Are you ready to shrink pot belly fat for good? If so, strengthening and tightening up your core requires attacking the muscles from multiple angles and positions. To help you get started, we’ve put together a simple—yet powerful—workout you can use to tone and sculpt your abdominal muscles. Not only will sticking to a regular exercise regimen assist in eliminating stubborn belly fat, but it’s also a great daily habit to extend your life.
Complete 3 sets of each exercise with a minute rest in between sets. If you want to challenge your heart rate as well, you can perform this as a circuit workout with each exercise leading directly into the next. Or, if you want to tax your muscles more, do all 3 sets of one exercise, then move on to the next. Now, let’s get started!
This first exercise in our #1 workout to shrink pot belly fat will have you getting on all fours. So, bend your knees at a 45-degree angle, positioning them directly under your hips. Your hands should be flat on the floor underneath your shoulders, and your arms should be straight. Keeping your core fully engaged, slowly lift the opposite arm and leg directly out until they are parallel to the floor. Then, bring them back in. It helps to use a count of 5 on the way out and in to make sure you’re not moving too quickly. Also, remember to keep your torso steady during the movement; your body will want to start tipping to one side, and your job is to resist that and keep a neutral spine. Complete 5 to 10 reps per side.
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Begin your V-Ups with your body flat on the floor with your legs fully extended and your arms straight overhead. Brace your core, and lift your arms and legs into the air, bending at the hip and raising your shoulders off the ground. Touch your ankles or feet with your fingers, and come back down. Complete 15 to 20 reps.
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Russian Twists will start in a seated position. Bring your feet off the ground with your knees bent at a 45-degree angle. Grab a light weight with both hands, and turn your torso to the side, lightly touching the weight to the left, next to your hip. Bring the weight back to the center, and do the same movement on your right side. Then, bring it back to the middle. Complete 15 to 20 reps per side.
Alternating Toe-Touches are similar to V-Ups, but with unilateral opposition, which means you strengthen each side of your abs equally. To get started, lie flat on the ground. Bring both your left leg and right arm off the ground at the same time. Your right shoulder will come off the floor. Touch your left ankle or foot with your right hand, and come back down. Then, switch sides and repeat the movement. Complete 12 to 15 reps per side.
For this final movement, lie down on the floor with your knees bent at a 45-degree angle and your feet flat. Engage your core, and lift both shoulders off the mat, putting your core in a slight crunch position. Then, slowly reach your right hand out until you touch your right ankle. Bring the hand back, and repeat with the left side. Make sure to keep your abs dialed in tight in this position, because once you let them go, your lower back will want to take over in the movement. Complete 15 reps per side.
Tyler Read
Tyler Read is a personal trainer and has been involved in health and fitness for the past 15 years. Read more about Tyler
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