10 BEST Exercises to Lose Belly Fat (At Home)
Believe it or not, there are special massage techniques that promise to help you burn stubborn belly fat, and that’s just the beginning. There are also fat-burning pills that promise overnight results, as well as body wraps that contain a special fat-burning gel, and even exercises that are proclaimed to target your stubborn fat stores directly. But realistically, there’s only one way to get rid of stubborn fat, and that’s by making your body use those fat cells for energy. The only way you’re going to be able to do that is by reducing the amount of energy that you take in from food, and you can add to that deficit by burning a few more calories from activity. So that’s what today’s story is about: increasing the amount of calories you burn by adding some high-intensity exercises into your routine that you can do anywhere, even at home, with no equipment at all. These exercises are truly the best bodyweight exercises that I know of to raise your heart rate and burn more calories. However, they’ll only help you burn body fat faster if you maintain an overall calorie deficit. If you do that, it’ll be like pouring fuel on an already lit fire.
Burpees
The first exercise that you can do anywhere to burn more calories per minute than almost any other exercise is the Burpee. I’m going to explain exactly how to do each of these fat-burning exercises and also explain how you can combine them into a full workout plan at the end. Burpees will help you build both strength and endurance. You want to start in a standing position with your feet shoulder-width apart and your arms by your sides. Then bend your knees and sit your hips back to lower your body into a squat position. As you do this, keep your back straight and your chest up. Place your hands on the floor in front of you, and in one fluid motion, kick both of your feet back behind you so that you land in a plank or push-up position. If this is too difficult, just step one foot back at a time. Now your body should be in a straight line from head to heels, and you should be keeping your core tight to maintain good posture and prevent your hips from sagging. Next, perform a push-up by lowering your chest towards the floor, bending your elbows while keeping them close to your body. Then push back up to the plank position, jump your feet back to the squat position, and immediately explode up and jump with your arms over your head. Land back down with a slight bend in your knees and repeat for reps. Keep in mind, if you’d like to add an extra challenge, if you have dumbbells, you can use them in the same way. Instead of jumping at the end, you’ll perform a curl and a press at the end, then lower them back down for your next Burpee.
Plyometric lunge
Another amazing exercise at burning calories and increasing endurance is the plyometric lunge. This exercise will also help improve leg strength and power without any equipment. Begin by standing up straight with your feet together. Then take a step back with one leg while keeping your feet hip-width apart rather than in a straight line. This will be your starting lunge position. As you step back, bend both knees to create two 90-degree angles with your legs and lower your body to the ground. Then, with your back knee hovering just above the ground, in one explosive motion, jump up off the ground. While in the air, switch your leg position so that the leg that was initially forward should now be back, and vice versa. Swing your arms for balance and momentum during the jump, and as you land, make sure to land softly with your knees slightly bent to reduce the impact on your joints. Immediately drop into your next lunge position with the opposite leg forward and the back knee hovering just above the ground. Repeat this process at a brisk pace, almost as if you’re running in place while in a plank position on the ground. Repeat that same motion over and over for reps.
High Knees
Another simple yet effective bodyweight exercise used to drive the heart rate up in many HIIT workouts is high knees. Begin by standing up straight with your feet hip-width apart. You’ll want to start looking like you’re marching in place but at a fast speed by lifting your knees up one at a time towards your chest. As soon as one knee comes up, quickly lower it back down and spring off your toes to the other side. Do your best to lift your knees high, aiming to bring them up as close to waist level as possible. To ensure that you’re lifting your knees high enough, you can bend your arms at 90-degree angles and try to tap your palms with your knees on each rep. Do your best to stay light on your feet and avoid stomping or pounding the ground to reduce impact on your joints. Also, try to keep a quick pace. It should feel almost like you’re running in place.
