If you are not among the lucky girls who can eat a lot and don’t gain any weight and you are struggling to find the way to lose fat quickly and keep it off. The most problematic zone for every girl is the belly. That happens because genetically our body generates fat in order to protect the most vulnerable part of the woman’s body – the reproductive organs. There is no “magic pill” or “loophole” that will help you get rid of excess fat in a couple of days. Having a perfect body requires a lot of exercising, dieting, sleeping and no stress! Yes, stress is the main culprit of belly fat. Because of stress the cortisol level builds up and that’s when we gain fat in our midsection; it’s not necessarily about overeating. Let’s discuss the best exercises that will help you reduce belly fat and gain six pack abs the quickest way possible. The problem is that exercising the regular way or spending hours on cardio-vascular machines only helps you gain muscles under the layer of fat. That won’t make you happy, right? The exercises we offer burn fat and then help you build strong muscles. The complex of accurate exercises is essential in your journey to lean, toned abs.
The plank
Why: The plank is one of the most popular and effective exercises for the abs around the world. Plank makes work not only abdominal muscles and the shoulder girdle, but all the muscles of the body.
This is one of the few exercises which will allow you to get rid of fat on the lower abdomen.
Planks are static exercises. There are no movements in it, so the most important thing here – is to keep the body in the right position.
How: The body should form a straight line from the top of the head to toe. Only rely on the forearms and toes to support your body above the floor. The elbows are directly under the shoulders. Keep the body as straight as possible and tighten your abdominal muscles, do not relax. Be careful not to bend the hips down to the floor.
1. Feet. Put them together: Keeping your balance will be difficult, and this increases the load on the abdominal muscles.
2. Legs. Be straight and tight, otherwise the load on the straight abdominal muscles, holding the lumbar will also be reduced.
3. Buttocks. Strain those buns. Hold the pressure until the end of the exercise. Relaxing the gluteal muscles increases the work of the core muscles.
4. Lower back. The most difficult moment! If done correctly, lumbar spine should be flat. Do not round or bend lower back.
5. Belly. Pull and then try to pull up to the ribs. Throughout the exercise, keep the stomach in this position, but do not hold your breath.
6. Elbows. In order not to create unnecessary burdens on the shoulders, put your elbows directly below the shoulder joints.
Side plank
Why: This exercise is even more effective than the traditional plank as you hold your entire body weight on two points of contact instead of four. As a result you strain more to keep balance and your abs work harder.
How: Starting position: lying on your left side, put your elbow just below the shoulder, legs straight. Place your right hand on your right thigh.
Tighten your abdominal muscles and lift the hips off the floor until you make diagonal, balancing on your forearm and feet. Remember, your body should form a straight line! Stay in this position 30-45 seconds (or the maximum possible time). If you can’t keep the body in this position for this length of time do the exercise again to a total of 30 seconds. Change sides and repeat the same steps. If you plank every day, increase the time adding 10 seconds at a time. Accept the 30 day plank challenge and at the end you will be able to stay up for 5 minutes!
Side Bends
Why: Side bends are ideal for the development of the lateral and oblique abdominal muscles. For starters take a small dumbbell weight. Over time, increase the weight to increase the load on the muscles for a greater effect.
How to: Stand straight. Take a dumbbell in one hand while you have the second hand holding your waist. Feet placed at shoulder width. Now bend slowly on the side, letting the dumbbell pull you down. Keep your back straight! Breath in when you bend. Hold for a moment and get slowly back to the initial position. Without pauses continue repetitions. Then change hands and do the same.
If you want to burn belly fat do 5sets with 15 – 20 repetitions each time. If you are already building muscles, only 3 sets are recommended doing 10 – 12 repetitions
Leg Lifts
Why: The main purpose of this exercise – to train abdominal muscles with a focus on the rectus abdominis.
Lifting legs lying on your back is quite useful for beginners, it is simple and will help you to quickly strengthen the abdominal muscles and prepare for more difficult exercises.
How to: Lie on your back, put your hands along the body or over the head, so that you feel comfortable. Lift your legs to the vertical position and during lifting breathe out. Then lower the legs to the floor and immediately lift again. A more sophisticated level – hold the legs in the air, do not touch the floor and then lift up.
