3 Exercises Trainers Recommend for Reducing Belly Fat

Workout routines can support belly-fat loss, but no single exercise will shrink just your waist. Trainers say the best approach combines cardio, strength work, and short periods of higher effort to encourage overall fat loss.

Can Exercise Really Help Reduce Belly Fat?

Aerobic exercise and high-intensity interval training, or HIIT, can help reduce both visceral belly fat and subcutaneous belly fat, Josh Schlottman, CPT, CSCS, a certified personal trainer and strength coach at Trainer Josh Fitness, told HEALTH. He noted that spot-reduction workouts do not work, and belly-fat loss will generally track with overall body-fat loss.

“Putting your body into a calorie deficit is essential for fat loss,” Schlottman said. “You need to burn more calories than you consume to really lose fat. So both exercise and calorie restriction are effective for burning off belly fat.”

He added that the more calories you burn through exercise, the more visceral fat loss you are likely to see. Genetics also influence how much belly fat you lose through exercise and diet. “Your body decides where to pull fat from first based on your hormones and genes,” he said.

Research has also shown that genes can affect how easily someone loses belly fat. “Some people are genetically wired to drop fat faster from diet and exercise than others,” Schlottman said.

The Most Effective Exercise Types for Belly-Fat Loss

Exercise can help reduce visceral and subcutaneous fat, Andreas Abelsson, a certified nutrition coach, personal trainer, and bodybuilding specialist from StrengthLog, told HEALTH. Even so, no workout will burn significant fat without a calorie deficit.

Abelsson said exercise can raise calorie burn and help create that deficit, but diet usually matters more. “It’s easy to eat or drink 500 calories, but burning it off with exercise takes an hour or more of effort,” he said.

These are the exercise styles that can help you get into a calorie deficit.

High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)

Schlottman said HIIT helps burn belly fat because it creates a large calorie burn in a short time. Brief all-out efforts followed by short rest periods can increase calorie expenditure quickly.

“HIIT also triggers excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC), which keeps your metabolism elevated for hours after working out. This after-burn effect is what causes your body to continue burning calories after you’ve finished working out,” Schlottman said.

He recommends exercises such as:

• Kettlebell swings

• Jump squats

• Mountain climbers

• Burpees

Do each movement for 30 seconds, rest for 30 seconds, and repeat the circuit for three to four rounds.

Strength Training

Strength training burns calories while you lift, though usually not as many as HIIT. Muscle is metabolically active, meaning it burns calories even when you are resting. The more muscle you carry, the higher your resting metabolic rate will be.

The effect is modest—about 6 calories per pound of muscle per day. But over months or a year, that can add up to pounds of fat loss simply from having more muscle.

To burn more calories during strength training, focus on compound exercises that work several muscle groups and joints at once, such as deadlifts, squats, and bench presses.

You can also shorten rest periods or use supersets, Mike Poirier, CSCS, vice president of Fitness at The Edge Fitness Clubs, told HEALTH. That keeps your heart rate up and helps you benefit from both resistance training and fat-burning cardio effects at the same time.

Moderate-Intensity Cardio

Moderate-intensity cardio mainly uses fat for fuel, Nina Kopaeva, MD, told HEALTH. This is especially true when it follows resistance training or is performed in a fasted state. She suggested combining it with HIIT or strength sessions to increase total calorie burn and support a better hormonal response.

Abelsson said only moderate- to high-intensity aerobic exercise reduces visceral fat without dieting. “Do cardio at an intensity of at least 60% to 70% of your max heart rate,” he said.

Are Ab Workouts Enough?

Ab exercises alone will not directly burn belly fat, but they do strengthen the muscles underneath it, which can improve definition once fat is reduced. “Fat loss in that area is from overall body fat reduction from a calorie deficit and not spot training,” Schlottman said.

Ab training is most useful for core strength, posture, and function. Schlottman also said very heavy ab work may add unwanted muscle size and make the waist look thicker. “If your core muscles grow faster than you’re able to lose fat, then your waist can end up looking thicker, not leaner,” he said.

Even so, some ab work still belongs in a fat-loss phase because it helps build and maintain muscle. As body fat drops, exercises like planks and crunches can help make the midsection look more defined.

Expert Advice for Better Fat Loss

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