Lower abs, upper abs, glutes, hamstrings, and quads.
How To Do
- Lie down on a mat. Place your palms under your hips.
- Lift your head, upper back, and legs off the floor. This is the starting position.
- Lower your left leg. Just before it touches the floor, lift your left leg and lower your right leg.
- Do this 12 times to complete one set. Do 3 sets of 12 reps. Take a 20-second break before moving on to the next exercise
What Not To Do – Do not do this exercise quickly or hold your breath while doing it.
Leg In And Out
Target – Lower abs, upper abs, glutes, hamstrings, and quads.
How To Do
- Sit on a mat. Place your hands behind you, with the palms flat on the mat. Lift your legs off the floor and lean back a little. This is the starting position.
- Tuck both your legs in. Simultaneously, bring your upper body close to your knees.
- Go back to the starting position. Do 2 sets of 20 reps.
What Not To Do – Do not place your hands too wide apart at the back.
Lying Leg Raises
Target – Lower abs, upper abs, glutes, hamstrings, and quads.
How To Do
- Lie down on a mat. Place your thumbs under your hips, palms flat on the floor. Lift your feet off the floor a little, look up at the ceiling, and engage your core. This is the starting position.
- Raise both your legs to 90 degrees and slowly bring them back down.
- Right before touching the floor, raise your legs again. Do 3 sets of 15 reps.
What Not To Do – Do not place your feet completely on the floor or push your hips up with your hands to lift your legs.
Diet tips to get flat abs
For losing belly fat and weight in general, your total calorie intake needs to be less than the calories you burn in a day. You need to focus on consuming all food groups and not starve yourself.
- Make sure your diet includes plenty of fibre and protein-rich foods. Protein-rich foods help in building muscles and can aid weight loss. Fibre-rich foods are filling in nature and can reduce your appetite.
- Limit your intake of refined carbs. Processed food, junk food and deep fried-food are a big no-no if you want to have flat abs.
- Drink sufficient water and keep yourself well-hydrated at all times.
- Do not forget to include foods rich in good fat like ghee, olive oil, mustard oil, coconut oil, avocado etc in your diet.
The Bottom Line
Hope you now have a clear idea on what you need to do to reduce belly fat at home. It is tough but not impossible.
While it’s important to get at least 30 minutes of moderate exercise a day, you don’t want to overtrain and push yourself too hard. Sometimes when you overtrain, your body can produce too much cortisol. This is a stress hormone that is associated with belly fat, so overtraining may actually make it more difficult to burn off belly fat. Just keep in mind the recommendations for moderate regular exercise, and talk with your doctor if you have questions about how else your exercise routine can benefit your waistline.