An important detail – while lifting the legs, try also to lift your butt off the floor, it is important to enable abdominal muscles.
Cycling Crunches
Why: Bicycle crunches according to experts are the easiest and the most effective crunches to gain tight abs. During the exercise all groups of abdominal muscles work, especially – lower and side muscles. Hip muscles, flexors and knee extensors tense up a little less. So it prevents you from sustaining a knee injury.
How to: Lie on your back, put your hands behind your head . Then raise your right leg, thighs perpendicullar, calves parallel to the ground, lift the shoulder blades off the floor. Connect the left elbow to the right knee. At the same time strengthen your left leg. Do the same with your other leg, make the right elbow touch the left knee, straighten the right leg. Repeat the exercise 15-20 times. Gradually increase the load.
Reverse Crunches
Why: Reverse Crunches refer to basic exercises to develop the muscles of the abdomen. Your entire group of abdominal muscles will be involved in this exercise, but especially the low segment.
How to: Lie on your back and stretch your arms at your sides. Bend your knees and lift your hips up till they get to the position perpendicular to the floor. Take a breath and hold it; strain your abs, pull your knees toward your chest. The knees should be as close to the chest as you can and hips should be completely raised from the floor.
Try not to straighten the legs while twisting, otherwise it will be very difficult to resist the temptation to help yourself to complete a repetition by the force of the leg muscles.
You can place your hands on the floor to help you move the hips off the ground.
It is recommended to do 2 sets with 10-12 repetitions, but if it is too difficult for you, start with smaller amount and increase it every day.
Superman Exrcise
Why: This exercise works great for all abdominal muscles, plus you stretch your spine to improve posture.
How to: Lie face down, straighten your arms in front of you. This is the starting position. Breathing out, simultaneously lift your arms, legs and chest off the floor, try to strain your lower back and abs as much as you can. Hold this position for 15 – 20 seconds. You feel like the flying superman. Breathing in, slowly lower to the starting position. Rest for 20 seconds and start again. Make at least 4 repetitions.
Variations: You can perform this exercise, raising one arm and one leg at a time. Just lift your left leg, arm and side of the chest, then repeat it on the right side.
Side Crunches
Why: Side crunches – an exercise that focuses on the obliques and intercostal muscles which are extremely hard to reach. Plus, this kind of activity is very flexible. You are able to perform side crunches either on the floor or on the bench for a hyperextension, Roman chair or on fitball. The difference is the ability to increase the range of motion. Also, you can add more weight.
How to: Lying on your right side, bend your knees so that your thighs are at right angles to the body. Place your left hand behind your head, and your right hand is situated along the trunk or on the left side (as you can feel the obliques working).
From the starting position, straining the obliques, as you exhale tear your torso off the floor, mentally trying to reach an elbow to the hip. At the point of maximum lift, fully exhaling, pause for a second and slowly return to the original position while breathing in. Barely touching the floor, do the following exercise again. After completing the required number of repetitions on one side, do the same for the opposite side.
Hula Hoop
The last but definitely not the least. Hula hooping every day for 30 minutes or more will remove your love handles in a couple of weeks! Hula hoop is your way to the lean belly.
It’s best to Hula Hoop on an empty stomach.The process will go much faster if you do the pre-breathing exercises. Deeply inhale the air through the nose. Your mouth has to be closed. And do exhale through the mouth. Repeat exercise 3 – 4 times.
While performing feet should be kept together. Movement should be smooth and rhythmic. The process should involve the waist, do not try to help yourself with the chest or hips. The only way you can get rid of the belly fat is to hula hoop only with your waist.
Finally, know that these exercises are effective if you give them a try and be consistent. Your diet is important as well. Morning and mid-day should be filled with “good” carbs that give you energy for your workouts and daily routine like Oatmeal and Buckwheat (the latter one of America’s most overlooked grains and a real powerhouse food). Eat these good carbs until 3 pm and then begin eating proteins fish, chicken breast with fresh veggies like salad. Try and eat 3 small carb meals a day and 3 protein meals per day and watch the fat disappear and the energy increase.
