Your belly houses two types of fat: subcutaneous fat, which sits directly below the skin and is the kind you can pinch, and visceral fat, which is located deep inside your abdomen and surrounds important organs. Visceral fat is linked to many health risks—such as heart disease—and it’s more challenging to lose. The good news is we’ve rounded up four effective exercises that help address those deep layers. Spoiler alert: Full-body movement is key!
“Deep belly fat is tied to lifestyle adjustments and hormone levels. So everyone is going to have points of view on what is an acceptable level of visceral fat,” explains Marshall Weber, certified personal trainer and owner of Jack City Fitness. “The below movements work more muscles at once, spike your heart rate, and will also torch more calories than isolated ab work … Unlike boring crunches or sit ups, these exercises hit your core while engaging big muscle groups, which drives up energy burn during and after the workout.”
Kettlebell Swings
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“Kettlebell swings are primarily leg movements; they engage your upper body sufficiently to be a full body exercise,” Weber tells us.
- Grab a kettlebell, holding it with both hands by the handle.
- Stand tall with your feet hip-distance apart.
- Hold on tight and swing the kettlebell to eye level or a bit higher.
- Swing it down between your legs.
- Thrust the weight forward, using your glutes and hips for control.
Mountain Climbers
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“In addition to strengthening and tightening the midsection, mountain climbers engage the back muscles by supporting their weight during plank positions,” says Weber.
- Begin in a high plank position.
- Quickly drive your right knee toward your left elbow.
- Return to a plank.
- Repeat the movement with your left knee.
Plank Shoulder Taps
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“The slow, isometric holds will not only target the core, but also engage the back and even the legs as you fight for balance,” Weber notes.
- Begin in a high plank—hands under your shoulders and body straight.
- Engage your core.
- Lift your right hand off the floor and tap your left shoulder.
- Set your right hand down and repeat with your left hand, tapping your right shoulder.
- Keep your hips steady as you continue to tap from side to side.
Squat to Press
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“You are experiencing a full engagement here, from the deep squat in your legs to the upper body pushing overhead,” Weber points out.
- Stand tall with feet shoulder-width apart.
- Hold a dumbbell in each hand at shoulder level, palms facing inward.
- Bend your knees and press your hips back to lower into a squat until your thighs are parallel to the floor.
- Drive through your heels, exploding out of the squat as you extend your legs and press the dumbbells overhead in a smooth motion.
- Lower the weights to shoulder height.
- Return to a squat.
Looking for more easy ways to lose fat? Here’s How Long Your Walking Workout Should Be To Shrink Belly Fat.
Alexa Mellardo
Alexa is a content strategist, editor, and writer based in Greenwich, Connecticut. She has 11+ years of experience creating content for travel, lifestyle, fitness, wellness, F&B, home, and celeb news publications. Read more about Alexa
