Best Exercises to Help You Lose Belly Fat

Got a little extra weight around the waist and want to shed that belly fat? We give you a few things you can change in your diet and lifestyle on this page that will help you out, but what should you be doing in the gym? Are the exercises you’re doing the best for slimming your waistline? Read below for the top movements to incorporate into your exercise routine to get rid of that gut.

Best Exercises for Burning Belly Fat

If these twists, turns, jumps, and lifts aren’t in your workout already, it’s time you add them!

Mountain Climbers

You’re probably familiar with this one already. Basically, it is just like a plank, except you alternate bringing your knees up to your chest. What makes this so impactful around the stomach area is that you have to engage your core every time you bring a leg up. Your abdominals keep your back straight and stabilize your body during the movement.

How to Perform:

Start off by getting in a push-up position with your body in a straight line, hands shoulder-width apart. Bring your right foot off the floor and bring your knee to your chest until your toes on your right foot tap the floor. Return your right leg back to the starting position, and repeat the exercise with your left side for the next repetition.

To crank things up, increase your speed for a version of interval training (discussed here) to really burn the fat!

Medicine Ball Slam

This is a fun one to do to let any pent-up aggression out! If you don’t use a medicine ball during your workouts, you’re missing out on some fun exercises and great benefits. As all your power comes from your core, making all the muscles work together to complete this movement all the way from your hips up through your shoulders and neck, this one is sure to get your belly engaged.

See Our Recommended Medicine Ball for Workouts

How to Perform:

This one is doing exactly how it sounds like. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and raise a medicine ball above your head. The weight will vary based on your strength – don’t get something that is a stress to lift over your head, but also not too light that you can swing it around with ease. Slam the ball down to the ground in front of you with all your might. Pick up the ball and repeat!

Kettlebell Swing

Just like the medicine ball, this is another piece of gym equipment you really need to add to your routine. This exercise works in a similar way to the medicine ball slam mentioned above, as it engages your core to control the momentum of the kettlebell. It also incorporates the glutes, quads, and hips, some of your biggest muscle groups to really burn that fat away.

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How to Perform:

Stand with your feet slightly wider than shoulder-width and hold a kettlebell with both hands, arms-length down in front of you. Bend forward at your hips and open your knees slightly as you rock back and swing the kettlebell between your legs and behind you. Engage your glutes and hips and thrust forward as hard as you can, swinging the kettlebell up to shoulder height. Swing it back down between your legs and repeat.

Burpees

If you’ve done CrossFit at all, then you’ll know how to do this one already. If you want to lose weight around your belly, you need to engage as many muscles as you can. This exercise is perfect for doing just that as no part of your body is left untouched to perform this movement. You basically are going from a pushup position, exploding into a jump, rinse and repeat. Performing burpee reps can be just as effective in boosting your metabolism as going for an all-out sprint!

How to Perform:

Start with your feet shoulder-width apart and lower your body to point that your palms rest on the floor at shoulder-width. Get into a pushup by kicking your legs backward with explosive force, then follow that by doing a pushup. Then reverse that movement (bringing your knees back to your chest) and perform a jump straight upwards when you stand. All of that is just one rep! Repeat until exhaustion and you’ll really get your heart racing.

Conclusion

If you’re looking for the best “how to lose belly fat exercise”, you can’t go wrong with incorporating any or all of the above movements into your workout routine.

This list is far from extensive but contains our favorites. Have any that we missed that should be added to the list? Let us know and we’ll get it added!