3 Top Exercises Trainers Recommend for Losing Belly Fat

• Why it matters: Core exercises strengthen your midsection, but they do not directly burn belly fat.
• What to do: Create a realistic routine that includes cardio, strength training, and enough protein.
• The benefit: Steady habits can help reduce overall body fat while protecting muscle over time.

Exercise can support belly fat loss, but no workout can target only the waist. Trainers say the best approach combines cardio, strength work, and short periods of harder effort to encourage overall fat loss.

Can Exercise Really Reduce Belly Fat?

Aerobic exercise can help reduce both visceral fat, which sits deep in the abdomen, and subcutaneous fat under the skin, Josh Schlottman, CPT, CSCS, a certified personal trainer and strength coach at Trainer Josh Fitness, told HEALTH. But exercises aimed at one area do not work, and any reduction in belly fat will come as total body fat decreases, he said.

“Getting into a calorie deficit is essential,” Schlottman said. “You have to burn more calories than you take in if you want to lose fat. That’s why both exercise and reducing calories can help burn belly fat.”

The more calories you burn through activity, the more visceral fat you may lose. Genetics also affect how much fat you shed through exercise and diet, he added. “Your body decides where to pull fat from first based on your hormones and genes,” he said.

Research has also shown that genes can influence how easily belly fat comes off. “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

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 amount of exercise will lead to major fat loss without a calorie deficit.

According to Abelsson, exercise can raise calorie burn and help create that deficit, but food intake 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 most likely to help you reach a calorie deficit.

High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)

HIIT can help burn belly fat by creating a large calorie burn in less time, Schlottman said. Short all-out efforts, paired with brief recovery periods, quickly raise energy expenditure.

“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 for three to four rounds.

Strength Training

Strength training burns calories while you lift, though not as many as HIIT. Muscle is metabolically active, meaning it uses calories even at rest. 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 added burn can add up to significant fat loss.

To increase calorie burn during strength training, focus on compound lifts that work several joints and muscle groups 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 so you can benefit from resistance work while staying in a fat-burning zone.

Moderate-Intensity Cardio

Moderate-intensity cardio primarily uses fat for fuel, Nina Kopaeva, MD, told HEALTH. That is especially true when it is done after resistance training or in a fasted state. She said pairing it with HIIT or strength work can increase total calorie burn and improve hormonal response.

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

What About Ab Workouts?

Ab exercises will not directly burn belly fat, but they do build the muscles underneath the fat, which can help create definition once body fat drops. “Fat loss in that area comes from overall body fat reduction, not spot training,” Schlottman said.

Ab workouts are best for core function, posture, and strength. Schlottman added that heavy ab training can sometimes cause unwanted muscle growth 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 has a place during fat loss. It helps build and preserve muscle mass, and once body fat goes down, exercises like planks and crunches can make the midsection appear more defined.

Expert Tips to Support Fat Loss

If you want to lose weight and maximize fat loss, experts recommend these habits to support your effort:

• Eat plenty of protein: Abelsson suggests 0.7 to 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight each day. “It’s safe, keeps you full, reduces cravings, and helps you maintain muscle mass when you’re in a caloric deficit.”
• Get quality sleep: Aim for about seven to nine hours per night, Abelsson said. “Poor sleep increases the stress hormone, which is linked to increased belly fat storage. It also makes it harder to lose fat and build muscle, and can increase cravings for unhealthy food.”
• Drink enough water: Staying hydrated, without overdoing it, can help manage appetite. “Sometimes our brains mistake thirst for hunger,” Abelsson said.
• Stay in a calorie deficit: Kopaeva suggests keeping caloric intake about 10% to 25% below maintenance without extreme restriction to support weight loss.
• Make a plan you can sustain: Schlottman recommends lifestyle changes rather than drastic measures so the results last.