This article provides a comprehensive guide to the best ab workouts for defining and strengthening your midsection. Expert recommendations are included, along with detailed instructions on how to perform each exercise.
If you've got a consistent fitness routine but aren't seeing the results you want, specifically in your midsection, then you may want to consider adding workouts to lose belly fat . If you and your doctor agree that your health is in good shape, there's certainly no need to do anything differently. But, if you have excess weight around your midsection that doesn’t make you feel your best, you may prioritize the best stomach exercises to lose belly fat at home.
“Spot reduction isn’t a viable approach to losing belly fat,” explains Corey Phelps, fitness trainer, nutrition expert, and creator of the Cultivate by Corey Fitness Program. There are some great core-focused exercises that will address fat all over the body, while also strengthening and helping defined abdominals. Establishing a nutritious, balanced diet is just as important as your workout routine to help with your weight loss goals. Research confirms this—a study published in The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research found that six weeks of regular isolated ab workouts alone was not sufficient to reduce abdominal fat compared to a control group. Instead of limiting your focus to one area for weight loss exercises, Celebrity Trainer and Nutrition Expert Jillian Michaels recommends doing exercises that combine cardio, strength, and core work to ultimately help you reduce body fat. “I’m a big fan of exercises that are core-focused, but work multiple muscle groups simultaneously with a HIIT component for added calorie burn,” she says. Ahead, find the best ab workouts to help define and strengthen your midsection. Try: Burpees We get it, burpees may be tough (just notice your rapid breathing as you’re doing them), but they really do help build muscle. Burpees work your core, as well as your chest, shoulders, lats, triceps, and quads, explains Michaels. Apart from trying to catch your breath, you’ll also notice your heart pumping. This is because burpees involve explosive plyometric movement (a type of exercise that involves short, intense bursts of activity to increase power and strength), meaning your heart rate will elevate.How to do burpees: Stand with your feet shoulder-distance apart and send your hips back as you lower your body toward the ground in a low squat. Then, place your hands right outside of your feet and hop your feet back, allowing your chest to touch the floor. Push your hands against the floor to lift your body up into a plank and then jump your feet just outside of your hands. With your weight in your heels, jump explosively into the air with your arms overhead. Reps: Albert Matheny, R.D., C.S.C.S., co-founder of SoHo Strength Lab, recommends doing 10 to 15 reps, although you can go up to 20 if you’re a burpee pro. “You should never do more than 20 burpees in a row—your form will suffer,” he says. He suggests doing two-to-three sets of this. Try: Mountain climbers If you’ve tried rock climbing, then you know how much strength it takes to scale to the top. Similarly, mountain climbers test your strength and endurance. Like burpees, Michaels is a fan of this moving plank exercise because it works your core in addition to a slew of other muscles. Incorporate mountain climbers into your circuit or use them to warm up. If you want some variety, consider adding a push-up to your set.How to do mountain climbers: Get into a high-plank position with your wrists directly under your shoulders. Keep your core tight, drawing your belly button in toward your spine. Drive your right knee toward your chest and then bring it back to plank. Then, drive your left knee toward your chest and bring it back. Continue to alternate sides.Reps: These are usually time-based, although you can aim for a set number of reps. Matheny recommends doing 30-second reps on average, or 30 mountain climbers per side. Try: Tricep extension push-ups This is what Matheny calls a “multi-joint movement” that gets your whole body and core involved. While it’s not the one thing that will torch your belly fat, it can help as part of a larger plan. It can also help tone the muscles in your core (and arms), which will show more as you lose fat, Matheny says. This is an elevated take on a push-up that works multiple muscle groups in your upper body, while putting a lot of weight on your triceps. How to do tricep extension push-ups: To do tricep extension push-ups, start in a plank position and then bend your elbows back so that your forearms are flat on the ground. Keep your head, neck, back, and legs in a straight lin
Ab Workouts Belly Fat Core Strengthening Exercise Fitness Tips Jillian Michaels Mountain Climbers Burpees Tricep Extension Push-Ups
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