The 5 Best Exercises For Burning Belly Fat

Sculpt your abs and blast away the belly flab that covers them with these fat-burning moves

When you’re looking to get fit, one of the first places guys target is the belly.

That’s smart. Sure, people can get hung up on their appearance when they carry weight in their gut — but the fat you carry in your belly is more insidious other types making your focus on the stomach well founded. Belly fat, aka visceral fat, has been linked to conditions like heart disease, diabetes, and even cancer.

Once you shed those pounds and flatten your belly, you’ll be able to move better, too. Strengthening those core muscles will only help you with everything else you’re trying to do in the gym, and outside of it, too.

Start honing your stomach with the following 12 exercises to hammer the dozens of muscles between your shoulders and hips and rev your metabolism at the same time.

1.Hollow body hold are a go-to exercise for gymnasts, who are pound-for-pound among the strongest athletes in the world. The move is a staple of their training, for good reason: It’s a major core blaster.

Think of the hollow body hold as the inversion of a plank. Rather than bracing yourself against the ground and letting gravity do the work, you’re flipped around, fighting against the force to keep yourself in position.

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DO IT: Lay down, pressing your lower back into the ground. Hinge at the hips to tuck your knees into your chest while also raising your shoulders off the ground, reaching forward with your arms.

Extend your legs straight out and hold in position, stretching your arms back behind your head and squeezing your core to maintain your posture. For beginners, keep your arms pointed forward to make the move less difficult. Hold for 30 seconds to start, then ramp up to a minute or more once you develop the core strength.

2.BIRD DOG

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The bird dog helps you to move dynamically within your workout, which is a great way to help you hone that stomach.

You don’t just work your core and hip muscles with the move — you also work on your balance and coordination. You might fall over the first few times you give this move a whirl, which is okay. Once you have it down, you’ll have mastered an exercise that works more than just one thing.

DO IT: Put your weight on your hands and toes, bending your knees to take a tabletop position, squeezing your core to keep your spine straight.

Raise your left arm to reach straight forward, while simultaneously raising your right leg and stretching it straight out. Hold for a count, squeezing your core, before returning to the original position. Repeat the movement with your right arm and left leg to count 1 rep.