When I was a Personal Trainer, the majority of the questions I got looked like this:
What’s the best exercise to lose my love handles? What’s the best exercise to get flat abs? What's a good exercise to lose my belly fat?
I usually got the blank stare of skepticism when I answered.
You want to know what my answer is?
Here it goes…
There is no specific exercise to lose belly fat and flatten your stomach!
In order for fat to be burned, it has to first be released from the fat cells that it’s “trapped” in and then it can be “burned” as fuel.
So what causes fat release? Ahh, now that's the appropriate question.
The Real Way To Get A Flat Belly
Fat is burned proportionately from all over, and genetics determine where fat is burned first and the last places it will go.
For example, I've seen people who have a flat belly and fat thighs, and I've seen others with slim thighs and a fat belly.
Here’s your two step process to lose body fat. Get these two steps right and you can actually get a flat belly without doing any stomach exercises whatsoever.
Step 1: Eat for fat loss. Eat 4 to 6 meals a day and eat fat burning foods.
Don't go any longer than 4 hours without eating. Going long periods of time without food causes your body to hold on to fat.
Already exercising and need to lose that last bit of stubborn belly fat? At that point it falls mostly on your nutrition.
Carb cycling works great for fat loss. You simply eliminate carbs from your last two meals of the day. You can increase your protein and good fat intake at those meals.
Low carb meal: grilled chicken / asparagus / salad with flax oil and low carb dressing
Step 2. Have a consistent balanced workout regimen. A balanced workout routine has cardio and weight training built into it.
Get in 4 to 5 days a week of exercise. You’ll have an easier time losing body fat by doing at least 6 days a week.
Only spend 5 minutes, 10 minutes tops doing ab specific exercises 2 to 3 days a week. Ab exercises are actually the least effective way to burn fat because your abs make up such a small region of your body.
Do mostly full body calorie burning exercises like
squats,
deadlifts,
lunges,
push ups,
rows, and
standing shoulder presses.
These are known as compound or multi joint exercises.
Those are not only the best exercises to lose belly fat, they’re the best exercises to lose body fat - period.
Interval training and supersets can also work well for getting rid of stubborn body fat.
When your body fat levels are very low, then you do more ab specific exercises to shape and mold that area.