Speed Punches
Now, a great exercise to perform right after high knees is the upper body equivalent: speed punches. Even if you’ve never boxed, this exercise can be excellent regardless of your current skill level. Start by getting into a boxing stance by standing with your feet shoulder-width apart, with your dominant foot behind your non-dominant one. If you’re a righty, right foot back and left foot forward. Start by holding your fists close to your face near your cheekbone bones. Then throw your lead arm first by extending your arm straight out in front of you while rotating your upper body to drive your shoulder in front of you as well. Immediately after extending your arm, retract it quickly to its original starting position near your face as you throw a straight cross by pivoting your body in the other direction. Repeat this over and over again for a set length of time (and I’ll give you an exact time with the full workout routine in just a minute).
Sit-Throughs
But let’s move on to the next exercise, which is sit-throughs. For sit-throughs, you want to begin in a tabletop position, on your hands and knees with your wrists directly under your shoulders and your knees under your hips. Your back should be flat, and your core should be engaged. Then lift your knees a few inches off the ground so that you’re in a hover position, with your weight supported by your hands and your toes. This is your starting position. Next, shift your weight to your right hand and rotate your hips and legs to that same side. As you do this, kick your left leg through and extend it out to the side as you lift your left hand off the ground and rotate while you drop your hips towards the ground. Your right leg should be bent with your knee pointing up, and your left leg should be straight. Then rotate back and return to the starting position with your knees slightly off the ground. Repeat on the other side, going back and forth for reps.
Squat Jumps
Next is an explosive lower body exercise that’s excellent for building leg strength, power, and improving overall lower body explosiveness, known as squat jumps. To begin, start standing with your feet shoulder-width apart. Keep your chest up, your shoulders back, and your core tight as you bend your knees and push your hips back as if you’re sitting into a chair. Maintain the neutral curve in your lower back and make sure your knees don’t extend beyond your toes. Once you lower yourself to the point that your thighs are parallel to the ground, explode upward by extending your hips, knees, and ankles at the same time as you swing your arms down. Land back down with your knees slightly bent and immediately go into your next squat. Repeat for reps.
Forearm to Full Plank
Another great exercise for the upper body and core that boosts breathing rate and heart rate is the forearm to full plank. To begin, get into a plank position by planting your elbows into the ground, extending your legs, and getting up on your toes, with your head, hips, and heels in a straight line. Then extend one arm at a time to lift yourself into the full plank, or what looks like a push-up position. After that, lower back down on the same side and immediately switch sides. If you originally extended and came back down on your right arm first, you want to extend and come back down on your left arm next. Repeat these steps, switching from side to side while maintaining the plank position.
Lateral Lunges
Next, we’re moving back to your lower body for lateral lunges. Start by standing with your feet hip-width apart, and then take a step out to the side. It’s very important that you keep your toe pointed forward as you step to the side, rather than turning your foot to the side that you’re stepping towards. This will help keep your knees safe as you do your lunges, and it’ll help incorporate your glutes more. After stepping out to the side, bend that knee and shift your weight over to that leg. Your other leg should remain straight. As you lower your body down into a lateral lunge position, try to lower down until your thigh is parallel to the ground. Then, push off that heel and return to the starting position before switching to the other side and repeating for reps.
Bicycle Sit-Ups
Last but not least, we have bicycle sit-ups. You can incorporate these in between exercises that get you winded to catch some of your breath. To begin, bend one knee and bring it in towards your chest. At the same time, bring your opposite elbow towards that knee. As you do this, make sure you lift your shoulder blade on that side off the ground. Meanwhile, your other leg should be fully extended, slightly above the ground. Then straighten your bent leg back out and switch sides. This should create a pedaling motion as you go back and forth between sides for reps.
So those are some of the best exercises available to do at home with no equipment to burn some additional fat. To perform all of these in one workout, the simplest way is to perform each exercise for 20 seconds on and then take a 10-second break for each set. In total, you’ll repeat each exercise for six to nine sets before moving on to the next one. In the beginning, it’s going to feel really easy to do 20 seconds of burpees, for example, but by the end of each set, I promise you’ll be feeling it, to say the least. In total, a workout like this can easily burn a total of 500 to a thousand calories within an hour, and this is considered a high-intensity interval training routine.
